In the early 1800's, the pirate Jean Lafitte plied the waters throughout the Gulf of Mexico, earning the nickname, Pirate of the Gulf. His main base was on Galveston Island but legend says he also established bases in Corpus Christi Bay and near Port Isabel. Stories abound of his pirate loot being buried around the Islands. Lafitte liked the area because when pursued, his shallow draft boats could escape into the shallow Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay where larger boats could not follow.

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