Geographist

This week our tour through Galveston County returns to the western side of the mainland.  Santa Fe is a city that exists, not primarily due to the wishes of its own residents, but to those of the neighboring city of Hitchcock.  According to the US Census Bureau a total of 12,735 residents populate this town which sits along Highway 6 at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level.  The city has been incorporated since 1978 and now includes a total area just over 17 square miles.  The story of the town began with a railroad - the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe - that sought to connect Galveston Island with the inland part of Texas without passing through Houston.  Founded in 1873, its goal was to traverse Texas and terminate at Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory.  Work began in 1875 and by 1877 enough track had been constructed that the line extended beyond the county's edge.  Several communities began to grow along the line, including a few in western Galveston ...

So far all of our stops in Galveston County have been focused on the west side of the bay.  There is, however, a rich history on the east side that still deserves attention.  Bolivar Peninsula sits just across from Galveston Island, and is home to 2,769 residents according to the US Census Bureau's 2020 count.  The peninsula that varies in width from nearly 3 miles to barely 600 yards across stretches for 27 miles between the Gulf of Mexico to the south and East Bay to the north, until it reaches the mainland at Galveston County's border with neighboring Chambers County.  Several communities are strung out along Highway 87, the main road that serves Bolivar - including Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplan, Gilchrist, and High Island - and we'll visit them all as a group. The history of Bolivar Peninsula, like so many other areas along the Texas coast, begins with a number of the tribes that frequented the area long before Europeans began exploring.  In addition t...

If you were a driver heading towards Galveston Island on I-45, you would probably recognize how close you were to the water when the majority of the trees you had seen along the way eventually gave way to several miles of grassy marshland.  And if you were looking the wrong direction while approaching the bridge over West Bay, you might miss the small community that has sprung up just before you left the mainland: The Village of Tiki Island.  According to the US Census Bureau, this tiny group of homes boasts a 2020 population of 1,106 that supports a full-time police department and a volunteer fire department with a paid staff of one.  The total area of the city is officially 1.59 square miles, but 2/3 of that amount is water and only 0.48 square miles is on land.  This stop along our tour of Galveston County towns has no extended history because before 1960 it didn't even exist. That's right, at a time when the eyes of the world were focused on the emerging war in V...

A lonely, unincorporated peninsula on the way to nowhere is home to the next stop along our journey of discovery through Galveston's towns.  San Leon, a community so small that the US Census doesn't even keep data for it, has a longer history that many of the other mainland cities within the county.  An estimated 4,970 people live there, but nobody seems to have an official count.  Surrounded by Galveston Bay to the east, Trinity Bay to the north, and Dickinson Bay to the south, the town that barely reaches 10' above sea level in elevation has successfully resisted incorporating themselves or being drawn into neighboring Bacliff or Texas City for years.  Jean Lafitte, the famous pirate who frequented the waters surrounding Galveston Island, was an early European visitor to San Leon, but by that time the area was already popular with the nomadic Karankawa Indian tribes.  One of the many legends of the natives involved a group of specialized warriors who used the ...

This week we'll continue our tour of Galveston County by making a stop in a place that's near and dear to my family - our home town, Friendswood!  This city with such an amiable name sits at the farthest northwest corner of the county, and certain portions of town actually reach into neighboring Harris and Brazoria counties.  The population of Friendswood was 41,213 according to the 2020 US Census and nearly all of its 20.9 square miles are on land (water accounts for a scant 0.14 sq. mi.).  Being farther inland than either of our previous cities, it rises higher in elevation to a level of 31 feet above sea level. The name Friendswood came from the city's unique founding, as it remains as the only permanent Texas town that was originally established as a Quaker colony - a group also known as the Religious Society of Friends.  A group from Kansas had attempted to move to Texas but did not like their first attempted settlement near Lubbock, and therefore sent a represe...

Occupying the southernmost portion of Galveston County's mainland is the city of Hitchcock, our second stop as we take a meandering tour through the communities that form this interesting Texas county.  Claiming 7,301 residents as of the 2020 Census, this city that lies just across West Bay from the central portion of Galveston Island has a total area of 91.48 sq. mi., of which 60.43 sq. mi. is land.  The highest point in the area peaks at just 16 feet above sea level. The earliest modern history of the town began in the 1840s when settlers, the majority of whom were French, began moving to the area.  A man named Jonas Butler purchased land along a bayou there in 1848 and built a house.  The burgeoning community that sat on the high bank of the bayou became known as Highland, and the waterway the residents used to reach Galveston in turn adopted the name of the new settlement.  The current name of the growing town was not established until the Gulf, Colorado, an...

