The Texas Historian, Volume 33, Number 4, March 1973 Page: 13
32 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
p- 4 n a anl~l
bay and across Matagorda Island into the
Gulf of Mexico. The United States Corps of
Engineers now keep the channel free from
debris.
In 1935 the last major flood occurred and
most of the water found its way into Tres
Palacios Creek. After 1936, river rises were
not serious and caused only minor spillage
from the new channel. A meeting was held in
Wharton to organize the Lower Colorado
River Flood Control Association. Later the
Lower Colorado River Authority, along with
other authorities, built dams which provided
a chain of six links in the upper Colorado flood
control system. The Colorado became tame.
The log raft retarded the silt increase in
Matagorda Bay, but with the raft's removal the
delta grew. From 1929 to 1941 the delta grew
at an average rate of about 500 acres per year.
It now covers approximately 7,200 acres.
Colorados' delta is different from most deltas,
as it stopped growing when man began to
dredge the mouth of the Colorado into the
Gulf of Mexico.
Geophysical shot holes, which are drilled to
hold dynamite, are still being drilled through
the delta sediment. Through the years shot
hole drillers report encountering logs at a
depth of sixty feet. Have these logs sunk or
were they deposited when the shoreline was
in a different position?As Matagorda County progressed so did
industrial development along the Colorado.
An off-river harbor and turning basin seven-
teen miles upstream from the Intercoastal
Canal was completed in 1963, and a year later
the wharf was added. In August, 1965, the
facilities were dedicated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Junann Stieghorst, Bay City and Matagorda Coun-
ty: A History, Austin, 1965.
Walter Prescott Webb, (ed.), The Handbook of
Texas, Austin, 1952.
Ne wspapers
Bay City Daily Tribune, August 26, 1937.
Bay City Tribune, Century of Progress Edition,
August 26, 1937.
Matagorda County Tribune, August 23, 1945.
Booklet
A. H. Wadsworth, Jr., Historical Deltation of the
Colorado River, Texas, January 12, 1967.
Interview
Mrs. Lina Jarrell to Mark Kirchmeier, October
1, 1971.
Turning basin at Matagorda's inland har-
bor. Industrial facility (background) drama-
tizes man's victory over "Matagorda's Red
Stream." Courtesy: Bay City Daily Tribune.-~*~
, P ~-
--~U,
~! ~ x.
'~~
" Vs
4-r .;"',;ilC
I,W+;~
i~b9
a~.::
~ J
~3
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 33, Number 4, March 1973, periodical, March 1973; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391379/m1/15/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.