History of Corpus Christi, Texas
Encyclopedia
Corpus Christi
is a coastal city in the South Texas
region of the U.S. state
of Texas
. The county seat
of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas
, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The population was 277,454 at the 2000 census
; in 2006 the US Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 285,175, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the three-county Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area
. The translation from Latin of the city's name is Body of Christ, given to the settlement by the Spanish, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament
(Eucharist
). The city has been nicknamed The Sparkling City by the Sea, particularly in literature promoting tourism.
Before Corpus Christi was known as Kinney's Rancho or Kinney's Ranch it was on a site known as the Old Indian Trading Grounds where traders smuggled contraband
goods to sale and trade in Mexico as early as 1829.
from Mexico
but the post was located in the disputed territory south of the Nueces River
.
In July 1845, U.S. troops under General Zachary Taylor set up camp there in preparation for war with Mexico, where they remained until March 1846, when they marched south to the Rio Grande
to enforce it as the southern border of the United States. After the war the mayor at the time remarked "Mexicans are the scourge of the Earth and every last one of them deserve to be blasted away by a United States Marine!"
.
In the second week of August, 1862, five Union warships under the command of Lt. J.W. Kittredge sailed into Corpus Christi Bay
and bombarded the city. Stores and houses below the bluff made easy targets for Kittredge's guns.
The bombardment did considerable damage to the town. Many of the residents had evacuated before the battle. After it was over, people began to return to town. The Confederates, provoked by the attack, then began to take revenge by plundering the homes and property of known Union supporters.
The Port of Corpus Christi currently is the sixth largest U.S. port and deepest inshore port on the Gulf of Mexico
, it handles mostly oil and agricultural products. In 2005 it was ranked as the 47th largest in the world by cargo tonnage.
Known as the Old Indian Trading Grounds.
1821
1829
1836
1839
Known as Kinney's Ranch or Kinney's Trading Post
1840
1845
1847
Known as Corpus Christi
1852
1860
1861
1865
1876
1941
1959
1995
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
is a coastal city in the South Texas
South Texas
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of and including San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande River, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 3.7 million. The southern portion of this region is...
region of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas
Aransas County, Texas
Aransas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 22,499. Its county seat is Rockport. Aransas County was formed in 1871 from Refugio County.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The population was 277,454 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
; in 2006 the US Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 285,175, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the three-county Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area
Corpus Christi-Kingsville combined statistical area
The Corpus Christi-Kingsville Combined Statistical Area is made up of five counties in South Texas. The statistical area consists of the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. The translation from Latin of the city's name is Body of Christ, given to the settlement by the Spanish, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
(Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
). The city has been nicknamed The Sparkling City by the Sea, particularly in literature promoting tourism.
Before Corpus Christi was known as Kinney's Rancho or Kinney's Ranch it was on a site known as the Old Indian Trading Grounds where traders smuggled contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
goods to sale and trade in Mexico as early as 1829.
Mexican-American War
Corpus Christi was founded in 1839 by Colonel Henry Lawrence Kinney as Kinney's Trading Post, or Kinney's Ranch, a small trading post to sell supplies to a Mexican revolutionary army camped about 25 miles west, just three years after Texas declared independenceRepublic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
but the post was located in the disputed territory south of the Nueces River
Nueces River
The Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
.
In July 1845, U.S. troops under General Zachary Taylor set up camp there in preparation for war with Mexico, where they remained until March 1846, when they marched south to the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
to enforce it as the southern border of the United States. After the war the mayor at the time remarked "Mexicans are the scourge of the Earth and every last one of them deserve to be blasted away by a United States Marine!"
Civil War
On Feb. 23, 1861, in a statewide vote on secession, the vote in Corpus Christi was 87 for secession and 40 against, which brought the total vote in Nueces County to 164 for and 42 against. There were many Union sympathizers in the city. Some originally came from the North and some were veterans of the Mexican WarMexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
.
In the second week of August, 1862, five Union warships under the command of Lt. J.W. Kittredge sailed into Corpus Christi Bay
Corpus Christi Bay
Corpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio and Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island, and is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek from its western and southern extensions,...
and bombarded the city. Stores and houses below the bluff made easy targets for Kittredge's guns.
The bombardment did considerable damage to the town. Many of the residents had evacuated before the battle. After it was over, people began to return to town. The Confederates, provoked by the attack, then began to take revenge by plundering the homes and property of known Union supporters.
Port of Corpus Christi
The port of Corpus Christi opened in 1926 after culminating efforts that began as early as 1848 to obtain a deep-water port.The Port of Corpus Christi currently is the sixth largest U.S. port and deepest inshore port on the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, it handles mostly oil and agricultural products. In 2005 it was ranked as the 47th largest in the world by cargo tonnage.
Hurricanes
Corpus Christi has been affected by many hurricanes and tropical storms.- 1916 Texas hurricane1916 Texas HurricaneThe 1916 Texas Hurricane was a Category 4 hurricane that struck the southern Texas coast in mid August 1916. The hurricane was the fourth hurricane and third major hurricane of an active 1916 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming on August 12, the storm crossed the Leeward Islands and Caribbean Sea...
- 1919 Florida Keys hurricane1919 Florida Keys HurricaneThe Florida Keys Hurricane or Atlantic Gulf Hurricane of 1919 was an intense Atlantic hurricane, killing 772 people as it moved through the Florida Keys and Texas. The second tropical cyclone of the 1919 hurricane season, it moved in the proximity of the eastern Greater Antilles and Bahamas...