The first community we'll look at during our no-particular-order survey of Galveston County is the small town of Clear Lake Shores.  Nestled in the far northern extent of the county, this town has a total area of less than 0.75 square miles, only 0.43 of which is on land.  Clear Lake Shores claimed a population of 1,258 residents in the 2020 census, which represented a significant recovery after the 2010 count had dropped significantly due primarily to the impact of Hurricane Ike in 2008 which destroyed several homes.  Set along the shoreline where Clear Lake meets Galveston Bay, the town has an elevation of just 10' above sea level. Clear Lake has long been a popular location for aquatic sports and recreation, and the allure of waterfront properties enticed developers to this portion of the county during the prosperous time following the first World War.  Oil was big business at that time, and money was easily changing hands.  Many of the initial buyers of the ...

Lying just southeast of Houston, TX along the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston County has a rich and colorful history which is perhaps matched only by the population that now calls it home.  As it currently exists the county consists of a portion of the Texas mainland, a sizeable piece of the largest estuary in the state (the Trinity-San Jacinto Estuary, which includes Galveston Bay and several smaller extensions and inlets), and various islands, the largest of which is Galveston Island.  Only 43% of the county's total area of 874 square miles is covered by land, and the latest population estimate by the US Census Bureau stands at approximately 350,000 residents. As with most areas in Texas, nomadic tribes were the primary residents for thousands of years and aside from scattered camps along the coast or simple burial grounds there are very few records of long-term settlements.  Much of what has been learned of early inhabitants comes from study of shell middens, which are essen...

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone has found something useful over the past several months as we've looked at basic success principles, and hopefully you've been able to try out some of the techniques that will help you along your own personal path.  Moving into the new year I have been considering what might be an enjoyable new topic to work on.  Recently I've gotten to know several folks who are involved in one of the local cultural festivals, and in the process of trying to help out with some basic mapping needs that they had I've been fortunate enough to find out some really neat history of the surrounding towns.  I would like to share some of that with each of you, so over the coming weeks we'll explore some of the stories, people, and places that helped make Galveston County, TX what it is today.  Each week we'll delve into one of the locations, or perhaps into a particular event or group that has had a lasting impact in our area.  Come along for the ri...

Christmas is done, and New Year's Day is fast approaching.  I hope the season has been good to each one of you who take the time to read these posts from time to time.  This is the week when so many of us pause to analyze how things have been going in our lives.  Most holidays give us an excuse to relax our discipline, and whether we succumbed to the lure of food, spending, relaxation, or any other opportunity that was presented, most of us recognize we went overboard somewhere.  No wonder the New Year's Resolution is so popular!  Hopefully, however, we don't waste time beating up ourselves over what went wrong.  Instead, this is a good a time as any to learn how to reset . Playing video games as a kid, our console had two buttons on the front: Power and Reset.  If we figured out that we'd gotten into a really bad situation and weren't likely to win the game, sometimes we'd just stop playing and hit the Reset button.  The game would jump back to t...

As a young musician, I once played in a concert series based on MGM's film "The Wizard of Oz" that included live appearances by several of the original munchkins.  It was fascinating to see actors and actresses recounting their experiences with amazing detail, roughly six decades after the movie was released.  Who were some of your favorite characters, and were there any that you didn't like at all?  Most kids I knew were scared of the witch, but it was actually had one of the "good guys" who always bothered me: the Cowardly Lion.  I don't think anybody really admires the individual who will turn and run whenever a situation becomes uncomfortable or dangerous, and this character's defining trait was his poor reactions to his fears.  In everyday life, it is important to have the courage to act.  (Credit: NBC Television Network) In his first inaugural address President Franklin Roosevelt made the statement, "let me assert my solemn belief that th...

