In Search of the Historic Corpus Christi Pass

Randy Bissell is a Texas Master Naturalist™ providing geoscience education in his community, at regional colleges, and through training his chapter TMN volunteers. Randy is a retired petroleum geologist with 42 years of experience at Exxon and Headington Energy. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi for his BS (’82) and Oklahoma State University for his MS (’84) degrees in geology. He is a Licensed Professional Geoscientist in Texas and serves at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi as an adjunct professor, associate researcher, and student project sponsor.

This presentation considers the geological and historical significance of the Corpus Christi Pass that once connected Corpus Christi Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Today, remnants of the Pass exist as wetlands and waterways, with its course traceable using old maps and LiDAR models. Old paintings, maps, and geospatial analyses used in the presentation provide a dual narrative: it reconstructs the Pass’s geological story, showing how natural processes and human activities transformed the landscape. It then revisits a dramatic Civil War skirmish that unfolded in this setting. This talk emphasizes the enduring connections between the region’s natural history and its human narratives. By exploring the remnants of Corpus Christi Pass alongside its Civil War legacy, it invites viewers to consider how landscapes shape, and are shaped by, historical events. This dual perspective underscores the importance of preserving both the natural and historical heritage of Texas’s barrier islands.