Early Texas River Steamers

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the early river steamers of Texas. Now settle in, because this is one of those stories that starts with a whole lot of promise and ends with the river winning. The Brazos River — running about two miles to the east of where this marker stands — flows right through what was the most productive cotton and sugar region in all of Texas.

And Washington-on-the-Brazos, sitting about fifteen miles to the north, was a serious commercial hub, a distribution point where goods moved and money changed hands. Those steamers were the key to it all, hauling cotton and sugar downriver and on to markets in New Orleans. The first steamer reached Washington in 1840, and by 1849 the docks there were busy — regular river trips, boats coming and going like the whole enterprise was going to last forever.

And it wasn't just the Brazos. Between 1820 and 1840, settlers making the journey into Texas were riding steamers up the Red River, if the water was high enough and the channel happened to be clear. Buffalo Bayou, stretching from Houston out to Galveston Bay, became the waterway steamers traveled most often — it eventually took over the trade from the Brazos River because it had a better outlet to the sea.

Navigation spread to the Trinity, the Colorado, the Sabine — rivers all across the state seemed to be opening up, pushing commerce further and further inland. Now here's where the story turns. Those rivers looked like highways on a map.

But rivers don't much care what they look like on a map. Most of them were meandering and shallow. They flooded.

They needed constant clearing. And many — many — were just flat choked with driftwood. These hazards didn't just slow things down, they greatly retarded the economic and social development of the entire state.

All that promise, all those docks and schedules and loads of cotton bound for New Orleans — by 1865, the importance of river steamers in Texas was gone. The rivers had their say, and they said no.

What the marker says

River-shipping efforts in pioneer Texas by steamboat were centered primarily on the Brazos (about 2 mi. E.), and Washington-on-the-Brazos (about 15 mi. N.) was an important distribution point for commercial interests. The Brazos flowed through most productive cotton and sugar region in Texas; steamers greatly aided shipment of these items to markets in New Orleans. The first steamer reached Washington in 1840; by 1849 its docks were busy with steamboats making regular river trips. Between 1820-1840 settlers made journey to Texas on the Red River in steamers if the river was high enough and there were no obstructions. Buffalo Bayou, extending from Houston to Galveston Bay, was waterway traveled most often by steamers, and took over trade from Brazos River because it had better outlet to the sea. Navigation on the Trinity, Colorado, and Sabine rivers also increased inland growth and development. While rivers in Texas seemed to offer possibilities for steamboat travel, the story of river navigation is largely one of disappointment. Most meandering rivers were too shallow, often flooded, needed clearing; many were choked with driftwood. These hazards greatly retarded economic and social development of the state. By 1865 the importance of river steamers was gone.