History of the Galveston Bay Area

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Coordinates: 29°29′59″N 95°05′23″W / 29.499797°N 95.089784°W / 29.499797; -95.089784
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This article is about the history of the mainland communities around Galveston Bay. For the island of Galveston, see History of Galveston, Texas. For the inland city of Houston, see History of Houston.

The bay large bay sits along the coast with a small inlets on either side of the island. Urban development is visible and most concentrated on the northwest side where Houston is closest.
A simulated-color image of the Bay Area, courtesy of NASA.

For a period of over 7000 years, humans have inhabited the Galveston Bay Area in what is now the United States. Through their history the communities in the region have been influenced by the once competing sister cities of Houston and Galveston, but still have their own distinct history. Though never truly a single, unified community, the histories of the Bay Area communities have had many common threads.

Prior to European settlement the area around Galveston Bay was settled by the

pirate Jean Lafitte created a small, short-lived empire around the bay ruled from his base on Galveston Island before his being ousted by the United States Navy
.

Following Mexico's independence from Spain, the new nation established long-term settlements, including Anahuac and San Jacinto, around the bay. Early settler revolts against Mexican rule occurred in the region, home to the final Texan Victory over the Mexican army during the Texas Revolution.

Following Texas' independence from Mexico and its annexation by the United States, economic growth was centered initially on

railroads
were built through the Bay Area to connect these and other commercial centers.

In the early 20th century, the region gave birth to some of the state's earliest oil fields and refineries as the

high-tech
industries.

Early history

Further information:
Karankawa, and Pre-Columbian Mexico
Sauvage en habit d'hiver by Alexandre De Batz, 1735.

The present geography of the Gulf Coast was formed during an ice age approximately 30,000 years ago when dramatic lowering of the sea level occurred.[1] As the ice later melted, it formed a flow through the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers and carved wide valleys in the soft sediments, resulting in the creation of the modern system of bays and lakes approximately 4,500 years ago.[2]

canoes were used to travel the many internal waterways and the coast, an advantage that initially gave them tactical superiority over the Europeans.[10] The Akokisa in the area were similarly hunter-gatherers, and utilized canoes for transport. They became well known among the Europeans for their hide-tanning abilities, especially for bear hide.[11] During the 18th century the Akokisa population in the area was estimated at about 3,500.[11]

Though earlier surveys of the coastline had been made, the first known Europeans to land in the vicinity were under the command of Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca when he and his crew were shipwrecked in 1528, though it is unclear precisely where they landed.[12] Though subsequent explorers described cannibalism among the local tribes, Cabeza de Vaca made no mention of the practice.[13] He and the other survivors left the area as soon as they were able traveling to safety into Mexico.[12]

Painting of stern-faced man with Guy Fawkes' style black hat. His right hand holds the handle of a dagger tucked into a cloak hanging from his left shoulder.
Anonymous portrait claimed to be of Jean Lafitte in the early 19th century, Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

The Rivas-Iriarte expedition, one of several

Spanish Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez.[15]

During the early 18th Century, French traders first began trade with the Akokisa and the nearby Bidai tribes for furs.[16] In 1754 several traders including Joseph Blancpain established a trading post on the Trinity River a just north of the bay, near modern Wallisville. Spanish authorities quickly seized the post and transformed it into the San Augustín de Ahumada fort. They named the site El Orcoquisac and established a Catholic mission. The Spanish were not successful in maintaining trade with the natives and the post was abandoned within a few years.[17] Encroachment by Spanish as well as U.S. settlers continued such that by the end of the century native populations had declined dramatically due to disease and territorial pressures from the Europeans.[8]

In 1816 Galveston Island was claimed by the pirate

pirate and American hero of the War of 1812. Lafitte, at the time serving as a privateer for the Spanish Empire, transformed Galveston Island and the bay into a pirate kingdom he called Campeche. He established bases for smuggling and ship repair on the Trinity River near the bay and at Eagle Point (modern San Leon).[18][19] His gang also created a hide-out on the shores of Clear Lake. As late as 1965, treasure from this era was discovered at Kemah.[20] In response to the piracy, the United States Navy ousted Lafitte from the island in 1821 and the colony was abandoned.[21] Some settlers in the region remained such as Anson Taylor who had supplied produce and game from the Clear Lake area for Campeche.[22][23]

Mexican dominion and the Republic of Texas

Further information: Mexican Texas and Republic of Texas
A battlefield on a green plain with water in the background. Soldiers, some on horseback, fight with swords and guns. Tents are visible in the distance.
The Battle of San Jacinto-1895 painting by Henry Arthur McArdle.

