In 1912, Chincoteague was emerging as a thriving seaside community. It was the only outside contact for the small village on Assateague Island.

The watermen were tough and courageous. They worked long days dredgin oysters or tonging clams, and return to the Island to cull their catch for shucking. They labored building large ocean "pound" traps to catch a wide variety of fish from their local waters. The seafood industry was the focal point of the island community.

Mother Nature played her part in making life hard on the islands. The hurricanes and floods could be brutal. The relentless changing ocean currents and tidal surge threatened the fragile island home of the famous wild ponies.

The great fires of the 1920s were devastating to the community of Chincoteageu. Yet the people rebuilt from the ashes each time with new hope. The creation of the causeway to teh mailnad and the building of the bridge to Assateague island were massive undertakings for these persevering people. They are what makes Chincoteague and Assateague unique.

This is their story. The isolation, the strugles, their compassion and courage as told by a Chincoteague waterman.