Houston
History
In the 1820s, American settlers began driving into Texas. At the time, it was in the best interest of Texas territory owner, the newly independent Mexico, to allow these American immigrants to settle. In 1824, a New Yorker named John Richardson Harris (d. 1829) established the town of Harrisburg, today within the corporate limits of southeastern Houston. Harris was looking for a waterway location, easily reachable by ocean and land traffic. He established his claim at the confluence of Buffalo and Bray's Bayous, a prime navigational area. By 1826 the settlement became a lively naval trading post, but by 1829 Harris had died of yellow fever, and his heirs quickly became deeply embroiled in litigation over the prosperous estate. The brothers Augustus C. and John K. Allen, themselves New Yorkers, arrived in Texas in 1832 and quickly took interest in the Harrisburg estate. However, the immense cost for the land and the legal fight over the Harrisburg property at the time stifled the Allen brothers' plans.
In the 1830s, American immigrants changed their names to "Texicans," yet quickly began to feel oppressed by Mexican forces. The Texicans, feeling abused by the dictates of Mexico City, simultaneously declared Texas an independent republic and at war with the government of Santa Anna in 1836. During the Texas revolution, the Allen brothers served as supply agents for the Texan cause, and Harrisburg temporarily held the Texan government. Yet when Santa Anna (1797–1876), the so-called "Napoleon of the West," reached Harrisburg, he entered a flaming hulk. The residents of Harrisburg evacuated and torched their town after hearing the news that Santa Anna was approaching. The angry Mexicans then finished the job. The complete destruction of Harrisburg was a sad development for many residents, especially the Harris family, but to the Allen brothers it was a new opportunity.
Immediately planning another town nearby, the Allens decided on a site at the head of tide on Buffalo Bayou. They knew that pioneer Texans needed outside supplies and that the easiest way to get them was by water. Though other waterways in the region were rather shallow and often congested with debris, Buffalo Bayou was wide and clear. It had substantial banks and was deeper than the others. Yet, the Buffalo Bayou was on a desolate stretch of prairie; alligators slithered through the bayous; Indians stalked the woods; mud and mosquitoes were a constant nuisance; and yellow fever menaced the populous. To smite the obstacles in their path, the brothers named the town for Sam Houston and even prematurely planned a capital and congressional building. Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas, moved his capital from Columbia to Houston. In 1837, Houston was incorporated with a population of 1,200, and the capital remained there until Austin
Houston grew as a settlement despite the numerous problems that emerged. Rainfall was heavy, and drainage was poor. Fires and floods ravaged the city, and differing epidemics scourged the populous. From the late 1830s to the late 1850s, the railroad became important both as a means of travel for Houstonians and for shipment of goods. The Civil War (1861–65) was at first a benefit to Houston. The flour mill continued to produce; cartridges were manufactured at the court house; and there was considerable local production of drugs, leather goods, candles, and printer's ink. However, in the end, the Civil War was devastating to the city, not just in the amount of human lives lost from Houston, but in the destruction of railroads. One railroad did manage to avoid destruction, the Houston and Texas Central, which the military preserved for their exclusive use. After the Civil War, Houston continued to grow through the expansion of commerce.
Manufacturing (particularly by means of lumber taken from surrounding forests) was important, but like elsewhere on the frontier, it took a backseat to other commercial activity. By 1870, Houston had 9,000 citizens, which marked it as the third-largest city in Texas. At that time, Houston was primarily a distribution center with inadequate means of transportation. Therefore, attempts were made in the following decades to deepen the Houston waterway in order to allow for bigger ships to reach port, yet this had varying success. The discovery of oil in 1901 at Spindletop, near Houston, helped Houston's economy by acting as a catalyst for the eventual construction of oil refineries, pipe lines, and a large petrochemical industry. Reshaping the Buffalo Bayou into a shipping channel helped shipping to grow immensely as it hastened to suit the dissemination of oil and oil products between 1915 and 1929. Houston's rapid growth during these years changed the physical characteristics and architecture to suit the growth of manufacturing. By the 1930s this partnership allowed Houston to surpass San Antonio's population and become the largest city in the then-largest state in America.
Despite the American Depression in the 1930s (and afterwards), transportation facilities in Houston continued to improve. The most dramatic transportation improvement had to do with air travel. Following World War II (1939–45), the petrochemical industry in Houston grew even more. A major development for the city had to do with a choice by the federal government. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) chose to place their new Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston in 1961. As the United States entered into a space race with the Soviet Union, Houston found itself the home of famous astronauts and engineers, world-famous surgeons and the Astros baseball team. The first word in a message sent from the moon gave the city recognition as it echoed across the globe: "Houston, Tranquillity Base here, the Eagle has landed."
Scientific advances introduced new methods of transportation in Houston, but they also destroyed old methods as well. The old Union Station in Houston ushered in and out approximately 40 trains a day in the 1950s. By the late 1960s, the passenger trains numbered only about three a day in Houston. Air travel, busses, and automobiles replaced the old train system.
The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 troubled many Americans at the gas pumps, where lines were long, and gasoline prices skyrocketed. Yet, for Houston this event was a miracle. With the sharp rise in oil prices, stock prices doubled and tripled, dumping massive amounts of capital into Houston. Skyscrapers designed by world-class architects dramatically changed Houston's skyline and became monuments to Houston's investment in "black gold." In 1983 alone, 155 office buildings were completed. Industrial workers flocked to Houston to be a part of this massive growth as companies expanded. In many ways Houston became a one-industry town. By the late 1980s, the chemical industry produced about 50 percent of the total United States output. Yet with the major energy companies placing their headquarters in Houston, and thousands of energy-related businesses in the area, the city was set for a decline.
During the 1980s, the city reached depression levels as the economy continued to spiral downward. The answer lay in diversification. Shifting away from reinvestments in the oil market, Houston revitalized in the 1990s with capital in its entertainment, recreation, medical, and aerospace industries.
In the late 1990s, Houston gained recognition not only as the capital of the international energy industry, but also as home of the world's largest medical center. It has become one of the country's premier visual, architectural, multicultural, and performing arts centers. It has greatly expanded its shopping areas and malls as well. Most important, however, has been Houston's urban growth and population surge. In 1995, the population had reached 3,710,844, the nation's fourth-largest city in metropolitan polls.
