and would call the sheriff to make people leave 

 her property," says Guthrie. 



During this time, some residents lived on 

 Hoffman's property, where their ancestors were 

 squatters. 



Determined to end the controversy over 

 the land, Hoffman filed suit in Carteret County 

 Superior Court. In 1923, the court settled the 

 dispute, allowing 35 squatters to stay on the 

 land. 



When Hoffman died on March 15, 1953, 

 descendants of Theodore Roosevelt inherited 

 more than 2,000 acres. Subsequently, the 

 heirs gave the state of North Carolina 297 

 acres that is known as the Theodore Roosevelt 

 State Natural Area, one of the few areas of 

 undisturbed vegetation and wildlife on Bogue 

 Banks. 



Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the 

 village began to grow. Men gathered at Irvin 



Smith's store and exchanged fishing stories. 



Most of these men were competitive, 

 according to Guthrie, a Campbell University 

 professor who wrote two theses on Salter Path. 



"The competition was not for money," 

 she says. "The competition was for who 

 caught the prettiest scallops and shrimp." 



Salter Path women would get together 

 at each others' houses, share village news 

 and eat homemade biscuits. Sometimes, they 

 also would sing on their front porches, adds 

 Guthrie. 



As more development occurred during 

 the 1970s and 1980s, the community began to 

 change. 



"Before, the residents thought they 

 owned the island," says Guthrie. "We hunted 

 and got wood. We walked where we wanted 

 to. Then we found out that the island belonged 

 to other people." 



BOGUE BANKS TOUR 



On a sunny day, Guthrie, who has lived 

 in Salter Path since she was teenager, gives a 

 community tour. 



She begins the tour at her one-story home 

 that is surrounded by stately live oaks and 

 overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. 



"My husband had a camp in the yard as a 

 kid," she says. "He had a yellow hammer pole 

 for woodpeckers. He hunted just about any bird 

 that flies except for seagulls." 



While strolling through the backyard, she 

 leads the way to a small building that overlooks 

 the ocean and points to the Theodore Roosevelt 

 Natural Area. 



"You can see the ocean and oak, seagrass, 

 cedar and yaupon," she says. "Salter Path 

 doesn't look like it used to. The amount of 

 vegetation has declined." 



After leaving her property, she drives 



10 Coastwatch I Holiday 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 



