< Previous8 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 In Independent Living you can be who you were meant to be.... It’s never too late to discover new hobbies, start an exercise program, and make new life-long friends. Choose The Meridian Independent Living and let us take care of the little things ~ so you can live big! Enjoy our fine dining, coffee bar, on-site library, fitness room and movie theater. Spend some quiet time in our chapel. Participate in scheduled activities. Take a walk on the beach. Your days can be filled with all of this and more! The Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care gives the residents the support they need while they maintain their dignity and independence. On our Post-Acute Skilled Unit we provide Skilled Nursing and Therapy after a hospital stay where Medicare and Insurance will often cover your stay. We also offer Long-Term Care. At The Meridian, we are not just community... we are Family. Call us today or Book a Tour here! We can’t wait to meet you! www.themeridian-galveston.com Call today 409.763.6437 2228 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston Island, TX 77550 The Meridian is a Senior Living Community © Copyright: Coast Monthly is published by The Daily News. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative. WEBSITE coastmonthly.com EDITOR Laura Elder PUBLISHER Leonard Woolsey CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ DESIGN EDITOR Melissa rivera PHOTOGRAPHERS Jennifer reynolds Stuart Villanueva CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Capt. Nate Skinner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Emma Brocato Shannon Caldwell Barbara Canetti Christina Mattison Ebert phil Newton Laura pennino Capt. Nate Skinner CHIEF REVENUE DIRECTOR Michelle robinson ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Maureen Beans Catherine Boudoin Aymiel Fleming Jana Knoell Kristi Quigley MAILING ADDRESS p.O. Box 1838 Texas City, TX 77592 EDITORIAL 409.683.5248 ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 409.683.5202 STORY IDEAS editor@coastmonthly.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send letters to editor@coast monthly.com. Be sure to include your full name, city, state and phone number. Coast Monthly reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. SUBSCRIPTIONS 409.683.5201GC.EDU | 409-944-GCGC | 4015 AVE. Q, GALVESTON, TX 77550 It is the policy of Galveston College to provide equal opportunities without regard to age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex,disability, genetic information or veteran status. FALL 2025 SUMMER & REGISTER NOW! BEGINS APRIL 7 TOMORROW Your BUILD NUCLEAR MEDICINE TECHNOLOGY10 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 I t’s amazing how a horse on a beach can attract so much attention. Well, two horses to be exact. Kimber, an American Paint Horse, and Sonny Boy, an American quarter horse, accompanied our human models, Ireland Banner and Cody Gaspard, as we shot our cover for this issue celebrating coastal cowboys. One of the many fun things about Coast Monthly cover shoots is how many people stop to watch. “My daughter loves horses and the beach; she would go wild if she saw this,” a woman visiting the Texas coast from Minnesota said as we worked on the photo shoot in late February. More spectators, many of them so-called winter Texans, gathered to watch as Pete Alcocer, owner of Gal- veston Island Horse & Pony Rides, gave Banner and Gaspard guidance about Kimber and Sonny Boy. Each year, Coast Monthly celebrates Texas and cowboys and cowgirls and we highlight the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo, which is always in April. This is the first year we’ve featured horses on the beach, and judging by all the spectators, we think the cover is a hit. As you’ll read in this issue, the upper Texas coast has a rich ranching and cowboying legacy. We catch up with Galveston-born rancher Gerald Sullivan and family. Sullivan was honored last year at a Coastal Cow- boy gala at The Bryan Museum in Galveston. The gala inspired an exhibit at The Bryan Museum titled Coastal Cowboys: A Brand of Their Own that takes us back to a time when cattle were grazed in saltgrass pastures along the Coastal Bend of Texas and then loaded onto cattle boats at the Port of Galveston, bound for Carib- bean nations such as Haiti and Cuba. We also visited with Ernie Deats, a prolific author and rancher. Earlier this year, Deats published his 15th book, which is titled “The Saloon