Information about the City of Galveston.

The City of Galveston.

Spanish explorers probably visited the area as early as 1523. In the late 1700s the bay (and later the city) was named for Bernardo de Gálvez, governor of Louisiana, later viceroy of Mexico. The land which is now Galveston was part of the original Austin Colony, but Menard and his associates bought the site from the Republic of Texas. Town lots were made available in 1838, and the city was incorporated in 1839. Galveston's harbor became an active port with ships from all over the world importing their goods here.

Hotels, such as the Tremont Hotel, were built. Since chartered banks had not been approved by Congress, financial transactions were handled by mercantile firms. The Strand was filled with wholesalers, cotton agents, paint, drug, grocery, hardware and dry goods stores, and insurance companies. The Strand became the "Wall Street of the Southwest" for the largest and most important wholesale houses west of the Mississippi River.

Between 1838 and 1842, 18 newspapers were started. The Galveston News, founded in 1842, is the only surviving newspaper now published as The Galveston County Daily News. It is the oldest daily newspaper in the state.

A bridge to the mainland was finished in 1860. The bridge opened the opportunity for railroad expansion.

• Galveston Cruises

Information about Galveston.

There is lots of topics to cover about Galveston Information. We have chose a few of the most popular topics.

• The City

• Island

• Attractions

• Recreation

• Directions

We hope you find this information useful and hope you choose us for your one of your next cruises from Galveston.  Remember that we specialize in Galveston Cruises.