Storm over the bay

"In September 1919, a hurricane almost destroyed Corpus Christi... and revived its hopes for a deep-water port." "Ever since adventurer and promoter Henry Kinney first sighted Corpus Christi Bay in the late 1830s, the natural harbor at the mouth of South Texas' Nueces River has been a center of regional maritime trade. But by the early 1900s, a storm of political wrangling, cronyism, and corruption was threatening to scuttle the city's efforts toward securing a dependable deep water port to attract international commerce to Corpus Christi. The rugged country of the "Nueces Strip" - the contested area between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande - had become notorious for its blend of border bosses, empire builders, and bandits. It was perhaps inevitable that in their struggle for survival and supremacy, the competing interests would clash in Corpus Christi and take their toll on the city's greater hopes and dreams.". "But all that changed after September 14, 1919, when a massive hurricane struck the bay and buried the downtown area under ten feet of debris. Estimates of the death toll ranged from nearly 300 to 1,000, and the storm left millions of dollars of damage in its wake. The citizens of Corpus Christi, however, rather than being demoralized, were galvanized by the disaster. In gripping detail,author Mary Jo O'Rear chronicles the successful efforts of the newly unified Corpus Christi, efforts that culminated in the dedication of the Port of Corpus Christi on September 14, 1926 - seven years to the day after the storm that devastated the city."