The Galveston Hurricane 1900: America’s Deadliest Natural Disaster
To date, the deadliest natural disaster in the United States is the Galveston Hurricane of September 8, 1900. Also known as the Great Storm or simply “the storm”, the hurricane devastated the prosperous port town of Galveston, Texas. Eight thousand people lost their lives. Thousands more were homeless, and part of Galveston Island sank forever into the sea.
The day after the disaster, G.L. Vaughan, manager of Western Union in Houston, sent a telegram to the Weather Bureau in Washington, D.C.: “First news from Galveston just received by train which could get no closer to the bay shore than six miles where Prairie was strewn with debris and dead bodies. About 200 corpses counted from train. Large Steamship stranded two miles inland. Nothing could be seen of Galveston. Loss of life and property undoubtedly most appalling. Weather clear and bright here with gentle southeast wind.”
Galveston’s History
At the turn of the 20th century, Galveston was a hub of progress and sophistication. Known as the “Wall Street of the Southwest”, Galveston was a town of firsts. It had the state’s first post office, hospital, opera house, golf course, and country club. In the summer of 1900, the population of Galveston had reached 42,000.
The island’s original inhabitants were Karankawa and Akokisa Indians. In 1817, the pirate Jean Lafitte reached an agreement with Mexico, allowing him to settle the island in exchange for privateering against the Spanish. Lafitte established the colony of Campeche. The settlement grew to over 1,000 residents and a substantial transient population, most of them smugglers, slave traders, buccaneers, and their women.
In 1818, a hurricane struck the island. The storm left hundreds dead, leveled much of the town, and destroyed a fleet of ships. Lafitte rebuilt Campeche, but attacks from the Karankawa weakened the town, and the growing criminal population was hard to control. Given an ultimatum by the American Navy in 1821, Lafitte fled the island, burning Campeche behind him.
From the ruins of the pirate town grew the thriving settlement of Galveston. During the Texas Revolution in 1835-6, Galveston was the main port for the Texas navy. Formally founded in 1839, Galveston flourished as a center of commerce and trade. By the latter part of the 19th century, it was the biggest town in Texas.
Then, in 1875, a hurricane struck the nearby town of Indianola, on Matagorda Bay. A busy port city, Indianola was reduced to ruins. Residents rebuilt the town. In 1886, a hurricane leveled Indianola once more. Many residents gave up and moved on. In Galveston, some people saw the warning signs. Galveston’s highest point was only 8.7 feet (2.65m) above sea level. A few sandbars were the only protection from the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the sand had been dug away to fill low-lying areas of the town.
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