Page 8 - 2019 DIRECTORY

COMMUNITIES

HOUSTON CHANNELVIEW
Long known as the energy capital of the world, In this century, Channelview has transitioned
Houston also ranks as a leader in space technology and from primitive forest land without roads to an indus-
medicine, as well as petrochemicals and shipping. Early trial complex. On April 21, 1836, the 18-minute Battle
leaders’ determination to make the city a leading port, of San Jacinto occurred just across the ship channel from
although it was 50 miles from the gulf, resulted in the Channelview. There, a small band of Texans defeated the
development of the Houston Ship Channel and the Port Mexican army of General Santa Anna.
of Houston. Many North Channel area businesses are One of the heroes of the battle was Lorenzo de Zavala,
dependent in one way or another on the port. Houston who became the first vice president of the Republic of
has always been more an economic community than Texas and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Indepen-
a city. The various communities of the North Channel dence. De Zavala’s vast land holdings were bounded by
area are very much a part of that economy and contrib- Old River on the south, Greens Bayou on the west, San
ute to it. The area’s outstanding highway system makes Jacinto River on the east, and probably Sheldon on the
Houston’s sports, entertainment and arts readily avail- north. In 1929, Market Street was paved and a service
able, and gives residents the advantage of urban ameni- station and grocery store were built. The earliest streets
ties to complement the hometown, suburban setting of in Channelview were Market Street, Sheldon Road and
their neighborhoods. de Zavala Street.
JACINTO CITY CLINTON / GALENA PARK
In 1841, four years before Texas became a state, The early history of Galena Park abounds with
James Oates, Sr. obtained a land grant for 40 acres from heroes of Texas history. Fourteen years before the Allan
the Republic of Texas. In 1843, Oates settled in what is Brothers established the first settlers in Houston, Eze-
now Jacinto City. The first house was on the present site kiel Thomas sailed to Texas on the Revenge, along with
of Whittier Elementary School. The first baby, James William Vince and Nathaniel Lynch. One of Stephen F.
Oates, Jr., was born in this house in 1888, beginning the Austin’s “Old Three Hundred,” Thomas received a land
population of today’s Jacinto City. grant from Mexico in 1824 and moved his family to the
Development was greatly hastened by the dis- area that would one day be called Clinton, and later still,
covery of oil in the same general area, the oil refining in- Galena Park. After the Civil War, Commodore Charles
dustry in the Houston area, and the development of the Morgan, a highly competitive shipping magnate, took
Houston Ship Channel. Families whose livelihood came over the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company and
from new oil-related industries and support businesses developed Buffalo Bayou as a waterway. Morgan pur-
began to move into the area. Around 1917, the railroad chased the Texas Transportation Company, which had
was built parallel to Market Street, linking Houston and a chapter entitling it to build a railroad. Morgan named
Baytown. Originally, the railway’s primary usage was the terminal, where the railroad linked the interior U.S.
for the Inter Urban, an early mass transit plan that uti- with the Gulf of Mexico, after the town of his birth,
lized trolley cars. Only at night was the railway used to Clinton. The economy of Clinton grew, but was largely
move freight. dependent on the ship channel.
In the 1920s, as area development accelerated, In 1887, H.H. Graff moved to Houston to work
Holland Avenue was extended from Clinton Drive to for the Dickson Car Wheel Company. After working
Market Street. This linked the communities that are now several years, Graft opened a small grocery store. Later,
Jacinto City and Galena Park. The 1940s found Jacinto he opened a second store in a building on the channel.
City growing from a rural community to a progressive The site of the building was called Johnson’s Landing.
community building towards incorporation. In 1946, Mr. Graff later became the first mayor of Galena Park.
interested citizens banded together to form a General Clinton experienced rapid growth with the coming of
Law City to be known as Jacinto City. the oil industry. In 1916, Galena Signal Oil Co. became
the first of many refineries in the area. The town’s cit-
izens met and agreed to change the name to Galena
Park, named for the Galena Signal Oil Company, a ma-

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