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Bolivar Peninsula was named in honor of the famous South American explorer, Simon Bolivar. It is a barrier island that ranges in width from three miles to a quarter mile. Its length is 27 miles that runs in an northeasterly direction. On the north side of the peninsula, you’ll find the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which is a sheltered area that is used to transport freight.
The peninsula also has a water passageway that is known as the marine entrance from the Gulf of Mexico to Galveston Bay. This is known as the Bolivar portion and it is maintained by the US Army Corp of Engineers and belongs to the Galveston District. There is only one way to reach Bolivar Peninsula through the mainland of Texas, and it starts in Chambers County, Texas.
There are several towns that are currently located on the Peninsula. The towns include Crystal Beach, Caplen, Gilchrist, Port Bolivar and High Island and are spaced out along the peninsula. Crystal Beach is currently the only town that is incorporated.
Port Bolivar is home to what is known as “old Fort Travis,” which bears the name of Col. William B. Travis, one of the heroes from the Alamo. It is believed that explorers first found the peninsula in the 1500’s and Native Americans lived in the area during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Even a pirate is famed to have lived on the peninsula.
During the early 1800’s the peninsula was used as a highway for the slave trade that was booming between Galveston and Louisiana. A mud fort was built by Dr. James Long in 1820 and was called Fort Las Casas. The first recorded settler in the area was Samuel D. Parr in 1838. Parr claimed a league of land that started at Bolivar Point and stretched five miles to the east. More families joined Parr and by 1885, at least 500 people lived on the Peninsula.
Bolivar Peninsula is known as the “breadbasket of Galveston” and the “watermelon capital of Texas.” The first moniker is due to the shipping trade and railroad business that made the area prosperous during the late 1800’s and through the mid 1940’s. Oil was discovered near High Island, further increasing the peninsula’s residency figures. By 1990, at least 4,000 permanent residents were living on Bolivar Peninsula.
If you decide to rent an apartment in one of the towns on the peninsula, you’ll be able to enjoy many attractions. The Bolivar Lighthouse is located on the western end of the peninsula and is a very popular destination. The Rollover Fish Pass was opened in 1955 by the Texas Game and Fish Commission to reintroduce salt water into the East Bay to maintain marine life and protect spawning areas. The Houston Audubon Society’s Louis Smith Bird Sanctuary is located in High Island and tens of thousands of birds call the north shore of Bolivar Peninsula home.
Bolivar Peninsula has much to offer for apartment dwellers. The ability to experience so many historical sites and wildlife refuges so close to major cities is an opportunity that cannot be overlooked.
If you are interested in an apartment in Houston, feel free to contact us.
