These ponies were originally found only on Assateague Island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. To raise funds, the Chincoteague volunteer fire department began swimming the ponies onto the mainland and auctioning the yearlings and foals in July 1924, a practice which continues today. The most famous Chincoteague Ponies are Misty and her foal Stormy, they were the stars of books by the author Marguerite Henry.