Aransas Migratory Waterfowl Refuge was established on December 31, 1937, as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife and for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds. Shortly after it was established, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration, relief programs put into effect by President Roosevelt during the Great Depression, were given the task of building the refuge's infrastructure. Barracks, staff quarters, supply storage, maintenance shop, and mess hall facilities once stood in what is now the refuge fishing pier area.