One of my favorite Christmas classics features a scene where the main characters sing a fun song about how they miss the good time they had in the army.  One of their reasons was that there was always someone else in charge where they could "pass the buck" for any bad decisions or outcomes.  This may have been a subtle reference to President Harry Truman, who was said to have a sign on his desk in the Oval Office that read, "The Buck Stops Here".  With all due respect to the imaginary soldier buddies, I think the man who had climbed to the highest office in the land had the right idea.  And it wasn't just a motto - he was willing to make the biggest decisions that led to the end of WWII.  To become successful in any endeavor, you must accept responsibility for your actions.  It seems as though every time something bad happens, there are those who want to assign blame.  Sometimes the rationale is good - we need to know the cause of a problem to keep it...

My dad is not big on watching professional sports, although he'll tolerate some time in front of the TV with me from time to time.  When he does watch, however, I've noticed he really gets sour about the kind of players that celebrate by dancing, posing, or otherwise drawing attention to themselves.  We used to go to business meetings with a friend and mentor who spent several years playing professional football, and he similarly commented that he never liked seeing someone celebrate a touchdown by acting like the other 10 guys on the field didn't help him get there.  The superstar athlete who is willing to go about his work, giving others credit for contributions while not seeking their own celebrity recognition, is rare.  But then again, how often do we see individuals in any field of endeavor avoid seeking the applause of others?  Humility is not usually a natural response to success, but it is certainly an important ingredient.  If you run a search onl...

The alarm blares long before the sun rises, and despite being much too tired to get up he somehow crawls out of bed to meet a friend for an early morning run.  The free dessert at the restaurant looks amazing but she makes the choice to resist the urge to eat it because there's going to be a group meeting to discuss everyone's health decisions.  People make decisions all the time that make sense and are good for everyone, but that they wouldn't necessarily have made without someone else holding them accountable .  All of us should develop friendships with others who are chasing similar goals so that we have camaraderie , which gives us companions to help us stretch and grow.  When is the last time you did something just because someone else expected it?  As kids we all do things that our parents or teachers ask or that we know they'd like.  Peer pressure gets blamed for a lot of bad things, but when it comes to keeping us accountable it can often have a maj...

"Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life." Ever heard that line?  I've seen it attributed to several different people throughout history, but honestly have no idea who really said it first.  Do you think it's accurate?  It seems to me that, even when doing the things you love most in life, there are still certain aspects that don't turn out to be all that enjoyable.  Still, the sentiment behind the statement is sound - there is a foolproof way to avoid the drudgery that often comes along with doing the hard work that is necessary, and it's really perfect for the holiday season we're about to experience.  Find the joy ! Growing up we used to watch kid movies that encouraged us to find fun in the chores, and that would turn the work into a game.  You've probably seen a few of these sorts of things as well.  I remember a t-shirt that a friend used to wear that had the phrase "Work is what you make it" along with the picture...

I heard a story about the commanding officer on a naval ship who was awakened one night to be informed that a light was spotted in the path of their vessel during the night.  Irritated at being pulled out of a deep sleep, he went to the communications area on board and sent a message that whoever was ahead should alter their course.  A response soon came back suggesting his own ship needed to steer to avoid a collision.  The officer, quickly becoming angry, sent another message that his ship was one of the most heavily-armed vessels in the navy.  A message came back, "That may be true, but this is a lighthouse."  Obviously that information changed the dynamics of the conversation quickly.  Hopefully the ship's officer did the smart thing by adjusting his course, and maybe he learned an important lesson about communication while he was at it.  Most people believe that they are good communicators.  In a way, they are correct - everyone is constantl...

I live pretty close to NASA, just outside of Houston, TX.  Growing up near the same community where famous astronauts like Alan Shepherd, Gus Grissom, Jim Lovell, and Neil Armstrong have lived has always been fascinating to me, and driving past the Johnson Space Center allowed me to see their massive Saturn V rocket as a child.  Recently they have added some of the newer rockets that have been used by groups such as SpaceX to their impressive display.  According to NASA.gov the lift that was required to propel the shuttle missions into space required the burning of some 11,000 pounds of fuel per second during liftoff (roughly the same amount used by all of the cars on the road during Houston's daily rush hour).  In fact, fuel would account for approximately half of the total weight of a shuttle.  But once the shuttle reached its desired altitude and speed outside of Earth's atmosphere, very little thrust is required and most of the fuel tanks are jettisoned and ...

