Cat Island (Mississippi)
island in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States
Cat Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of the United States, located in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. The island's name comes from French explorers who mistook raccoons (which were not introduced to Europe until the 20th century) for cats. It is unknown who discovered Cat Island. It is within the jurisdiction of Harrison County, Mississippi. The western half and southern tip of the island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Formation and history
Cat Island is a unique "T-shaped" island created by colliding Gulf of Mexico currents. Unlike the other Mississippi islands, Cat Island's sand beaches are backed by dense forests of slash pines and live oaks. Due to the dredging of the Gulfport ship channel, however, Cat Island has lost its natural westward flow of sediment which provided material for the island to combat erosion. Bayous and marshes on Cat Island are home to alligators and refuge to migratory birds.
The island became a home to multiple settlers during the 18th century.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Cat Island (Mississippi)” is island in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Island, Mississippi and island, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “island in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5051035. VIAF identifies the subject as 315131508. The Library of Congress control number is sh91001732. Authority coordinates are 30.227, -89.103. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cat Island (Mississippi)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cat Island (Mississippi) primary sources, Cat Island (Mississippi) archive and Island research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cat Island (Mississippi)”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cat Island (Mississippi)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.