The Historic Corpus Christi Pass

The Corpus Christi Pass, a lost tidal inlet once linking Corpus Christi Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, serves as a focal point for understanding the intricate interplay of geology and history. This presentation uncovers its evolution, shaped by natural coastal dynamics such as hurricanes and longshore drift, as well as its eventual erasure due to human interventions like the construction of modern channels. 

Central to its historical narrative is the 1862 Civil War skirmish known as the “Affair at Padre Island,” where Confederate forces successfully defended the pass. The event highlights how the pass’s high dunes were strategically utilized for military advantage. 

Richly illustrated with historical maps, paintings and digital analyses, this session explores the transformation of the pass into wetlands and shallow waterways. Learn about geological processes and hear the human stories, underscoring how landscapes and history are interwoven and the importance of preserving Texas’s natural and historical treasures.

Presenters are Jim Moloney, owner and founder of Energy Gas Compression, a Corpus Christi-based oil and gas service company, and Randy Bissell, a research associate at Texas A&M University in geosciences and paleontology.

This is the concluding event in the 2025 UT Marine Science Institute public lecture series in Port Aransas. Each event features in-person presentations by scientists on their research and programs and is free for everyone to attend. 

For questions, please contact us at msi-edureserve@utlists.utexas.edu or (361) 749-3152.