"It's better to burn out than rust out.  Set yourself on fire and the whole world will come to watch." A business associate told me this a long time ago before going into a meeting, probably quoting a book he had been reading.  I don't remember much else about our conversation but that word picture has stuck with me through the years.  We've probably all seen rusty old cars that no longer run.  A burning car would be equally useless (perhaps even moreso because there would be no opportunity to scavenge parts), but wouldn't you agree that would attract more curious onlookers?  Now here's the interesting fact: fire and rust are both forms of oxidation, which is a scientific term that describes the reaction of a compound with oxygen.  During oxidation, the original compound loses electrons (the negative part of an atom) and is therefore changed to an ion or a different compound.  In my friend's analogy, therefore, the only difference in the two options wa...

I heard a story about some kid who came across a man catching crabs along the beach.  He stored all of the crabs in a bucket, but there was no lid on top.   "Hey mister, you're going to lose all of your crabs!"  The kid was convinced the crabs could easily climb out.  "No, son," the man replied, "because if one tries to get out, the others will always pull him back in." Spend enough time trying to improve yourself and eventually you'll come across someone who doesn't like it, just like those crabs that don't want the other one to escape.  There are various reasons why some people might not want you to do your very best - it might be that they disagree with your priorities, or they think that you'll make them look lazy if you succeed where they haven't.  But many times it's simply because they have the mistaken impression that more for you means less for them.  To really maximize your potential it's critical to develop an abu...

My youngest kid and I are learning martial arts.  At first, my wife and I just thought it would be a good activity for kiddo to get some exercise, discipline, and socialization outside of school.  It's turned into a really positive, exciting journey for both of us!  We're both considered "intermediate" students, which means we've been consistent for a period of 9-18 months, but during sparring season we fight based on height, not skill level.  As such, we've both had to fight much more advanced students, and we've both taken turns getting kicked in the head by our opponents.  That's a problem because those are worth more points, and I don't even have the flexibility to reach my leg that high yet!  But stretching is uncomfortable and it takes time to see any results.  What am I going to do?  Well, in martial arts as in life, I can either remain in my comfort zone or I can push into the growth zone .  People like to be comfortable.  Have y...

Why did the bicycle fall over?  It was two-tired! Let's talk about bikes.  As a dad with three kids myself, I've taken a few turns teaching my girls how to ride without training wheels.  The funny thing to me is that, while each of them learned in different ways or needed me to try different techniques with them, they all had one thing in common: none of them ever wanted to go fast enough.  I guess that's a natural feeling, because the more speed you have the harder you are likely to crash.  But as anyone who has tried to keep a bike standing up on two wheels while not moving will tell you, that's just not going to work.  Movement helps you stay up!  Let's look at the secret behind keeping these leg-powered vehicles upright - balance - and maybe it'll help us learn something about success along the way. The spokes on a bicycle wheel are a good place to start the conversation.  Obviously they all extend from the hub in the center of the wheel to t...

As an adult, there is nobody to stop me from buying a cake every single day and eating it all.  It sounds good but would quickly make me very fat and exceptionally unhealthy!  There's no law saying I have to do basic chores to keep my house clean.  I don't have someone checking up on me to make sure I get enough sleep, wear sunscreen on trips to the beach, or look both ways before crossing the street.  So what is it that makes me do these things?  The easy answer is that I don't want to get sick or hurt.  But perhaps the better answer is that I've learned that it's important to know what you want MOST should take priority over what you want NOW.  With three daughters growing up in our house, my wife and I spend a lot of time telling children what they can do, what they can't do, and what they should do.  Their ages are a little spread out so the rules for one girl aren't necessarily the same for the others - as they get older we try to grant them...

My oldest daughter recently got her driver's license, although she's technically had a vehicle for a while now.  About a year ago, my in-laws were going to buy a new car and decided to give her their old SUV instead of trading it in.  It was a great gift for her and she quickly set about the process of personalizing the inside to her preferences.  As I taught her to drive, it wasn't uncommon for me to try to convince her to try my car once in a while.  After all, I drive a sports car and I thought she'd leap at the chance to get behind the wheel of something a little more "fun" than a small SUV.  But no, she never wanted to!  One of the reasons she gave was the fact that it was difficult to see all the way around my car, but her SUV had more windows and better visibility behind the wheel when she wanted to change lanes.  In life, sometimes we have a similar issue - there are things around us we don't notice, even though they're obvious to others. ...