Houston Ship Channel Early History (Contruction of Canal)
Artist
Alexandre Hogue
Year1941
Classification
painting
Medium
oil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 77 1/4 x 80 1/2 in. (196.2 x 204.5 cm)
Credits
New Deal Art Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
- Early History: Construction of the Channel portrays workers surveying land, clearing trees and dredging channels in order to transform the Port of Houston into a deep-water harbor. Several important events in the history of southeast Texas precipitated the creation of the ship channel. Before Houston had a deep-water port, cargo was offloaded from large ships anchored at Galveston. Shallow boats and barges then transported the goods 52 miles upstream to Houston. In 1900, a hurricane devastated the island city of Galveston, killing more than 8,000 people and leaving the city and its port in ruins. This natural disaster made it clear that a protected, inland port was needed. The following year, prospectors struck oil at Spindletop in nearby Beaumont, thereby ushering in the Texas Oil Boom. In addition, crops such as cotton and rice were growing in importance as export commodities, adding to the need for a ship channel that could accommodate larger vessels. Convinced that a deep-water channel would greatly benefit the local economy, the city of Houston proposed splitting the cost with the federal government, a plan that the Congressional Rivers and Harbors Committee approved unanimously. Federal aid was granted in 1910, and work on the channel began in 1912.
