Houston, History, Water | Institute for Women Surfers

by Rebecca Topper

Timeline & A Brief History

1837: Houston “established” by August C. and John K. Allen at the intersection of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou
1837: First steamboat service between Houston and Galveston established
June 1841: A Houston city ordinance established “The Port of Houston”
August 1849: First direct steam boat from New Orleans to Houston
February 1853: State of Texas appropriated $4,000 to improve Buffalo Bayou
September 1866: Legislature incorporated the Texas Transportation Company
October 1866: Houston Direct Navigation Company incorporated and “invested with authority to improve the navigation of Buffalo Bayou”
April 1867: City Council appoints committee to develop plan for ship channel
1867: Commodore Charles Morgan dredged a channel in Galveston Bay from Buffalo Bayou to Clinton
January 1869: Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company chartered
July 1870: Houston made into a port of delivery
1874: Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange organized
Winter 1874: Canal across Morgan’s Point begun
September 1876: Canal completed and first ocean steamship (“The Clinton”) navigated Buffalo Bayou – what is now the Houston Ship Channel
Dec 1913: 25ft ship channel near completion
1937: Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) founded as a response to flooding – in 1929, and 1935, but especially in reaction to 1935
1950-80: Channelization of the bayous – bayous paved and trees along banks removed with the intention of preventing flooding by moving water away from buildings
2002: Vision 2022 published by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership
2018: “Bayou Greenways Greenway” project in progress to create trails along the Bayous

The territory that is now Texas was first populated by Native American tribes before it was settled by the Spanish, on land that was later annexed by the United States during the Mexican-American war. In 1837, Houston was established at the intersection of the Buffalo and White Oaks Bayous. Again, it is important to note that the territory was only available for settlement due to the previous annexations of both indigenous then of Mexican territory. Houston’s location on the Bayous demonstrates Houston’s inherent connection to water. And, while water is important to Houston’s identity – Houston is even sometimes nicknamed “The Bayou City[1]” – the city is usually not imagined as in connection with its water. Examining the history of Houston’s relationship to water represents an effort towards reframing thought about Houston – noticing the importance of water in the city’s development.

Houston was founded in 1837 by two brothers: August C. and John K. Allen[2] and a steamboat began to run between Houston and Galveston within the same year. Steamboat service allowed for commerce through the transportation of goods and people, growth necessary for the development of a young city. Four years later, in June 1841, “The Port of Houston” was established by a Houston city ordinance[3]. The city continued to grow, and by February 1853, the first efforts to manipulate Houston’s water began with the appropriation of $4,000 to the improvement of Buffalo Bayou by the state of Texas[4]. While 1853 marks the first bureaucratic efforts, plans to manage Houston’s natural waterways were just beginning. By April 1867, for example, Houston’s city council appointed a committee to develop a plan for a ship channel[5]. Commodore Charles Morgan was the first to begin dredging a channel in Galveston Bay, from Buffalo Bayou to Clinton[6]. Dredging disturbs aquatic ecosystems, especially through destruction of reefs – a threat to biodiversity[7] that was not yet well understood at the time.

Work towards the ship channel began officially in January 1869, when the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company was chartered. In addition to dredging the channel, their charter also included the intention of “deepening, straightening and widening” Buffalo Bayou. With the charter, the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company began the process of manipulating Buffalo Bayou, a manipulation with effects on the natural and recreational use of a natural bayou. The trend of manipulation would continue into the 1980s, especially in the form of a process called channelization.

The development of the bayous and channels continued with a focus on commerce and development, causing environmental effects that would only come to be understood later. Most major changes to the bayous occurred in reaction to Houston’s chronic flooding. In 1937, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) was founded as a result of the destructive floods of 1929 and 1935[8]. In conjunction with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the HCFCD started the process of channelization in an attempt to mitigate flooding. Channelization is a process in which the bayous are straightened, and their banks are paved over. Channelization should help control flooding, as the water flows more easily through the bayous, with less friction between the water and its course. Houston’s continued development, however, caused an increase in developed ground-cover, augmenting the amount of run-off into the bayous. The bayous were not large enough to accommodate the increased demand on their capacity and flooding continued. When bayous are left unpaved they develop naturally, widening their banks during floods and thereby containing more water.

Channelization continued through the 1980s[9], though better understanding of the flow of bayous and therefore ideas about restoration came about in the 70s[10]. Actions are now being taken to return bayous to a more natural state. In 2002, the plan “Vision 2022” was published by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership[11]. “Vision 2022” would create a natural space within Houston – connecting the areas of Houston that are naturally connected by the bayou. Progress continues. Studies are being completed to provide HCFCD with information about restoring the bayous. A page on the HCFCD website, for example, describes a 2017 study done regarding “future options for the natural restoration of Lower White Oak Bayou, as alternatives to replacing the aging concrete channel lining north of downtown Houston”[12]. Restoration projects are costly and require sponsors, so it is difficult to know when, or even if, progress will continue to return bayous back into more natural spaces.

Currently, the Bayous Greenways 2020 project is developing parks and trails connected to and alongside the bayous. One of the best ways to increase investment in ecological issues is through personal engagement, and the Bayous Greenways 2020 project aims to “maximize both physical and visual access to the Bayou Greenways”[13]. Improving access to the bayous is a step towards reconnection Houston to its water and thereby its connection to the environment. Historically, Houston has had varied relationships with its waterways. Examining the development of the city through the history of Houston’s ship channel and bayous allows us to better understand the deeply embedded connection between Houston and its water, thereby reframing our ideas of Houston’s urban space.

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Note: The above history represents an attempt to compile histories from many sources. One such source, used heavily, is The Story of Buffalo Bayou and the Houston Ship Channel by R.M. Farrar and issued by the Houston Chamber of Commerce in 1926. Farrar was the president of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as a former member of the Port Commission and Director of Missouri Pacific Lines. While the history provided by Farrar seems relatively comprehensive, it does occasionally show a bias towards the channel’s development, such as when he describes “apathetic stupidity … where there should have been friendly cooperation”[14]. Furthermore, the history provided by the Port of Houston establishes oil as a motivating factor[15] for the dredging of the channel, an element relatively less important in the era in which Farrar wrote.

[1] http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/best-of-houston-10-best-nicknames-for-houston-7372584

[2] https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46820/

[3] https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46820/

[4] https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46820/

[5] https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46820/

[6] https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46820/

[7] https://coralreef.noaa.gov/education/coralfacts.html

[8] http://whiteoakbayou.org/uploads/3/4/9/1/34911613/historysection.pdf

[9] https://www.chron.com/life/article/Bayous-for-Dummies-1706294.php

[10] http://www.houstonpress.com/news/fighting-for-control-can-buffalo-bayou-survive-the-latest-plan-to-save-it-6600386

[11] http://issuu.com/buffalobayou/docs/bbpmasterplan2002?e=13332866/13696999

[12] https://www.hcfcd.org/projects-studies/white-oak-bayou/lower-white-oak-bayou-channel-restoration-study/