Before There Was Port Arthur
Port Arthur has celebrated more
than 100 years as a Gulf Coast city, but
its timeline is only a fraction of the
greater history of the region's
inhabitants. The shores of
Sabine Lake have been occupied more
than 1,500 years; American Indians,
primarily the
Atakapas, were the earliest known
settlers. The late 1700s brought the
first visits from Europeans -- English,
Spanish and French. Most were explorers
who did not stay, but in the 1800s the
lake became an avenue for trade. Among
the traders was
Jean Laffite, and legends of hidden
treasure have lingered in Southeast
Texas.
The earliest attempt at permanently
settling the area was the community of
Aurora, located in what is now
historic Port Arthur. Some lots
were sold around 1840, but the project
failed to take off. The area was
abandoned by the time Port Arthur
was established.
Port Arthur's Founding and Early
Years
The inspiration for Port Arthur's
founding was novel; railroad pioneer
Arthur E. Stilwell, who established
the town, later wrote that the ideas for
his railways and the location of his
namesake city came from "brownies" who
spoke to him.
Stilwell began settling the city in 1895
with financial assistance from Dutch
investors. The founder of what is now
Kansas City Southern Railroad envisioned
Port Arthur as the southern terminus
for his new railway, a center for trade
and tourism. The city dates its official
beginnings to its incorporation in 1898.
By that time Stilwell had established
the Port Arthur Channel and Dock
Co., which began cutting a canal along
the western edge of the lake to deep
water at Sabine Pass. The port was
opened for seagoing shipping with the
arrival of the British steamer Saint
Oswald in August 1899.
Pioneers arrived by the hundreds and
began building homes and opening
businesses. Stilwell's contributions
included the Sabine Hotel on Lakeshore
Drive, a natatorium to serve all the
residents and an Export Pier into Lake
Sabine. He also brought 300 Dutch
colonists to begin a new life as farmers
in this rich coastal prairie. Though
many of the Dutch names have been lost
to Port Arthur, their cultural
contributions are still found in nearby
Nederland.
John Gates Takes an Interest
In 1899 Stilwell invited his friend,
John W. Gates, to visit Port
Arthur. Gates quickly decided that
he, too, wanted to have an interest in
the development of this new and
promising town. Upon being denied a
position on the board of the railroad,
he promptly, by questionable means, had
Stilwell’s interests declared bankrupt
and Gates made himself president of
Kansas City Southern.
With this inauspicious beginning, Gates
became the moving force in the
development of Port Arthur. Aided by the
effects of the Spindletop Gusher in
1901, he built the Mary Gates Hospital
in 1909 and founded the Port Arthur
Business College (now Lamar-Port Arthur)
the same year. Gates built a magnificent
home on Lakeshore Drive at a cost of
$50,000.
The Oil Boom
The eruption of the Lucas Gusher at
Spindletop in 1901 changed the fate
of Port Arthur. The port quickly
began to serve the needs of the new
petrochemical industry, and companies
such as
Gulf Oil Corp. in 1901 and
Texaco in 1902 set up refining
facilities in the city. By 1957 Port
Arthur was known as the center of
the world’s prosperous oil refining
facilities.
A Patchwork of Communities
What is now called Port Arthur
encompasses what were originally a
number of different communities
established at different times for
various purposes. Among those that have
been incorporated by the city over the
years are
Griffing Park,
Pear Ridge and
Lakeview. The names remain in common
use. Two others,
Sabine Pass and
Port Acres, are still often regarded
as self-contained communities, and
Sabine Pass in fact has its own school
district, water district, port authority
and zip code.
Port Arthur's nearest neighbors
in Jefferson County are
Nederland,
Port Neches and
Groves, all of which have rich
histories of their own.
Celebrities from Port Arthur
A number of Port Arthurans have left
their impact on the country in the arts,
sports, politics and business. Easily
the best-recognized internationally is
rock legend
Janis Joplin, but other names of
note include artist Robert Rauschhenberg,
Texas Gov. Allen Shivers, Olympic
athlete Babe Zaharias, football coach
Jimmy Johnson, football player Joe
Washington, Jr., "Gone With the Wind"
actress Evelyn Keyes and businessman
Mack H. Hannah, Jr. These and many
others are honored in the
Museum of the Gulf Coast.
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