Disaster in Galveston: The Hurricane of 1900
At the turn of the 20th Century Galveston, Texas was a prospering city that many considered to be ahead in the race for economic dominance in the state. It had a population of 37,000, a thriving business district, and an extremely active port which made it the center of trade in Texas. However on September 8, 1900 a hurricane swept the island, devastating its population, destroying many homes and businesses, and cutting it off from the rest of the world.
Galveston is an island 30 miles long and at many points no more than one mile from north to south. Located off the south-eastern coast of Texas, it lies in between the Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Its location, while making it conducive to the sort of economic and social growth that came at the end of the 19th Century, also makes it dangerously prone to hurricanes. Warm waters, like those in the Gulf of Mexico, are a source of energy for storm systems. On top of sitting in warm ocean water, Galveston has a max elevation of only 8.7 feet (and an average much lower than that), making it susceptible to the dangers of storm surges and flooding. Since most of Galveston is at or only slightly above sea level, high waters pushed ashore by heavy winds were able to flood over the entire island, washing people and property away with it.
Galveston’s societal conditions further exacerbated the destruction. In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the island was a thriving port and a center for trade in Texas. It had a growing population, many new homes, and a lot of wealth, making the potential for disaster high. In 1900 much of Galveston’s population, never having seen a seen a hurricane near the strength of the one on that came on September 8, had no idea of the potential dangers of their geography, and assumed that nothing could stop the boom in economic and social