The Port of Galveston - The port that built Texas

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Tour With Spotify:
👂Listen: The Texas Navy
👂Listen: Pelican Island
👂Listen: The Battle of Galveston
👂Listen: Pier 21

Interested in information covered in this episode? Dive deeper into the links below! :
The Port of Galveston - Galveston Wharves
Jean Lafitte
Slave Trade
Cotton

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Transcript:
The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by an act of Mexican Congress, when Texas was still a part of Mexico. Galveston Bay and the north side of Galveston Island however had been utilized as a safe natural harbor for sailors long before 1825.Before the east end of Galveston island was expanded to its current location in the late 1800s, the island had a deep natural inlet.This natural harbor had been used by French and Spanish explorers and even pirates hiding out from authorities. In the late 1700s in theIn the late 1700s and the early 1800s, a pirate named Jean Lafitte used this natural harbor as the headquarters for a smuggling operation out of New Orleans. After the port was officially established in 1825, Galveston steadily became the Center of trade in Texas.  The three principal shipments that built the Port of Galveston through the 1800s were Cotton, immigrants, and slaves. Galveston was a major immigration port 50 years before Ellis island opened. Immigrants from all over the world immigrated through Galveston. Many Texans and especially Galvestonians can trace their ancestors immigration records back through the Port of Galveston. Slavery had not completely ceased in Texas until June 19, 1865, or Juneteenth. Galveston was one of the largest slave trading ports west of New Orleans. At the end of the civil war, over 250,000 slaves were in Texas. Records indicate that less than 1% of those 250,000 lived in Galveston county. Although many goods were imported and exported through the port, Cotton was king. As the demand for cotton around the world grew exponentially in the mid 1800s, Texas had the land to grow it and the perfect location to export to cotton starved nations. Galveston became one of the largest exporter‘s of cotton in the nation which drew droves of businessmen, families, and anyone who was willing to work to the bustling city at the Port of Galveston. Galveston was the most populous city in Texas until around 1885 when surpassed by Dallas and San Antonio, and easily the most wealthy per capita until 1900 all because of the prosperity of the port. After the Storm of 1900, the Houston ship channel expanded quickly and Galveston was no longer the shipping powerhouse it once was. The Port survived through the 1900