hogs island
Hog Island was named because the owner, Ashbel Smith, ran hogs on it. Hog Island was a steamboat landing on the Houston-Galveston route in the 1800's. John Gaillard discovered natural gas while fishing off of Hog Island.He thought the bubbles were buffalo fish.Hog Island was originally 223 acres and J. Gaillard paid Ashbel Smith $2000 for it in 1905 to run livestock. J. Gaillard sold the Island to Humble Oil Company in 1918 for $300,000.The first barge of Goose Creek oil was sent out from Hog Island. Mrs. Hettie Perry ran a boarding house on Hog Island from 1917 to 1920.n 1953, the Morgan's Point Ferry closed when the Baytown-La Porte tunnel opened. With the closing of the Morgan's Point Ferry, Hog Island became a local swimming area and lover's lane. In 1961, Hurricane Carla destroyed the Tabbs Bay Causeway, eliminating the island's only link to the mainland.