Forgotten History: Christmas Bay
Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 5:53 pm
San Luis Pass is the channel between the west end of Galveston Island and the mainland.
Christmas Bay lies southwest of San Luis Pass.
Legend has it that German settlers named Christmas Bay because they arrived there on or near Christmas day in 1838.
The city of San Luis was founded there and rapidly grew to rival the city of Galveston in size and economic activity. It had a port, a cotton press, hotels, newspapers, and all the luxuries of mid-19th-century life.
However, the settlers found that hurricanes were not so much fun, and set out to join their fellow German immigrants in New Braunfels.
By 1900, little remained of the city of San Luis; and the 1900 stormed wiped that out.
Today it as nearly forgotten as any bit of history can be.
This page shows the geography of the area and some spectacular photos of damage from Hurricane Ike:
http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2 ... royed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- Jim
Christmas Bay lies southwest of San Luis Pass.
Legend has it that German settlers named Christmas Bay because they arrived there on or near Christmas day in 1838.
The city of San Luis was founded there and rapidly grew to rival the city of Galveston in size and economic activity. It had a port, a cotton press, hotels, newspapers, and all the luxuries of mid-19th-century life.
However, the settlers found that hurricanes were not so much fun, and set out to join their fellow German immigrants in New Braunfels.
By 1900, little remained of the city of San Luis; and the 1900 stormed wiped that out.
Today it as nearly forgotten as any bit of history can be.
This page shows the geography of the area and some spectacular photos of damage from Hurricane Ike:
http://www.houstonfreeways.com/modern/2 ... royed.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- Jim