Old-97A is one of the original Cabins built near Baffin Bay in Laguna Madre. It is believed the cabin was built in 1948, but the knowledge of who actually built the cabin has been lost to time. Chester Allen, Charlie Hass, Smiley Davis, Ford Allen, and 3 others purchased the cabin from an acquaintance in 1953 but from whom is not known. A brief biography of a few of the original members is below. These original cabin members referred to the cabin as “Gold Spoon Base.” Up until the early 1970, the water in Laguna Madre was often crystal clear and they were earlier developers of “sight fishing.” They would wade with a gold spoon until they saw trout then snap on a plastic lure and cast to the fish. The cabin was featured in a 1960’s Saltwater Sportsman magazine article called “The Birds Follow Them.” Whatever they were doing worked and they caught a lot of fish. Chester Allen possibly caught one of the largest trout in the state at 34 ¼ inch long. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, many of the cabin members made their own scooter boats. They were small wooden boats with a 20-30 hp motor and no steering wheel. To steer the boat you had to lean side to side. The original Cabin member transferred the cabin to family members in 1988, and it is still under the stewardship of Chester Allen’s relatives.
Chester Lee Allen:
Chester Lee Allen, known to most as “Chatter” or “Coach”, was born July 23, 1908 in Round Rock, Texas. He received a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He was a highly successful football coach for Texas teams in La Grange, Overton, McAllen, Beaumont, Corpus Christi High School, and the University of Corpus Christi. After eighteen years of coaching, he was named Corpus Christi’s first Athletic Director and served in that position for twenty three years. He was a local fishing legend and among the pioneers of sight casting in the Laguna Madre. His 1972 catch of a 34 1/2 inch trout is believed to be the largest ever caught in the Laguna.
Carlos Davis:
Carlos “Smiley” Davis was from Sherman, Texas and graduated from Baylor in 1931 where he starred in football and track. After college, he coached track and football at Timpson, Carlisle, Beaumont, and finally Corpus Christi High School as an assistant under Chatter. When Chatter took over at the University of Corpus Christi, Smiley went with him and the next year became UCC athletic director. When Ray High School opened in 1950, he joined as an assistant coach. He was known for producing winning track teams until he retired in 1972
Charles Frederick Hass:
Charles Frederick Haas was a prominent oilman and outstanding Corpus Christi athlete. He passed away on January 21, 2007, at the age of 89. He was born on February 2, 1917 in Edinburg, Texas to Fred E. Haas and Nora B. Haas. The family moved to Corpus Christi in 1927. While attending Corpus Christi High School, Charlie began to display his abilities as a four-sport standout, taking him to great heights in athletics and later in life. In 1936, he enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin on an athletic scholarship where he continued to display his remarkable talents in football and baseball. Charlie married his high school sweetheart, Eunice Cox, on September 5, 1939, and was soon after drafted by the Boston Red Sox. He returned to the University of Texas where he graduated with a BS in Geology in 1941. Upon graduating, he was employed by the Chicago Corporation as a consulting geologist with the responsibility of development and drilling in the Stratton Field near Bishop, Texas and was employed by Heep Oil & Gas. In 1950, he became an independent oil and gas operator creating Haas Drilling. Later his brother Richard E. Haas joined him in forming Haas Brothers Drilling Company in the mid 50’s. As an independent geologist in the mid 60’s, he started C.F. Haas Oil and Gas Inc. where he purchased Sinton Gas Gathering Systems and accumulated various producing properties in San Patricio, Jackson, Wharton, and Nueces counties. Haas served on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Commerce, and was a past president of Coastal Bend Youth City and a lifetime member on their Board of Directors. He was a member of the Corpus Christi Geological Society and a founding member of the Laguna Madre Fisherman’s Association, Anahias Fishing Club and former member of the Port Aransas Rod & Reel Club. He served as president of the University of Texas Longhorn Club in Austin, the “T” Letterman Association of the University of Texas, and the Statewide Longhorn Club. He also served as a steering committee member for the UT College of Engineering and was a founding member of the University of Texas “One Hundred Club”. Mr. and Mrs. Haas established three scholarships at the University of Texas; the Haas Family Endowed Presidential Scholarship for the Handicapped, and Endowed Presidential Scholarship honoring his parents, Fred and Nora Haas, dedicated to assisting young students seeking higher education, and a scholarship benefiting students from Corpus Christi. He was also a contributor to the University of Texas Cancer Center. In 1972, he was voted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and elected into the University of Texas Baseball Hall of Honor in 1974. An avid sheep hunter, he was one of less than twenty in the world to have the distinction of holding a Double Grand Slam in the Boone & Crockett North American Sheep category at the time of his accomplishment. Upon his retirement in 1979, Eunice and Charlie moved to Horseshoe Bay, Texas. In 1983, he realized the longtime dream of purchasing the Wardner Ranch near Bishop, Texas, the property where he began his career as a geologist with the Chicago Corp in 1941.