Houston was founded at the headwaters of Buffalo Bayou in 1836 by two real estate brokers and brothers – John and Augustus Allen - who paid $1.40 per acre for 6,642 acres of land near Buffalo Bayou.

The growing town was the seat of the Republic of Texas for three years. When the capital was moved to Austin, Houstonians who remained were determined to keep the town alive, and hit upon the idea of developing a port for shipping of livestock and crops.

The Houston Ship Channel opened in 1914, snaking its way to the Gulf of Mexico just in time to help Houston profit from the war in Europe. Houston now ranks as one of the world’s busiest ports.

After oil was discovered in 1901 at Spindletop, just east of Houston in Beaumont, the boom was on. By the time of the Depression, there were 40 oil companies operating from Houston. In the late 70s, upheaval in the Middle East drove up the price of oil and Houston’s economy prospered. People began moving in at the rate of 1,000 a week, and it seemed there would be no end to the new riches. But in the 1980s, oil and real estate took a beating, and Houston’s economy hit a low point.

Though a nomadic tribe of Native Americans first lived here, Africans first came here as slaves and freeman in the 1500’s when the region was part of the Spanish Empire. At the time Spain ran the region as a lightly guarded territory that produced little wealth. The pirate Lafitte profited handsomely by trading African slaves and using river inlets near present day Galveston as a base of operations.

Mexico claimed the region in 1821 when it gained independence from Spain. Still lightly guarded in the 1820s outlaws, cowboys, and farmers all had a go of it in this region, Several European Americans came to claim land and establish small shipping ports in the region. As commerce increased Mexico tried to assert control of their territory – if I was to become a major shipping center they wanted to profit from it. Mexicans were particularly sensitive to European Americans who had expansionist ambitions in Texas and other western territories now governed from Mexico City. Short of war, the Mexicans did not know how to control the region.

After the Civil War, Juneteenth reportedly started in Galveston on 19 June 1865. African Americans from other southern cities migrated to Houston and Galveston to work. Discrimination here was just as rampant as anywhere else in the United States was, but African Americans were less constrained in a growing economy.

Two major events forever changed Houston and Galveston. In September 1900 the largest natural disaster in American history struck the gulf coast city of Galveston. It was a hurricane that killed 6,000 people. Many survivors fled never to return. Meanwhile Houston, being farther inland and increasingly more navigable by water was relatively unscathed. From then on Houston would be the center of commerce in the region. Oil was discovered in Spindletop, Texas near Houston in 1901 and the Houston Shipping Channel was completed in 1914. Both meant jobs, which attracted everybody to the region. Many set up in typical shotgun Row Houses that could quickly and inexpensively be built.

Due to Jim Crow, African Americans had to set up separate schools and businesses. Texas Southern University was founded in 1927 primarily for African Americans. Newspapers, like the black-owned Houston Informer, provided a service for black businesses, which boomed as result of the oil and oil-related businesses. Though the historically Black communities of Pleasantville and Clinton Park survived, Dowling Street, situated between downtown and Texas Southern University, became the nexus of Black culture.
 

Today, the city is benefiting from a concerted effort at diversification in the business sector. Energy is still a major player, but technology, healthcare, and many other fields are now vital elements in Houston’s prosperity. New landmarks for the city include Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros), the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Reliant Stadium (home of the new Houston Texans football team), a 1,200-room downtown convention center hotel, and Toyota Center a new downtown arena for the Houston Rockets, Comets and Aeros.

Houston today is the nation’s fourth largest city covering an area of 617.34 square miles.

Important Dates In History

•1865 The Civil War ends on April 9.
 

•1865 Slaves in Texas are informed of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation. The news is delivered to Galveston by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19th, establishing the Juneteenth Celebration.
 

•1900 A major hurricane destroys much of Galveston Island, killing more than 6,000 people. An elevated barrier, the Sea Wall, is later constructed to hold back future storm surge and flood waters. The city would otherwise not thrive today. The nearby resort of Indianola was devastated by a hurricane in 1875 and never recovered.
 

•1901 A major oil discovery is made at Spindletop, near Beaumont, making southeast Texas everafter associated with oil.
 

•1914 The Houston Ship Channel is constructed following the course of Buffalo Bayou.
 

•1917 Houston's Camp Logan prepares soldiers for World War I and suffers an incident of rasicm that leads to the Camp Logan Riots.
 

•1947 An explosion on the Ship Channel kills 576 and injures more than 5,000. The powerful blast levels 3300 homes and 200 businesses in Texas City.
 

•1961 To support NASA and the manned space flight program, the Johnson Space Center is established at Clear Lake south of Houston.
 

•1965 The Harris County Domed Stadium, later called the Astrodome, is completed.
 

•1983 Houston and Galveston suffer a direct hit from Hurricane Alicia on August 12th.
 

•2001 Tropical Storm Allison displaces thousands of Houstonians and leaves $5 billion in damage in the wake of its flood waters on June 5th and 6th.