DUANE
Duane's take
Here's the story as the official marker tells it — and this one's got some weather in it, so hold on. Way down on the Texas coast in Calhoun County, there's a little town sitting on a peninsula with bay water on three sides. Before it was a town at all, that stretch of land went by a name that should've been warning enough — Alligator Head.
That was the name of the large ranch and settlement that occupied the land, and it carried a certain reputation just by sayin' it out loud. In 1909, the Calhoun County Cattle Company laid out a townsite on that land. They'd purchased the ranch from Thomas O'Connor of Victoria, and the new town took his name — Port O'Connor.
Right from the start, the place had designs on becoming something. Surrounded by bay waters on three sides, it had the makings of a coastal resort and recreational area, and people started taking notice. Then in 1910 — just one year in — the St.
Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway built an excursion line straight to Port O'Connor. Now visitors could arrive in style. Hotels went up.
Service industries followed. Businesses of all kinds formed to accommodate the folks coming in and the folks already there. For a young town, it was moving along nicely.
But the Gulf of Mexico has a long memory and a short temper. In 1919, a Gulf storm hit Port O'Connor hard. Heavy damage.
The kind that makes a community take stock of itself and decide what it's made of. Port O'Connor decided it was made of something that didn't quit. It rebuilt.
And then, in 1927, something unexpected helped push things along — a high demand for shrimp. Shrimpers came to the area in numbers, and that activity helped spur Port O'Connor's development after the storm. Sometimes recovery comes from the most practical of places.
By 1939, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway linked Port O'Connor to Corpus Christi on one end and New Orleans on the other through an inland water channel. That kind of connectivity opens doors — for commerce, for travel, for the kind of economic growth a coastal town dreams about. And then 1961 arrived, and with it, Hurricane Carla.
Ninety percent of the town — gone. The entire five-block central business district, leveled. That's not damage.
That's devastation. Any town would've had cause to simply fold up and let the marsh reclaim it. Port O'Connor did not fold.
Residents rebuilt their town. Again. And this time, Port O'Connor's proximity to the Matagorda Island air field helped reestablish it as a viable community — a lifeline in the recovery years that followed.
During the latter half of the twentieth century, Port O'Connor built a reputation — not for storms weathered, but for fishing, hunting, and water sport opportunities that drew people from across the region. By the year 2000, the town was home to two thousand permanent residents. Two thousand people on a peninsula that used to be called Alligator Head.
Knocked down more than once, and still there. That's not just a town — that's a disposition.
What the marker says
In 1909, the Calhoun County Cattle Company laid out a townsite on land that had been a part of a large ranch and settlement known as Alligator Head. Named Port O'Connor for Thomas O'Connor of Victoria, from whom the company had purchased the ranch land, the town began its development into a coastal resort and recreational area. Surrounded on three sides by bay waters, Port O'Connor attracted many visitors, particularly after the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway built an excursion line to Port O'Connor in 1910. Hotels, service industries and other businesses formed to accommodate residents and visitors. Port O'Connor suffered heavy damage during the Gulf storm of 1919 but determined to rebuild. In 1927 a high demand for shrimp brought many shrimpers to the area, which helped spur Port O'Connor's development after the storm. In 1939, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway linked Port O'Connor to Corpus Christi and New Orleans via the inland water channel, further developing its accessibility and opportunities for economic growth. Port O'Connor suffered a severe setback in 1961, when Hurricane Carla destroyed 90 per cent of the town, leveling the five-block central business district. Determined to carry on, residents rebuilt their town. Port O'Connor's proximity to the Matagorda Island air field helped reestablish it as a viable community. During the latter half of the 20th century, Port O'Connor became well known for its fishing, hunting and water sport opportunities. By the year 2000, it boasted 2000 permanent residents. (2001) Incising on back: Erected by Calhoun County Historical Commission, George Fred Rhodes, chairman