Interesting Facts

On September 8, 1900, the most severe natural disaster in US history hit Galveston with winds over 120 miles per hour. After the destructive hurricane, over 6,000 people were dead at a time when Galveston's total population was only 38,000.
There are lots of cities in America that could be named St. Louis if French explorers had anything to say about it. In fact, though he never reached Galveston, French explorer Robert Cavelier La Salle, claimed the area for his king in the late 1600s. However, Bernardo de Galvez, a Spanish colonial governor and general in the late 1700s, sent explorers to the area, and one respectful explorer, Jose de Evia, named the area Galveston Bay.
Galveston is the location of many Texas firsts, including the first post office, locomotive railroad, bakery, grocery store, and insurance company. Galveston was also the first place in Texas to use the telegraph.
In the early 19th century, justice and power in Galveston belonged to one man: the pirate James Lafitte. Around Lafitte, a small town of sorts began to pop up, including boarding houses and a shipyard as well as a slave market and saloons. After being forced to abandon the area, he burned his settlement, but its location drew settlers back just a short time later.
After the destruction created by the hurricane of 1900, Galveston residents decided to try to protect themselves. Engineers constructed a 7-mile long, 17-foot high seawall that still stands guard against the ocean's rage.
"Let's just go fishing" must be a familiar phrase in Galveston. The city is the source of more than one third of Texas's fishing income. On the other hand, boats are for more than just fishing, and Galveston can claim the nation's third highest concentration of recreational boats.
Fishing from a boat may be fun, but how about fishing while standing on a world record holder. Sound interesting? The Guinness Book of World Records lists Galveston's jetties as the longest jetties in the world at 35,587 feet.
From business buildings to historic homes, Galveston is one of the nation's richest cities when it comes to late 19th and early 20th century architecture. Over 1,000 buildings in Galveston are 75 years old or older, and many are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Because of its rich banking, cotton, and grain industries, Galveston enjoyed immense success in the late 19th century and was then the home of more millionaires than anywhere else in the US. In fact, the city was so successful that it earned the name, "The Wall Street of the Southwest."
Mardi Gras has a tradition in Galveston dating all the way back to 1867, and in 1985, the city revived the tradition. Today's celebrations, held from February 21st through March 4th, include parades, costume balls, and sporting events just to name a few�oh, and a little bit of partying.