Hog Island Dream - We could dream, couldn't we?. (original) (raw)

Dog-paddling frantically back to shore to avoid undertows from approaching tankers in the Houston Ship Channel, swimmers dreamed of a better life on Hog Island.

In the late 1930s, inspired by plans announced for island improvements, swimmers dreamed of a beach with lifeguards. Watching and warning from tall stands, the protectors would rescue swimmers dangerously near the huge vessels that sailed to and from refineries on the channel.

On the beach, swimmers dreamed of amenities such as concession stands and places to rent beach umbrellas. And don't forget float rentals to replace the castaway inner tubes they were toting from home.

Home of the Morgan's Point ferry landing, connecting north and south sides of the channel, Hog Island would acquire an additional identity as a bona fide park, concerned not only with water safety but with the natural habitat as well. Native plants would be preserved, and a bird sanctuary would be provided for migratory birds.

Gone with the breeze would be Hog Island's general reputation as an eyesore. The island would become a thing of beauty, a recreation haven, a tourist attraction.

Impossible dream, all of the above?

The East Harris County Federation of Garden Clubs had a plan to make their Hog Island Project happen. Moreover, these visionaries -- whose previous experience had been limited to local flower shows -- won backing from state and Harris County officials, plus Houston Navigation District board members.

Enthusiasm grew as local schools became involved in the planning process, along with numerous organizations and individuals.

And then, World War II started, and plans for the Hog Island Project stopped.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, government officials and civic leaders turned their attention to wartime efforts, and funds raised for Hog Island improvements reportedly went to the Red Cross.

Surprisingly, the island continued as a popular swimming hole during WWII except for a few months when a polio epidemic prompted "no swimming" signs on the beach.

The Morgan's Point Ferry landing stayed in business until 1953 when the Baytown-La Porte Tunnel opened. By then, fewer people were swimming at Hog Island as postwar travel to Galveston became more convenient. After the war, gasoline no longer was rationed, and many people finally were able to buy newly manufactured vehicles. Also, Baytown in 1949 opened its first city swimming pool - with lifeguards! -- at Roseland Park.

Hog Island still had a purpose in life, though, even after the ferry service ended. A highway strip was there for drag races, and the waterfront for the ever-popular sport of crabbing. Never mind that it wasn't safe to eat the crabs from polluted waters; the thrill was in the hunt.

In 1961 Hurricane Carla blew the whistle on all that fun, smashing the Tabbs Bay causeway - the link with Baytown -- beyond repair. After Carla, the only way to get to the island was by boat.

In the decades following the hurricane, Hog Island steadily subsided, dwindling into a dot on the Houston Ship Channel map. If you have good eyesight, take a look at a tiny sliver of land east of the Fred Hartman Bridge.

From big dreams of water safety, beach amenities, beautification and preservation of the native habitat, to a little dot on the map - that's the story of Hog Island from then to now.

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Wanda Orton Baytown Sun Columnist
"Wandering" February 2 , 2019 column