In the early 19th century following the Louisiana Purchase, Texas, particularly southeastern Texas, had become an increasing point of contention between Spain and the United States. Various failed attempts, such as the Long Expedition, were made by groups from the U.S. to take control of parts of Texas, resulting in some temporary settlements near the bay including Perry's Point near modern Anahuac.[24] Spanish authorities began efforts to colonize Texas to help protect its claim to the territory. Hoping to spur settlement, the Spanish government granted land to pioneers from the United States, including Moses Austin.[25]

Soon afterward, though, Mexico declared its independence from Spain and moved to establish its own control over Texas. Because of fears of the indigenous tribes, officials found it difficult to find settlers in Mexico willing to move into the territory's coastal areas, and therefore continued to allow settlers from the United States into the area with the promise of allegiance to Mexico. Austin's son,

Cajun settlement was established along Armand Bayou.[28] The Mexican Colonization Law of 1824, however, forbade the creation of settlements near the coast with the intention of protecting the native tribes in the area.[29][30] The law was not enforced and settlers continued to encroach upon tribal lands.[31] Native tribes remained in the area years afterward but were gradually driven out as European settlers moved into the region.[30] The Akokisa were driven inland where they merged with the Bidai. The Karankwa were driven southward where they eventually established their current homelands in northeastern Mexico.[8]

The Galveston Bay and Texas Land Company was formed in

Anahuac Disturbances, a prelude to the larger Texas rebellion. As a result, Mexican authorities were driven out of eastern Texas and the settlers began to discuss independence.[37]

Following a coup in the Mexican government,

Mexican army, the Texas army, under the leadership of General Sam Houston, finally defeated Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto, near modern Pasadena.[39]

The new Republic of Texas grew rapidly. The shores of the bay were initially home to farms and ranches.

Longhorn cattle, which had roamed wild throughout Texas, became free resources for producing hides and beef shipped throughout North America. The famed Allen Ranch was established near Harrisburg in what is now southeast Houston and Pasadena, in addition to the Bay Lake Ranch and other ranches established around the bay.[40][41] The range land of these ranches came to encompass most of the terrain around the bay south of the San Jacinto River.[22][41] Cedar Bayou (part of modern Baytown), Shoal Point (part of modern Texas City), and other small communities began to develop during this period.[42][43] Eagle Point (part of modern San Leon) became an important shipping and trading post for slaves.[19]

Inland from the bay, the towns of Harrisburg and Houston were both founded on the Buffalo Bayou by entrepreneurs from New York and competed as commercial centers, but neither was as significant as Galveston.[44] Throughout the 19th century these three cities developed increasing influence on the Bay Area communities, particularly as railroads were built through the region.

Multiple hurricanes struck the region during this time and after. Though none during the 19th century were catastrophic, they nevertheless caused substantial damage and caused some loss of life.[45]

Annexation by the United States

Further information:
Texas Annexation
Longhorn
became an important economic resource.

Texas succeeded in its bid to join the United States in 1845, one of the key causes of the subsequent

lumber enterprises in the region.[46] The construction of the Galveston, Houston and Henderson (GH&H) Railroad, begun in 1857, further spurred more growth in the region.[47][48]

During the American Civil War, in which Texas seceded from the United States, the area served a limited role in the conflict though no major battles were fought on the mainland shoreline. New fortifications, like Fort Chambers near Anahuac, were constructed to ward off a mainland invasion by Union forces and to protect supply routes to and from Galveston.[49] The GH&H Railroad was used in the recapture of Galveston by Confederate forces in 1863. Makeshift hospitals, such as the Nolan home in Dickinson, were established in the bayside communities.[47]

In the aftermath of the war the Texan economy declined for a period. Nevertheless, ranching interests became major economic drivers spawning many other economic enterprises like hide processing plants and shipping companies.

African American communities were established, including the "Settlement" in what is now League City.

