Evening star., 1928-12-19

played an important part in Ameri-
| can history. They were among the
| first bits of land on the South At
lantic ccas. =. .s9h -ett'orneuts w.re
established, beca1s1 all of them have
areas of firm ground 20 to 40 feet above
the sea, whereas broad areas of the
seaward edge of the mainland are
marshy
"The Spanish were the first corners,
moving up the coast by water from
Cuba not many years after the voy-
ages of Columbus.
Missions Established.
"The region was organized as the
District of Guale, part of the prov
ince Of La Florida. Soldier and padre
went hand in hand in the Spanish
scheme of settlement, as later in Texas
and California. Missions we're estab-
iished by the Jesuits on four of the
| islands: San Jose on Sapelo, San Pedro
on Cumberland, San Buenaventura on
St. Simon's and Santa Catalina on
st. GATHERINGS. There was in addi-
ton one mission on the mainland,
Santo Domingo at Talaje. These mis-
SionS were established in 1868, soon
after st. Augustine was founded and
long before the missions in Texas and
California.
Religious and literary history was
written on the Sea Islands. Brother
Domingo, one of the early JeSuits,
wrote Guale grammar soon after
the founding of the missions, the first
book, 1t is believed, to be written in
America. And in 1906 the first pas
toral visit to an American religious
group was made by the Bishop of Cuba
when he visited the island missions.
LAS In all early American settle
ments, there was trouble with the In
dians on the Sea Islands, and several
times the missionaries were driven
away or killed. The settlements were
maintained, however, for more than
century.
Spaniards Pressed Southwark.
s'In 1910 the English moved into
South Carolina, and from then on
there was strife over the islands.
Gradually the Spaniards were pressed
southwark, and for long time Sapelo
ing line between Englishman and
Spaniard. BY 1743, however, the Eng
lish had pushed farther south and
maintained military posts on Jekyl and
Cumberland Islands.
Throughout the stormy period of
strife between Spanish and French and
English for control of the Sea Islands,
these bits of land were harried as we'll
by the pirates who came up from the
Caribbean. Blackboard Island virtu-
ally part of Sapelo. takes its name
from the buccaneer of that name who
made his stronghold there, and on sew
eral of the isles there are the inevi-
table legends of buried treasure.
1T was on st. Simon's Island that
the battle was fought that finally gave
control Of the isles to, England
Refuge for Nobility.
"Sapelo. with several adjoining islands,
passed into the possession of group
of French noblemen in 1890 and many
refugees of the French nobility found
haven there
"The islands suffered from sea raids
during the American Revolution and
the War of 1912, and were almost
deserted at the close of the latter
conflict. When peace came, the islands
had their golden age, with sea island
cotton raised on great plantations
After the Civil War, the islands lost
their prosperity, and 1t Is only in
recent years that a new development
has been started.
"Sapelo boasts a splendid abundant
artesian water supply which has been
traced to its origin In the Georgia
Mountains. The owner has gathered
great herd of blooded cattle that
thrive in this tickless island, and, as
the. natural enemies of wild life have
been expelled, every farm f1ourisheS
One of the most efficient of Mr.. Coffin'S
game wardens is middle-aged negro
woman who, mounted on her mule,
patrols miles of the isle, from dawn
until nightfall With spacious yacht
club on the mainland side, and several
fast cruisers and yachts, contact with
the City of Brunswick is easily made"