The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 88, July 1984 - April, 1985 Page: 54
476 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
It was to one of'these, the Fulton Canning Company, whose proprie-
tor was apparently Charles M. Holden, that John and Ned Mercer,
pioneer residents on nearby Mustang Island, sold sea turtles in the late
187os. In September, 1877, for example, Ned Mercer set about con-
structing a turtle skiff and twine nets, with anchors to secure them.
Another turtler was reported to have caught eleven of the reptiles at
Shamrock Point. Doubtless these animals wound up with others that
were sent to Holden's cannery at Fulton, where diamond-backed ter-
rapins were also raised. Mustang Island pioneers lived off game and
sea food, including green turtles, which in very cold weather "would
become numbed and could be caught easily," and from seabird eggs
until domestic fowl were brought to the island in the late 187os.32
A number of packinghouses apparently turned to subsidiary prod-
ucts, such as turtle meat. Fisheries authority Charles Stevenson noted
that "small quantities of green turtle meat are incidentally canned at
times at various other places. Each cannery uses methods peculiar to
itself . . To prepare it so that it will keep a suitable length of time,
requires close attention and the greatest cleanliness." In 1886, Morgan
line steamers were listed as transporting 2o8,ooo pounds of fish and
turtle from Rockport.33
Stevenson reported that the Fulton Cannery, which specialized in
turtle and to which Mrs. Norvell referred, operated certainly between
1881 and 1896, probably earlier. It handled 9oo green turtles, totalling
243,000 pounds, in 1890o and produced about 40,000 two-pound cans
of turtle meat. Other authorities presented similar data and noted that
thirteen wholesale fish and oyster firms and turtle canning companies
(they did not differentiate between these kinds of companies) existed
dustries on Coast," Express (San Antonio), June 17, 1934, mentions mustangs and deer
for hides and tallow about Corpus Christi: "One plant at Fulton was taken over by a
company to use in canning turtles." Hildebrand, "A Historical Review of the Status
of Sea Turtle Populations in the Western Gulf of Mexico," 451, refers to A. Ray Stephens
about sea turtles feeding on packinghouse wastes.
32Stephens, The Taft Ranch, 12; Dee Woods, "Turtle Fishing Was Money-Making Di-
version for Mustang Islanders during Hurricane Season of 187os," Corpus Christi Caller,
July 3, 1939, in "Newspaper Clippings Containing Accounts from Diaries of Captains
John and Ned Mercer, 1871-1879: Corpus Christi Caller," John G. and Edward T. Mer-
cer Scrapbook, 1939 (BTHC). In the July 3, 1939, article Holden's initials are given as
"C. M." Dee Woods, "Islanders Dined on Wild Game; Deer Plentiful," Corpus Christi
Caller, July 30o, 1939, ibid. (quotation); Dee Woods, "Old Time Parlors and Women's
Hat Styles Almost Wiped out Texas Bird Colonies Half a Century Ago," Corpus Christi
Caller, July 9, 1939, ibid.
3SStevenson, "The Preservation of Fishery Products for Food," 335-538, 539 (quotation),
540-563; Stephens, The Taft Ranch, 12, 67.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 88, July 1984 - April, 1985, periodical, 1984/1985; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101210/m1/76/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.