Rincon

Rincon Point is at the northernmost end of El Rincón, a peninsula jutting north of Corpus Christi and marking the boundary between Nueces and Corpus Christi bays in Nueces County (at 27°50' N, 97°23' W). The area was originally inhabited by Karankawa Indians. It was first described by the Spanish explorer Joaquín de Orobío y Basterra, who charted the Gulf Coast in 1746. Some sources suggest that the area may have been previously visited by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Alonzo Álvarez de Pineda, and La Salle. The name El Rincón, which means a corner or bend, was first recorded in a grant to Enrique Villareal in 1810 but was used to describe a much larger area extending well down the coast. At the start of the Mexican War Gen. Zachary Taylor's troops camped near the point, and in August 1862 the Confederate Army foiled a landing attempt by Union forces. By 1874 residences had begun to appear on the Rincon. A hurricane that year destroyed most of the structures, but they were quickly rebuilt, a pattern that has repeated itself to the present. In 1886 the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was constructed across the point, linking Corpus Christi and Port Aransas. By 1900 the Rincon, now sometimes referred to as North Beach, was a popular spot for outings. Several hotels and sanatoria as well as many fashionable homes were built along the broad beach just south of the point. The hurricane of 1919 and Hurricane Carla in 1961 destroyed many of the area's structures, but each time they were rebuilt. Among the newest features on the Rincon is the Texas State Aquarium, which opened in 1990.