Morgan Steamship Line
Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First mail and passenger steamship service from the United States to Texas. In 1835 put in operation the "Columbia" from New Orleans to Galveston, bringing in settlers and goods; soon had three cargo and mail lines along the Texas coast and to Mexico. In 1850 based fleet at Indianola, to handle corn, cotton, sugar, beef. Brought in U.S. Army supplies for western forts. Carried to U.S. mints loads of gold and silver coming overland to the Gulf from the mines in northern Mexico. Morgan ships were seized in 1861 for Civil War duty -- some by the U.S., some by the Confederacy. In 1866 Charles Morgan (1795-1878) resumed operations. In 1869 Morgan branched into rail transportation -- built (1873) Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific Railroad to Cuero; bought other railroads. Soon captains of the Morgan line became residents and business and civic leaders here and in other Texas towns. The Houston Ship Channel was built by Morgan in 1875 and controlled by affiliates for many years. The Morgan line was sold, 1883, to Southern Pacific Railroad, but continued to operate under old name. Last of the ships were sold to the U.S. Government in 1941 for military use during World War II.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Charles Morgan launched the first mail and passenger steamship service between the United States and Texas, putting the Columbia on the New Orleans–to–Galveston run in 1835 and soon operating cargo and mail lines all along the coast and to Mexico. From his base at Indianola his ships carried cotton, sugar, army supplies for frontier forts, and even loads of Mexican gold and silver bound for the U.S. mints. After the Civil War he expanded into railroads and dug the Houston Ship Channel in 1875, before the line passed to Southern Pacific in 1883.
Why it matters
Morgan's steamships and railroads built the transportation spine of nineteenth-century Texas commerce, linking a frontier state to national and international markets.
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Related people
- · Charles Morgan
Themes & tags
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