Keeper’s Son.” This new self-published addition to Deats’ collection of historical fiction novels and children’s books is set in the late 1800s in Dickinson, Texas. This issue reminds us why we’re proud to be Texans. Whether your family’s roots go way back or you got here yesterday, we think you’ll be proud, too. LAURA ELDER Coast Monthly Editor FROM THE EDITOR COASTAL SAND AND COWBOY GRIT Coast Monthly extends sincere thanks to Galveston Island Horse & Pony Rides owner Pete Alcocer for providing the two beautiful horses for our cover and inside photo spread. Alcocer patiently guided our models on the horses and helped us get beautiful shots. Galveston island Horse & pony rides is one of only three horse trail riding businesses along the Texas Coast providing a unique attraction for tourists. Visit www.gihpr.com for more information. SPECIAL THANKS (Right) Pete Alcocer, owner of Galveston Island Horse & Pony Rides, readies his horses for the Coast Monthly photo shoot. STUArT ViLLANUEVATo find care near you, visit houstonmethodist.org/care-clearlake or call 281.333.8899 . Convenient, easy-to-access locations for primary, specialty and emergency care in Clear Lake and surrounding communities We offer a full spectrum of care, including: •Primary care physicians for you and your family, providing personal care and service •Specialists with innovative treatments and customized programs for all conditions •Collaborative teams of experts using the newest technologies and latest research 45 45 225 146 DICKINSON 96 FRIENDSWOOD TEXAS CITY PASADENA DEER PARK NASSAU BAY 528 518 LEAGUE CITY 270 2351 HOUSTON METHODIST CLEAR LAKE HOSPITAL Clear Lake Hospital Breast Care Emergency Care Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Primary Care Specialty Care HOUSTON METHODIST LEADING CARE in Clear Lake 12 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 SHORELINES WE ASKED ON FACEBOOK: You know you’re from Texas if .... You drink beer and own boots. Sandi Jerome Pevoto if it takes you eight hours to leave the state. Karen Giusti Stripling You know how to say and spell Mexia, pedernales, Gruene, refu- gio, Bexar and many others in our great state. Mary Branum You know you’re from Texas if you iron your Wranglers. Michelle Booth When my fingers always show “Hook ‘em Horns” when “Eyes of Texas” is played! Peggy Hipple You’ve floated a river. Amanda Fenwick You know you’re from Texas if your truck payment is more than your house payment. Link Robertson You’re wearing a bathing suit for the first half of the day and a jacket the second half. Leroy Naschke III You fight the urge to clap when someone says “The stars at night, are big and bright … .” Admit it, you just sang that in your head. Melissa Deflora You know you’re from Texas when you get excited for a road trip and a stop at Buc-ee’s for a refreshment. Denise Arango You eat tamales for breakfast. Neige Cahier You see absolutely nothing wrong with turning the AC way down so you can have a fire in the fireplace on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mary Ann Salch Murphy You know how to pronounce “Gruene Hall” and are in love with that dance hall! Tom Rice You describe the summer temps in terms of hell, you know where all the best breakfast taco places are, you say “all y’all”, you keep the fans running year-round, you drink sweet tea and you consider Whataburger a food group. Natalie Fox Maisel You say “Howdy.” Denise Laine Beene You have a picture of you in a patch of bluebonnets. Heidi Lutz You have as many pairs of flip-flops as you do cowboy boots. Theresa Weyand Elliott You eat okra, black-eyed peas, grits and fold over sandwiches. You eat three times per day — breakfast, lunch and supper. Men wear blue jeans and boots to formal events. Most towns have many Dollar Stores, doughnut shops and Mexi- can restaurants. Gladys Haak When you fly the Texas flag all year, eat Tex-Mex on the regular, have a distinct LOVE for H-E-B, go to rodeos and the beach in one day, say y’all and eagerly await football season the second it ends! Heather MacBeth Estrada You experience all four seasons in one day. Karen Barbier You know all the words to “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” Sally Byrom roots are in Tennessee but you love Texas just the same! Gail Ayers You know you’re from Texas when it’s in the 50s or 60s and you are freezing. Kristen Carlson You get a tear in your eye when you see the first bluebonnets of the year. Debby Sodd Brady Your vocabulary includes, “bless your heart,” “fixing