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MYKAWA,
TEXASHarris County,
Texas Gulf Coast
Mykawa Road and Almeda-Genoa Road
West of Houston's Hobby
airport
Population Unk
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Mr.
Mykawa's Grave in Houston's Hollywood Cemetery
TE Photo, September 2003 |
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Japanese
inscription on Mr. Mykawa's grave.
TE Photo, September 2003 |
History
in a Rice Bowl
Shinpei Mykawa, a naval officer traveling by train with a Japanese
delegation in the 1890s, noticed the flat expanses of this part of
Texas and how suitable it would be for rice cultivation. He returned
as a civilian and is credited with introducing rice culture in this
part of Texas. A post office was in operation in Mykawa from 1907
to 1933. By 1914 the town had a population of 200, but this dropped
to only 20 by the mid-1920s.
Oil was discovered nearby, but was hardly noticed with all the activity
in other parts of Harris county. The railroad still has a siding marker
Mykawa and the long road North to East Houston has a huge police detention
center - which is the most common association with the name Mykawa.
The former one-story brick elementary school is now in use as the
Minnitex Civic Center.
Shinpei Mykawa was buried in Houston's Hollywood Cemetery (where I
- 45 meets North Main Street). |
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The
1923 Mykawa School
TE photos, August 2006 |
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The
Mykawa School Plaque
TE photo, August 2006 |
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