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History
in a Seashell
Thomas
M. O'Connor was the owner of the 70,000-acre Alligator Head Ranch
in Calhoun County. In 1909 the Calhoun Cattle Company platted the
townsite and two years later the International-Great Northern Railroad
came to town.
Now connected by the railroad, people turned the town into a summer
resort where it has remained ever since.
The town later became a terminus of the St. Louis, Brownsville
and Mexico Railway. |
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A
free lunch in Port O'Connor
TE photo |
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Seaside
casual architecture
TE photo, 2001 |
An
ice factory made possible fish and oyster business and for some time
figs were one of the major crops. Fig Orchards Company of Port O'Connor
processed the figs for the farmers who raised them.
People could train over to Port O'Connor, sip ice-cold drinks and
have plates of Oysters in Fig Sauce.
The
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway was dredged by 1939. This connected New
Orleans with Corpus
Christi and protected smaller craft from German submarines during
the early years of World War
II, but didn't help the tankers that had to run the gauntlet of
U-boats through the straits of Florida. Pipelines to the East coast
constructed in record time solved the problem. |
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Landscaping
with Anchors 101
TE photos, 2001 |
Port
O'Conner has had its share of storms. There was no population when
the storms that made Indianola
a ghost hit the area, and the same was true for the 1900
storm. But 1919, 1942 and 1945 had storms that damaged the town.
Hurricane Carla in 1961, completely leveled downtown Port O'Conner
which explains the absence of a town center.
In 1969 the town's population exceeded 1,000 due to employment opportunities
at the nearby Matagorda Air Force Base. It later dropped to around
800.
Port O'Conner continues to be an attraction for retirees, fishermen
and summer tourists.
Port
Lavaca Hotels >
Book Your Hotel Here & Save |
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Another
view in Port O'Connor
TE photo, 2001 |
Port O'Connor
Attractions
Matagorda
Island State Park
On Matagorda Island
Passenger ferry from the dock in Port O'Connor.
Port O'Connor Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 701 Port O'Connor, TX 77982 (361)983-2898 |
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