to” and “reckon!” Daphne Watkins When you are in the friendliest coun- try in the world. Bless your heart. Kathy Whatley BBQ is a staple, while reading an issue of Coast. Ed Muncey You say Feeder road instead of service road or access road. Laura Pennino You get offended by beans in your chili. Carroll Cobb You ask for Dr pepper. Mandy McGuire Rider My daddy has a bigger belt buckle than yours. Chriss Sendejas Bluebonnets make the perfect back- drop for photos. FiLE pHOTO: JENNiFEr rEYNOLDSExquisite Homes Pirates Cove | Laffite’s Cove 3515 Jolly Roger Pirates Cove 3507 Windlass Court Laffite’s Cove 16606 Bayfront Jamaica Beach 13615 Moyenne Place Laffite’s Cove For Sale For Sale For Sale For Sale 281.773.3477 bjennings@greenwoodking.com Chase Jennings, Associate RSPS chasejennings@greenwoodking.com BET JENNINGS 2022 & 2023 Real Trends America’s Best Real Estate Pros in Galveston & Texas14 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 Cowboys are a big part of coastal Texas history. Their ability to adapt in harsh environments and weather have left lasting legacies. p HOTO: STUA r T V i LLANUEVA COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 15 FEATURE SADDLES AND SALTGRASS Early coastal cowboys leave lasting legacy story by LAURA PENNINO W hen most people think about the beaches of Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, they likely don’t imag- ine the typical cowboy culture icons. But there was a time when herds of cattle swimming the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to graze on the peninsula was almost as familiar as dolphins jumping the bow wave of a ferry. Not too long ago, the sight of rope-twirling cowboys rounding up cattle on the West End was as common as seeing anglers with cast nets wrangling bait from a wetland. Yes, cowboys always have been a big part of coastal histo- ry and their ability to adapt in harsh environments and weath- er have left lasting legacies. “Cattle ranching has been a cornerstone of Texas’ econ- omy even before there was a Texas,” according to The Bryan Museum, 1315 21st St. in Galveston. “Most people don’t realize that there was a system of coastal ranches in the Lone Star State that had to essentially reinvent the industry and adapt their horses, gear and clothing to new landscapes and obstacles. Some of these coastal ranches were among the first in the state to adopt new technologies in the industry such as fencing, branding cattle and protecting the health of their herds.” The popularity of a recent exhibit at The Bryan Muse- um proved how much locals and tourists wanted to know about coastal cowboys. Now that the exhibit titled Coastal Cowboys: A Brand of Their Own has ended, the museum plans to put the show on the road and will continue to document oral histories about ranching, Tony Alves, executive creative director of the museum, said. “The Coastal Cowboys exhibition at The Bryan Museum was developed out of the theme for last year’s museum gala, Coastal Cowboys, honoring coastal rancher Gerald Sullivan and his family’s history,” Alves said. “It was import- ant both for the museum and for the Sullivan family to be able to share the remarkable stories that no one had really documented before. Once the word got out, we heard from so many more families who wanted to share their stories and from there, it grew.” Many people who attended the exhibit didn’t realize how important coastal ranching was for this region or how difficult it was for these coastal families because of weather conditions and limited resources. Along with Galveston’s Sullivan family, Alves worked closely with J.L. “Jim” Hodges and Marie Hughes to curate the Coastal Cowboys exhibit and to collect oral histories. Hodges is an author, speaker and historian. A long-time friend of oilman and museum founder J.P. Bryan, Hodges spent much of his life “cowboying” around Texas, and he continues to ride and train quarter horses in Alvin. Hughes is the director of the Chambers County Museum at Wallisville and is well-versed in the history of prominent coastal ranch families and loyal ranch hands. Her informative “Cowboys Part One” and “Cowboys Part Two” stories are published on the Chambers County Museum website. “Cattle ranching has been a cornerstone of Texas’ economy even before there was a Texas.” THE BRYAN MUSEUM16 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 FEATURE In addition to spending months helping The Bryan Museum with “the cowboy side of things” for the Coastal Cowboys gala and exhibit, Hodges organized