Little is heard of Galveston Island after Long's expedition until just previous to the battle of San Jacinto. The island was prac tically abandoned from 1820 until along in the thirties, when the Mexican government estab lished a custom-house on the island. On the occasion of the preliminary meeting at Brazoria to declare the independence of Texas in 1835 there was no representitive present from Gal veston. The same is true of the more formal declaration of independence which was made on 2 March 1836, at Washington on the Brazos. Just prior to the battle of San Jacinto the new Texas government retreated from Washington to Harrisburg. As Santa Anna and his army approached Harrisburg, President Burnet and his Cabinet sailed down to Galveston Island, narrowly escaping capture. The news of the victory at San Jacinto reached President Burnet on Galveston Island 26 April 1836. The. pro visional government of Texas under Governor Smith in 1835 had granted letters of marque and reprisal and had provided for the establish ment of a small navy. The Liberty, one of the vessels of this navy, was at Galveston at the time of the battle of San Jacinto. Several prizes were taken by the Texas navy and brought into Galveston Bay. During the hostile period following the battle of San Jacinto the Mexican government proclaimed a blockade against the ports of Texas and in attempting to enforce it interfered with vessels of the United States. In 1837 the Texas navy was increased and several vessels were stationed at Galveston. The Third Congress of the Texas republic as sembled at Houston in November 1838. The county of Galveston was represented for the first time in the third House of Representatives by Moseley Baker. After the annexation of Texas and the outbreak of the Mexican War the first Texas regiment to join General Taylor was composed of six months' men raised and organized in Galveston, commanded by Albert Sydney Johnston. Galveston County was created 15 May 1838. The battle of Galveston during the Civil War occured 1 Jan. 1863. The first railroad begun in Texas was at Harrisburg in 1852. The Galveston, Houston and Henderson road was begun at Virginia Point in 1855. Trains were first run from Virginia Point to Houston in 1859 and in that year a contract was let for the first Galveston Bay bridge, which was completed and trains were run into Galveston in 1860.
The jetties at Galveston were completed in 1896, since which time the water at the point where the bar existed has been slowly deepen ing. (See GALVESTON, JETries AT). Galveston wharves are only one hour from the deep sea for a• laden steamer. Galveston wharf and terminal facilities, as a system, have few equals in the country, being excelled in no particular except size.
In December 1836, Col. Michael B. Men ard purchased of the republic of Texas for -the sum of $50,000 one league and labor of land on the east end of Galveston Island. He asso dated with him a number of persons and they formed a joint-stock company known as the Galveston City Company, which was incor porated in 1841. This company is still in ex
istence, although its present holdings of real estate are not large. The city of Galveston was incorporated in 1839. The first mayor was John M. Allen.
Recent Civic Achievements.— The build ing of the causeway, connecting Galveston Is land with the mainland, the building of the sea wall and extension thereof and the raising of the grade of a large part of the city are three great achievements. On 8 Sept. MO Galves ton was visited by a West Indian hurricanz which did much damage to property and caused great loss of life. To guard against any such disaster in the future the city government secured the services of an engineering board composed of Gen. Henry M. Robert, Alfred Noble and H. C. Ripley, whose duty was to pre pare plans looking to the protection of the city against storm damage. The county of Galves ton assisted by the railroads constructed the great causeway. The county constructed the sea-wall and the United States extended same. The wall is 17,593 feet long, 16 feet wide at base and 17 feet high. (See GALVESTON SEA WALL). The raising of the city grade was financed and carried out by the city with aid extended by the State, under the direction of a grade raising board, composed of J. P. Alvey, chairman; John Sealy and E. R. Cheesborough, secretary, appointed by the governor, S. W. T. Lanham. The total cost of the sea-wall and grade raising was $4,783,138.54, not including the cost of raising 2,156 buildings and other im provements aggregating additional. The plan adopted in raising the grade of the city was not only remarkable in itself, but was one that called for great sacrifice on the part of the people. A canal, two and one-half miles long, 300 feet wide and 20 feet deep, was excavated from Galveston Bay through the residence section of the city. The people, for the mere payment of taxes. leased their land to the city and improvements were moved to vacant lots. Five self-loading, self-propelling and self-discharging hopper dredges were em ployqfl. Sand was sucked up from the bottom of the bay and brought in through the canal and discharged through pipe lines, the water draining back into the canal. The work completed, the canal was refilled and houses replaced. On I May 1918, actual construction started on the extension of the present sea-wall, looking to the protection of Fort San Jacinto, the eastern part of the channel of Galveston Bay and that part of the city area lying east of Sixth street, at the joint expense of Galveston County and the United States government, at a cost of $2,741,000, which includes fill to grade for 200 feet back of the wall, a sidewalk and brick driveway. The total length of this ad ditional sea-wall is 10,300 feet. The sea-wall and grade raising have rendered Galveston ab solutely safe from serious damage from the most violent storm that could possibly occur. According to the city directory Galveston's population in 1917 was 52,289.