The Settlement Historic District

[51] The success of the various enterprises in the area and the growth of Galveston as one of the prime commercial centers in the South and Southwest helped promote the construction of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, and the La Porte, Houston and Northern Railroad over the course of the 19th century. These railroads built lines near the southwest shore of the bay and led to the creation of La Porte, Clear Creek (modern League City), Webster, Edward's Point/North Galveston (modern San Leon), and others (eventually including Texas City).[48][19] Toward the end of the century, as ranching's profitability declined, many communities turned increasingly to agriculture.[48] The farming community of Pasadena was established during this time.[52] By the end of the 19th century, the land south of Buffalo Bayou came to be known as the "Texas Fruit Belt" for the oranges, pears, grapes, and other fruits and vegetables grown in the area.[53] The Sylvan Beach park was created at La Porte as a beachfront summer getaway from Houston. With amenities including bathhouses, boating piers, and a Victorial hotel with a dance pavilion, Sylvan Beach quickly became the most popular tourist destination in the Houston area.[54][55]

In 1900 a

massive hurricane devastated the city of Galveston and heavily damaged communities around the bay. According to some estimates the death toll on the coast outside of Galveston may have been over one thousand.[56] Bridges between Galveston and the mainland were destroyed.[57] Communities along the shoreline declined for some time as economic growth moved inland and Houston became the dominant economic center in Southeast Texas. The region received a population boost from some Galveston refugees who relocated to the mainland following the catastrophe.[58][59]

The wars and the oil boom

Further information:
Texas Oil Boom
Downtown Pasadena after the 1915 Hurricane.

The sparsely populated communities around the bay transformed during the 20th century. Following the devastating 1900 hurricane, donations by the newly created

Red Cross, including millions of strawberry plants to Gulf Coast farmers, helped revive area communities.[52] This and the subsequent establishment of a major strawberry farm in the area by Texaco founder Joseph S. Cullinan made Pasadena an important fruit producer for many years afterward.[22] The newly established community of Texas City opened its port and railroad junctions shipping cotton and grain.[60] In fact, because the port had opened just before the 1900 hurricane, it was able to handle Galveston's diverted shipping traffic until the island's damaged port was repaired.[43] Following another hurricane in 1915, the Texas City Dike was built to protect the Texas City ship channel from sediment movement in future storms, thus helping to build confidence in the safety of the port.[43][61] One of the most immediate effects of the dike, however, was to increase the salt levels in West Bay, between Galveston and the southwest coastline.[62]

Major tracts of the Allen Ranch were liquidated opening up new development around Pasadena and other bayside communities.[41] Commercial fishing for oysters and shrimp grew as a significant area industry.[63] The lumber industry also continued to grow.[48] A sugar refinery opened in Texas city, a paper mill in Pasadena, and other factories in the early 20th century.[43][52]

Following the petroleum discovery at

Texas Oil Boom. Petroleum exploration at Galveston Bay began shortly afterward with the discovery of the Goose Creek Oil Field in 1903.[64] The first well at Goose Creek was built in 1907 with significant production beginning in 1908 (in 1924 it was the state's third largest field).[65] In 1915 the first offshore oil drilling site in the state was opened at Goose Creek. Gradually other oil fields were discovered around the bay as well, including the Anahuac oil field in 1935.[66] The first refinery by the bay was built in 1908 at Texas City, followed by refineries in Baytown and Pasadena.[42][43][52] The main refinery in Baytown, built by Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil), became the largest in the state.[67]

A black-and-white photograph of an oil derrick with a large gusher of oil shooting out the top
The gusher at Spindletop in 1901, which was soon followed by Goose Creek.

The wealth brought on by the boom transformed the region. The population increased rapidly due to significant immigration from within the United States, from

Mason-Dixon line).[76] Much of the area around Clear Lake was developed as recreational properties for the wealthy, including a large ranch estate owned by Houston businessman James West.[77] Though the Great Depression closed many businesses in the area petroleum-related growth helped offset the effects.[43]

During the

Ellington Air Force Base was built to the southeast of Houston (adjacent to modern Clear Lake City) and became a major air field and flight training center during the wars.[80]

Industrialization and urbanization during the earlier 20th century led to the pollution of the bay. By the 1970s the bay was described by some sources as "the most polluted body of water in the U.S."

land subsidence and erosion along the shoreline, especially in the Baytown-Pasadena area.[82] Today approximately 100 acres (0.40 km2) of the historic San Jacinto battleground are submerged, most of Sylvan Beach is gone, and the once prominent Brownwood neighborhood of Baytown has had to be abandoned.[83]

In 1947, an

explosion on a ship at the Port of Texas City caused fires and destruction throughout the city's industrial complex and other ships creating one of nation's worst industrial accidents. The tragedy caused more than five hundred deaths, more than four thousand injuries, and more than $50 million in damage ($704 million in today's dollars). Though the city's growth and prosperity were interrupted, the city and the business leaders were able to rebuild.[43]

Modern times

A large complex of buildings with a lake in the background
Aerial view of the Johnson Space Center, courtesy of NASA.

