corpus-christi-leopard-port-avenue

This is MY neighborhood in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1966.

The Stakes family lived at corner of Doss & Antelope Street (723 Doss & 2009 Antelope) the Antelope house was a small, straight shotgun house, the Doss one was my grandmothers next door, Maria D Alcala, a boarding house from early 1900s. I have numbered places of interest. The descriptions (and my thoughts) are below this huge photo, courtesy of Corpus Christi Public Library from 1965-66.

THE TIMELINE:

BC= Before Celia Aug 3rd, 1970 when our house 723 Antelope destroyed and knocked back into stone age. Before that we lived fine, had telephone, electricity, and hot water, indoor plumbing, after than we were screwed. Momma Sarah Stakes died January 30th, 1988 (age 62) after 6 year battle with scourge of breast cancer. My dad, Homer T Stakes died in 2005 (age 79) right after evacuation of the retirement community he was living at, evacuated in light of Category 5 Hurricane Rita in gulf, it was largest evacuation in US history and millions fled inland, I still think this killed him going to Laredo with others in busses. And my brother Tommy Stakes passed away in April 2016, was only 60 years old.

So a TIMELINE here is all these stories of my youth are sandwiched between what all I remember as a kid, up to when I moved from Corpus Christi since was no Bartender work... in 1983.

#1 being our houses, and fans out. As kids we were told not to go other side of I-37, because of black kids. and downtown, Forbidden Zone was north of Schatzell, due to all the tiddie bars, so boundaries set early on, this area was tough, industrial, and we were shit poor. Both my late brother Tommy Stakes, who passed away in 2016, and me, went to Cathedral, just off this big map to south of Wilson Tower.

South boundaries included Lipan, east basically seawall, but more of Water Street, north Interstate 37 (which WAS our front yard 15 yards from 2009 Antelope front door) and west around Rainbo Bakery. This is where most of my comments will be centered even though a lot of area here!

While we were dirt poor, life was not all that bad and I found things to keep busy, riding my bike with dog Bootsy in tow, picking up rocks at Missouri Pacific railroad tracks to throw at cars on I-37, playing occasional baseball, Hot Wheels, and just doing kids stuff in ghetto like digging in trash. You will see reoccuring theme in some of my stories about digging in trash, and of course stealing stuff.

I am going to slowly fill in the numbers here for people. I may need help on some of this over 50 year old stuff, but wish to preserve a memory of my youth growing up in Corpus Christi. I am the last Stakes standing. Since I like to document things (as evidence of my love for AMC cars & 11,000+ files on my site here!) thought would document my youth too. So here goes, all subject to change and more will be added as time goes on, if you have something to help me ID email me at eddie@planethoustonamx.com

A good group of Corpus Christians there who like to share memories of the Sparkling City By The Sea are also on Facebook if you do that...I try to post in both of them time permitting & most of my posts are here on this growing file and centered on my youth in 1960s & 70s, some 80s before I moved from Corpus Christi to Houston in 1983. Feel free to join one or both!

We Grew Up In Corpus Christi

On May 2020 I was kicked out of the Facebook "Corpus Christi Memories Past & Present" for using word "ass" & "crap" in my stories. Son Jacob was also "banned for life" for posting two Corpus Christi stories, one about big crowds on Padre Island Memorial Day 2020 & a record breaking hammerhead shark caught on Bob Hall Pier.