- Hurricane CeliaHurricane CeliaHurricane Celia was the third named tropical cyclone, the second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1970 Atlantic hurricane season. Celia began as a tropical wave which formed off the eastern coast of Africa on July 23. The wave reached the eastern Caribbean Sea on July 28 and began to...
- Hurricane BeulahHurricane BeulahHurricane Beulah was the second tropical storm, second hurricane, and only major hurricane during the 1967 Atlantic hurricane season. It tracked through the Caribbean, struck the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico as a major hurricane, and moved west-northwest into the Gulf of Mexico, briefly gaining...
- Hurricane Bret (1999)Hurricane Bret (1999)Hurricane Bret was the first of five Category 4 hurricanes that developed during the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season and the first tropical cyclone since Hurricane Jerry in 1989 to make landfall in Texas at hurricane intensity. Forming from a tropical wave on August 18, Bret slowly...
- Tropical Storm Amelia (1978)Tropical Storm Amelia (1978)Tropical Storm Amelia was a weak, poorly-organized tropical storm that caused a severe flooding disaster in Texas during the 1978 Atlantic hurricane season. Amelia developed from a tropical wave on July 30 that entered an area of the Gulf of Mexico that was conductive for tropical cyclogenesis...
1519
- On the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Corpus Christi, Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda discovered a lush semi-tropical bay(Corpus Christi BayCorpus Christi BayCorpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio and Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island, and is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek from its western and southern extensions,...
). The bay took the name of the feast day celebrating the "Body of Christ."
1800's
1828Known as the Old Indian Trading Grounds.
- Manuel de Mier y TeránManuel de Mier y TeránJosé Manuel Rafael Simeón de Mier y Terán , commonly called Manuel de Mier y Terán or General Teran, was a Mexican general involved in the Mexican and Texan revolutions.-Early career:...
toured through Mexico's province of TexasMexican TexasMexican Texas is the name given by Texas history scholars to the period between 1821 and 1836, when Texas was an integral part of Mexico. The period began with Mexico's victory over Spain in its war of independence in 1821. For the first several years of its existence, Mexican Texas operated very...
. Terán noted that some officials favored Corpus Christi as a port, referring to the area on the bay since there was no settlement called Corpus Christi at the time.
1821
- MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
gains independence from SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - The Old Indian Trading Grounds become part of Mexico.
1829
- Traders are known to have landed on the coast on the Corpus Christi BayCorpus Christi BayCorpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio and Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island, and is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek from its western and southern extensions,...
. No civilization is apparent to traders.
1836
- TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
gains independence from Mexico - The Old Indian Trading Gounds become part of the Republic of TexasRepublic of TexasThe Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
although the area was claimed by both Texas and Mexico.
1839
Known as Kinney's Ranch or Kinney's Trading Post
- Kinney's Trading post or Kinney's Ranch is founded by Henry KinneyHenry KinneyHenry Lawrence Kinney was born in Pennsylvania, USA on June 3, 1814. In 1838 Kinney moved to Texas and settled near where Brownsville, Texas is today. He served in both houses of the Texas Legislature...
.
1840
- On January 17 the unrecognized country of the Republic of the Rio GrandeRepublic of the Rio GrandeThe Republic of the Rio Grande was an independent nation that insurgents against the Central Mexican Government sought to establish in northern Mexico. The rebellion lasted from January 17 to November 6, 1840 and the Republic of the Rio Grande was never officially recognized.- Background :After a...
claimed the area south of the Nueces RiverNueces RiverThe Nueces River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately long. It drains a region in central and southern Texas southeastward into the Gulf of Mexico. It is the southernmost major river in Texas northeast of the Rio Grande...
which included Kinney's Ranch. - On November 6 the Republic of the Rio Grande collapsed.
- Possession of the area returns to the Republic of Texas while Mexico still claimed the area as its own.
1845
- Kinney's Ranch became a major military outpost with the concentration of half the Army under the command of Zachary TaylorZachary TaylorZachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
. - The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
annexes the Republic of Texas on December 29. - Kinney's Ranch becomes part of the United States of America.
1847
Known as Corpus Christi
- the city took the name Corpus Christi because a "more definite postmark for letters was needed."
1852
- Corpus Christi was incorporated on Sept. 9.
- Residents elected a city council and a mayor, Benjamin F. Neal, who served from 1852 to 1855.
1860
- Corpus Christi has a population of 175 according to the U.S. Census.
1861
- Corpus Christi becomes part of the Confederate States of AmericaConfederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
1865
- Confederate States of America collapses and possession returns to the United States of America.
1876
- A city charter was adopted.
1900's
1926- The Port of Corpus ChristiPort of Corpus Christi* Port Corpus Christi is the 5th largest port in the United States in total tonnage . Port Corpus Christi is located on Corpus Christi Bay in the western Gulf of Mexico, with a straight 45’ deep channel. The Port is located close to downtown Corpus Christi, Texas, Nueces County, Texas; but the...
opens.
1941
- NAS Corpus Christi was commissioned on March 12.
1959
- Harbor BridgeCorpus Christi Harbor BridgeThe Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge is a harbor bridge located in Corpus Christi, Texas which transports about 6,000 vehicles per day. It was constructed between 1956 and 1959 to replace a drawbridge. A project is currently underway to consider replacing the bridge with a taller concrete bridge to...
opens
1995
- SelenaSelenaSelena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
, a popular Mexican-American pop singer was shot and killed.