and moderated a panel discussion in Febru- ary that is now available on YouTube. Panelists represented some of “The Real Coastal Cowboys” — Bob Kahla, Lloyd Maxwell and Dave Scott. Kahla, who hails from southeast Texas Saltgrass country, is a fourth-genera- tion cowboy, rancher and poet. Texas Saltgrass Country is the region along the Gulf Coast where native saltgrass grows year-round. Maxwell is the grandson of Texas rancher Elmer Woodard Boyt and Lela Blanche Boyt, who raised as many as 8,000 head of cattle on land in four counties. Scott is a sixth-generation cattle- man and a descendant of the Stephen F. Austin Old Three Hundred, which refers to the settlers who received land grants in Stephen F. Austin’s first colony in Texas. Scott operates G.D. Scott Cattle Compa- ny and serves on the board of the Texas Farm and Ranch Land Conservation Coun- cil, having been appointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “The Boyt Ranch previously spanned Galveston, Chambers, Liberty and Jefferson counties,” Hodges said. “It was considered the King Ranch of Southeast Texas. Bob Kahla trained horses for The White Ranch in Stowell near Winnie, Texas. Dave Scott was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2023.” Hodges learned of Hughes and her ex- tensive collection of articles about Texas coastal ranches when he was conducting research for the Coastal Cowboys exhibit. “James Taylor White made one of the first cattle drives from the Chambers County area in 1830,” Hughes said. “Even now, the White family winters their cattle on Bolivar Peninsula, and they swim their cattle across the Intracoastal Canal. White Ranch work- ers lead them down from Winnie to High Island to graze.” Many ranch hands and cowboys in the 1800s were Black and were well respect- ed for their skills and their solid work ethic, Hughes said. One of them was Montie Humphrey, who was appointed as the first Black foreman of the 26,000- COUrTESY MArY KATHriNE WHiTE MOUrSUND, CHAMBErS COUNTY MUSEUM ViA THE BrYAN MUSEUM (From top) James Taylor White IV at White Family Ranch in Stowell; cattle crossing the Sabine River. COUrTESY CHAMBErS COUNTY MUSEUM ViA THE BrYAN MUSEUM COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 17 acre JHK Ranch. The ranch was owned by James Merriman Jackson in Double Bayou, Texas, which is west-central Chambers County. Humphrey had been born a slave in 1862. Having learned of his positive character traits and many talents, Jackson chose Humphrey to serve in the presti- gious role of ranch foreman when he was only in his mid-20s. The Jackson and White ranch fami- lies are connected. According to one of Hughes’ articles, James Merriman Jackson married Sarah White in 1847. Sarah was the daughter of James Taylor White. Galvestonian Gerald Sullivan initially turned down the request from The Bryan Museum founder J.P. Bryan to be featured in the exhibit. “Something struck me: This is bigger than me,” said Gerald Sullivan, whose saddle, boots, photos and other Sulli- van family treasures were featured in the Coastal Cowboys exhibit. “There are stories that need to be told. Cattle, water- melon, cantaloupe and cotton were raised on Galveston Island, but little is known about it.” Gerald Sullivan, who was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2018, and his wife, Susanne Hooser Sullivan, divide their time between Galveston Island and their ranch in Navasota. Gerald is a fifth-generation Galveston Islander and business owner whose ranching roots go back to about 1920. His father, John Richard Alston Sullivan, was orphaned at the age of 7. Gerald’s grandmother died during the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, and Gerald’s grandfather left John Richard Alston Sullivan to fend for himself. “Daddy wouldn’t talk about it,” Gerald Sullivan said. “He became a cowboy so he could put food in his belly. He trained horses, and he was a cattle tender. Daddy worked as a foreman for the Hutchings at their ranch that was in the area now known as Indian Beach. The Hutchings ranch neighbored ranches owned by the Sealy, Kempner and Moody families, The Schaper family operated a dairy near- by on Stewart Road. The Schapers had a pasture where they grazed their ‘dry’ dairy cows. If any of these other farms COUrTESY CHAMBErS COUNTY MUSEUM ViA THE BrYAN MUSEUM (From top) Johnnie Sullivan on Sullivan Ranch in Galveston; Little Elmer Cecil, Cecil Kenneth and Elmer Boyt on Boyt Ranch in Chambers County. COUrTESY THE SULLiVAN FAMiLY ViA THE BrYAN MUSEUMNext >