The topic I chose for my local history project was the Ennis Joslin Indian Burial Ground. This area was originally known as Ennis Joslin, a typical road in Corpus Christi, but in 2005 it was also found to be an ancient burial ground. Some of the bodies that were discovered were found to be dated back to 800 B.C.! Over the course of the next few years, there were many debates of what to do about this land. Many of the Indians argued that the road be named the Sacred Spirit Trail in recognition of the Indians that were buried in this location. Ancient remains and artifacts were also found in this area and raised questions of what was to happen to them. I feel that this plays an important part in Corpus Christi history because it shows us that there were others before us that had lived in this area. I want to find out what happened to these Indians, and wish to learn more about Corpus Christi's Indian community. I'd also like to dig deeper into the history of the Ennis Joslin Road, and see why this ancient burial ground was created and why it's so sacred.

My findings in my local history project have been quite successful so far. My trip to the library last weekend lead me to six folders full of articles, journal entries, letters, and papers regarding Indians who lived here in Corpus Christi. I spent about 3 hours just reading, taking notes, and taking pictures of the articles I thought would be useful for my project. I obtained a lot of new information regarding this historical landmark, and after a casual conversation with my family the other day I learned that my grandfather's brother's neighbor is an Indian priest. He's actually in some of the articles I found regarding the Ennis Joslin Road. His name is Larry "Running Turtle" Salazar and he's part of the Gulf Coast Indian Confederation, an organization that promotes Indian culture and tries to protect and preserve their artifacts. This news excited me because I knew that he would be a great addition to my local history project. I'm hoping to get a chance to interview Larry because I feel that he not only could tell me about his Indian culture, but also what he's witnessed and experienced first-hand regarding the Ennis Joslin Indian Burial Ground. With this new information in my hand, I can't wait to see what else I might uncover throughout this journey of my local history topic.