Galveston Bay - History

History

Further information: History of Houston, History of Galveston, and History of the Galveston Bay Area

The Gulf Coast gained its present configuration during the last ice age. Approximately 30,000 years ago sea levels fell dramatically as water was incorporated into vast ice sheets. The Trinity and San Jacinto rivers carved wide valleys into the soft sediments, especially along the modern coastline. Gradual melting of the ice sheets as the ice age ended filled the valleys with water creating the bay system approximately 4,500 years ago. Sea level rise reached a relative peak approximately 4,000 years ago giving the bay its present form.

Human settlement in what is now Texas began at least 10,000 years ago following migrations into the Americas from Asia during the last ice age. The first substantial settlements in the area are believed to have been the Karankawa and Atakapan tribes, who lived throughout the Gulf coast region.

Though several Spanish expeditions charted the Gulf Coast, it was explorer José Antonio de Evia who in 1785 gave the bay and the island the name Galvezton in honor of the Spanish Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez. Louis Aury established a naval base at the harbor in 1816 to support the Mexican Revolution. His base was soon appropriated by the pirate Jean Lafitte who temporarily transformed Galveston Island and the bay into a pirate kingdom before being ousted by the United States Navy.

Following its independence from Spain the new nation of Mexico claimed Texas as part of its territory. Settlements were established around the bay, particularly Galveston and Anahuac, as well as Lynchburg and San Jacinto. Following growing unrest, Texas revolted and gained independence in 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto, near the bay along the San Jacinto River. The new Republic of Texas grew rapidly and joined the United States in 1845. The bay would gain notoriety for war one last time during the naval combat of the Battle of Galveston, part of the Civil War which Texas ultimately lost.

Reconstruction was swift in southeast Texas. Ranching interests were major economic drivers on the mainland in the 19th century. The city of Galveston became a major U.S. commercial center for shipping cotton, leather products and cattle, and other goods produced in the growing state. Railroads were built around the shore and new communities continued to emerge. Commercial fishing developed as a substantial industry, particularly oysters, finfish, and later shrimp. By the end of the 19th century the inland city of Houston had begun to emerge as an important competitor to Galveston as dredging in the bay made it a viable port.

The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 devastated the city of Galveston and heavily damaged communities around the bay. Growth moved inland to Houston as fear of the risks posed by establishing businesses at Galveston limited the island's ability to compete. Texas City emerged as another important port in the area. Shipping traffic through the bay expanded dramatically.

The Texas oil boom began in 1901 and by 1915 oil production by the bay was fully underway. Oil wells and refineries quickly developed throughout the area. Wealth emerged in the area as never before. Industrialization and urbanization 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." The ship channel and Clear Lake were rated by some sources as having even worse water quality. Drilling for oil and underground water, as well as large wakes from increasing shipping in the bay, led to land subsidence and erosion along the shoreline, especially in the Baytown-Pasadena area. 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.

The establishment of NASA's Johnson Space Center near the bay in the Clear Lake Area in 1963 brought new growth. By the 1970s Houston had become one the nation's largest cities and its expansion connected it with the bay communities. The bay's shoreline became heavily urbanized. The bay and the communities around it gradually emerged as major recreational destinations.

Hurricane Ike struck the bay in 2008 causing substantial damage both environmentally and economically, the most destructive event since 1900. As of 2009 a proposal to build a levee system, the Ike Dike, to protect the bay is under discussion.