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| The Core (locally know as Ca'e) Banks are a string of barrier island stretching from Portsmouth Island at the north to Shackleford Banks on the south. Described as "restless ribbons of sand" the banks are characterized by their constantly shifting terrain, both above ground and in the shoal waters surrounding them. Now, largely a part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, the banks were once the home of thriving communities fishing communities. Shore-based whaling, prior to the 1890s, provided income for the for the Banks communities. However, even during whaling times, the Banker families primarily survived on the much less hasardous and more predictable catches of fish such as mullet. | |
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The "monster" hurricanes of the 1890s had monumental effect on the Banks, forcing most of the residents to relocate, washing away topsoil and homes alike. The salt water eventually killed most of the maritime forest and all of the fruit trees. However tradition and roots were strong and until the National Parks Service forced their removal in 1966, most of the families returned to family camps on the Banks each summer. The Banks weather is still something to be reconed with, as recounted by a group of radio hobbysts who made a club trip to the area in March of 1999. |
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Kayak trails around Portsmouth Island Beach Erosion: Nature's Work-in-Progress - an online reprint of a Sea Grant, North Carolina feature article. |