The war effort had brought about significant diversification in the area's industrial base.

freeway, considered an engineering marvel at the time, greatly encouraged new development in the western region of the bay.[85]

Hurricane Carla, Texas' largest storm on record, struck the coast in 1961 causing substantial flooding and damage in Texas City and other communities.[45] Loss of life was minimal thanks to evacuation efforts. Expansion of the flood control dike and construction on the Texas City seawall occurred a result. The project was completed in 1985.[43]

NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) was established in the area in 1963. That and the explosive growth of neighboring Houston in the mid-20th century, especially the 1970s and 1980s, caused the remainder of the communities on the southwestern shore to urbanize.[72] The Clear Lake City community was created by the Friendswood Development Company, a venture of Humble Oil and Dell E. Webb Corporation, to support residential growth near the new NASA facility.[50] The communities around Clear Lake rapidly reoriented toward aerospace related industries, and the region's economy diversified further. Urban development spread solidly between Houston and the Bay Area communities. Houston formally annexed most of Clear Lake City in 1977 with Pasadena annexing most of the rest.[50] Most of the other communities around the bay, however, had already incorporated, or incorporated soon afterward, and thus were independent of the metropolis.[77][86]

The economic boom of the 1970s and early 1980s that took place in Texas (because of the

U.S. Steel plant in Baytown in 1970, and the Barbours Cut shipping terminal at Morgan's Point in 1977.[42][87] The Port of Texas City became the third leading port in Texas by tonnage and ninth in the nation.[43][88] The Barbours Cut terminal, operated by the Port of Houston, became the seventh leading port in the nation.[89] Not all of this development was without controversy, however. In building Barbours Cut, the Port of Houston used its power of eminent domain to evict residents from nearly one third of the homes in Morgan's Point.[90] Still, when the Texas economy declined in the later 1980s, the economic diversity of the area and substantial annual federal investments related to JSC helped the region fare better than most of Greater Houston.[50]

Conservation efforts in the mid to late 20th century by area industries and municipalities helped to dramatically improve water quality in the bay.

Nature Conservancy and Houston's Outdoor Nature Club (ONC) helped encourage nature preservation efforts including creating the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (renamed in 2025 to Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge), the Armand Bayou Nature Center, and the Texas City Prairie Preserve.[91][92][93] Tourism in the area grew, especially around Clear Lake, led in large part by the Space Center. Some former resort communities of the early 20th century like Kemah and Seabrook re-emerged. The lake itself today holds one of the largest concentrations of marinas in the world.[94]

During the later 20th century and afterward, many of the communities and businesses in the area began cooperative efforts, including the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, and the Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership, to create a distinct economic and civic identity for the region and to plan regional development.

Clear Lake Area, and the development of summer resort communities there in the early 20th century, have suffered economic decline since the mid-20th century and are among the least affluent parts of the Bay Area today.[19][96][97]

In 2008 Hurricane Ike struck the coast causing substantial damage both environmentally and economically. As of 2009 the ecology of the region is still in recovery with damage caused by both natural pollution (sea salt) and man-made pollution (chemicals washed into the freshwater and the bay) still showing dramatic effects on both the marine and land-dwelling wildlife. Commercial fishing and oyster farming are expected to take decades to fully recover. Most major industry was able to return to normal operations but some tourist areas have taken longer to recover.[98]

Discussions of a proposal to build an Ike Dike that would protect the Bay Area, particularly the nationally critical Houston Ship Channel, were begun in 2009. As of 2010 the project is still in the conceptual stage.[99]

