History of Galveston

Origin of the name Galveston 1786-The island of Galveston was named after the Spanish Colonel Bernardo de Galvez. Galvez was the leader of exploration in the area, but his subordinate Jose de Elvia did all of the exploring. Elvia named the area of Galveston after Galvez. Galvez died the same year and never visited his Island.

The pirate Jean LaFitte arrived in Galveston in the year 1817 Jean LaFitte made Galveston Island his base of operations and named it Campeche. The small village soon had a booming economy thanks to illicit activities, such as slavery and gambling. However after attacking an American merchant ship, LaFitte was forced to abandon Campeche.

1821 LaFitte would not join sides in the Texas Revolution, because he did not want his base to become a target, also because he was profiting from trade with both sides. After he was forced to leave several Texas Navy ships took the Island and prevented it from serving as a supply point for the Mexicans.

1836 Michel Menard purchased Galveston Island and the surrounding area for $50,000 and founded the city of Galveston where Campeche used to be. Menard formed a business pact with 9 other men, and they started to invest money in the city.

For most of the 19 th century, Galveston was a Metropolis with a population of 42,000, which was more than Houston at the time. Its location on the gulf made it the largest trading town in Texas, and the nation’s leading cotton port. It was also a top vacation spot. The picture is of the Beach Hotel, which was a popular inn.

1898 The picture is of the Beach Hotel. It was also a top vacation spot which catered to vacationers until it burned down in 1898.

September 4 th, 1900 Galveston received warning of a hurricane and due to misinterpretation by the newspaper most regarded it as nothing more than a heavy rain, and stayed put. The newspaper said that the hurricane would return to sea and only graze Galveston, costing many their lives.

September 7 th, 1900 To most, the new year represents a time of rebirth. To Galveston it meant death and destruction. On the night of the 7 th high winds heralded the arrival of the hurricane in the early morning of the 8 th which lasted until the next day.

September 8 th, 1900 As the 38,000 residents prepared for their daily routine, tides were coming far inland and the winds steadily increased. Few people had taken the evacuation seriously and by the time they started to evacuate, the bridges to the mainland started to collapse. Thanks to storm surge, the homes near the beach were destroyed first, and their debris was sent into the next row of homes by the wind, until it eventually destroyed 2/3rds of the city.

September 9 th, 1900 In the aftermath of the storm, most of the 4 th largest city in Texas was decimated. The winds were gusting at over 120 mph, and parts of the city were under 15 ft of water. Between 6-8,000 people were killed in the city. Most of the harbor had been washed away, and the damage is estimated to be over 30 million of today’s dollars. Most of the casualties were not caused by water or wind, but by large chunks of debris.

11:25 p.m. on September 9 th, 1900 In a letter to Willis Moore, chief at the U.S. Weather Bureau, G.L. Vaughan reported, “First news from Galveston just received by train which could get no closer to the bay shore than six miles where Prairie was strewn with debris and dead bodies. About two hundred corpses counted from train. Large Steamship stranded two miles inland. Nothing could be seen of Galveston. Loss of life and property undoubtedly most appalling. Weather clear and bright here with gentle southeast wind.”

September 9-30 th, 1900 Due to the sheer amount of dead most of the bodies were not buried but sent back out to sea. However, because of the strong tides left by the hurricane, many of the bodies returned to shore. Therefore they had to be burned in mass and their ashes were sent to sea. Authorities had to pass out free whiskey to the work crews that were having to throw the bodies of their wives and children on the burn piles.

September 9 th -the rest of the year Some survivors set up temporary shelters in surplus tents along the shore, others built “storm lumber” homes, using the debris to build shelter. Mail wasn’t received in Galveston until September 12 th and water service was provided the next day.

1902 To prevent future destruction from hurricanes like that of 1900, many improvements were made to the island.

1902 Galveston began building a seawall. The seawall stretched 10 miles along the island and stood 17 ft tall and is 15 ft wide at its base. It is now the longest continuous sidewalk in the U.S.

1902 After the seawall was finished 14,000 volunteers and 8,500 school children painted a mural on it that stretched from 27 th to 61 st street. The mural was designed by local artists and depicts marine life, birds, and images of local Galveston attractions. The mural is the longest in the world.

1902 They also built a new all weather bridge to replace the one’s that were lost in the storm.

1986 Moody Gardens came to Galveston at the time was only a horse barn with a riding arena, now it is much more.

Moody Gardens gained their three pyramids. The Rainforest pyramid,which contains more than 1,700 exotic plant and animal species. The Discovery pyramid, which contains traveling and other science exhibits. And the Aquarium pyramid, a 1.5 million gallon aquarium that contains over 8,000 specimens of marine life.