See also

Notes

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  5. ^ Perttula 2004, p. 191
  6. Handbook of Texas
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  7. ^ Newcomb 1961, pp. 59–60
  8. ^ a b c "Ethnohistory". Texas Beyond History. University of Texas. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  9. ^ Newcomb 1961, pp. 66–68
  10. ^ Newcomb 1961, p. 67
  11. ^ a b "Akokisa Indian Village". Harris County Precinct 4. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  12. ^
    Handbook of Texas
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  13. ^ Himmel 1999, p. 21
  14. Handbook of Texas
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  15. ISBN 978-1-60354-017-9. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help
    )
  16. Handbook of Texas
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  17. ^ "El Orcoquisac". Texas Beyond History. University of Texas. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  18. ^ "Fort Anahuac Visitors Center" (PDF). Chambers County. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
  19. ^
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  20. ^ Chang (2006), p. 187
    Kearney (2008), p. 177
  21. Handbook of Texas
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  22. ^ a b c d Gallaway, Alecya (July 2003). "Armand Bayou Watershed History". Armand Bayou Watershed Partnership. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. The earliest information about farming in the watershed actually originated on the land of Anson Taylor who was at Taylor Lake and Taylor Bayou. Taylor was an associate of Jean Lafitte and sold his produce, firewood, and meat from wild game and cattle to Lafitte's camp town, Campechy, on Galveston Island.
  23. Handbook of Texas
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  24. Handbook of Texas
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  25. Handbook of Texas
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  26. Handbook of Texas
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  27. Handbook of Texas
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  28. Handbook of Texas
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  29. ^ Sage (2002), p. 27.
  30. ^
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  31. ^ Himmel 1999, p. 40
  32. ^
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  33. ^ Barker (1969), pp. 277–278.
  34. ^ Rodríguez (1997), p. 63–65.
  35. ^ Sage (2002), p. 27–28.
  36. Handbook of Texas
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  46. Handbook of Texas
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  47. ^
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  48. ^
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    Kleiner, Diana J.: Webster, Texas from the
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    Benham, Priscilla Myers: Texas City, Texas from the
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  50. ^
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  51. ^ Mitchell, Sean (June 18, 2008). "Our Settlement gets Texas Historical Marker". Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012.
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  54. Handbook of Texas
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  57. ^ Munsart (1997), p. 119
  58. ^ "Pasadena Texas – History". Global Oneness. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2009. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 caused many people to resettle in Pasadena.
  59. ^ "Our City: The Birthplace of Free Texas". City of Pasadena. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  60. ^ "The Port of Texas City" (PDF). Texas City Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2009. The Texas City Improvement Company, a forerunner of Texas City Terminal and the Mainland Company, Incorporated in April 1893. ... Competition for the shipment of cotton and grain was intense because of the established ports of Houston and Galveston.
  61. ^ Taylor, April (April 2007). "An Investigation of Sediment Transport Behind the Texas City Dike" (PDF). Texas A&M University.
  62. ^ "Time and Events in Conservation History". Texas Legacy Project. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  63. ^ Sage (2002), p. 37.
  64. ^ Henson (1993), p. 46.
  65. Handbook of Texas
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  66. Handbook of Texas
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  67. ^ Hinton (2002), p. 134
  68. Handbook of Texas
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  69. ^ Campbell (2009), p. 117.
  70. ^ Dillingham (1911), p. 475.
  71. Handbook of Texas
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  72. ^ a b Ramos (2004), p. 154
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    Fox (2007), p. 212
  74. ^ Haile, Bartee (March 16, 2005). "Bootleggers Shoot It Out In Galveston" (PDF). The Lone Star Iconoclast. 6 (16): 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2010. In the early 1920s, the island became 'a major point of entry' for illicit liquor. Regular as clockwork, local smugglers in high-powered speedboats rendezvoused with foreign freighters full of contraband alcohol. Hundreds if not thousands of cases a week were secretly slipped ashore for shipment to speakeasies throughout Texas and as far north as Detroit.
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  76. ^ Burka, Paul (December 1983). "Grande Dame of the Gulf". Texas Monthly: 168.
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  84. ^ Melosi (2007), p. 165.
  85. ^ Melosi (2007), p. 168–170.
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  87. ^ Cartwright, Gary (July 1978). "On the Waterfront". Texas Monthly: 161–162.
  88. ^ "U.S. Port Ranking by Cargo Volume 2004". American Association of Port Authorities. 2004. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010.
  89. ^ Port of Houston Magazine. 39. Port of Houston Authority. 1997. Today, Barbours Cut Terminal ranks seventh among US ports in container volume. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  90. ^ "Environmental Report Cards for 10 U.S. Ports" (PDF). Harboring Pollution: The Dirty Truth About U.S. Ports. Natural Resources Defense Council: 50. March 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2009.
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  92. ^ "Stewardship & Education Programs". Armand Bayou Nature Center. Archived from the original on June 10, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  93. Handbook of Texas
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    Barrington (2008), p. 266
    Antrobus (2005), p. 57
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  99. ^ Casselman, Ben (June 4, 2009). "Planning the 'Ike Dike' Defense". Wall Street Journal.

References

Further reading

29°29′59″N 95°05′23″W / 29.499797°N 95.089784°W / 29.499797; -95.089784

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