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Corpus Christi History, Texas

Sparkling City by the Sea

Corpus Christi is famous for its literature, which has promoted the tourism industry by a larger extent. It has been nicknamed as the Sparkling City by the Sea.

The city of Corpus Christi was discovered on the Catholic Feast day of Corpus Christi in 1519. It was named by Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda based on the local tradition. But, actual history suggests that the city was named originally by the first settlers in 1860 that migrated from the lower Rio Grande Valley. In 1839, the first semblance of the city began after Col.

Henry Kinney began establishing a trading post, which was meant to sell supplies to the revolutionary army of Mexico camped 25 miles in the west. The U.S Government constructed a lighthouse in 1851 and 1852 on the bluff at the city of Corpus Christi. This lighthouse played an important role in serving as an arsenal during the Civil War and also as a guide to the early-day vessels.

But incidentally, the lighthouse got destroyed in 1878. The Artesian Park in the Chaparral & Twigg streets is the oldest park of the State and is dedicated as a public park. History suggests that 4,000 soldiers of General Zachary Taylor belonging to the U.S 3rd Infantry arrived in this site and dug sulphur well before camping for nearly eight months between 1845 and 1846.

There were three future U.S presidents in this troop namely Pierce, Taylor and Grant. After the War, the campsite and the well were donated to the city of Corpus Christi by Captain Henry l. Kinney, the founder of the town’s site. A drinking fountain, a bandstand, and walkways were later added to the site in the early 1990s.

The Lovenskoid building in the city is considered to be the oldest standing commercial building that exists in Corpus Christi. The structure was built in 1891 and once served a variety of purposes like post office, telegraph office, library and drug store. The building still has the original cast iron and brick finish. In fact, this structure is the only cat iron building in the city.

The port of Corpus Christi was opened in the year of 1926, which culminated efforts to obtain a deep water port beginning in the early 1840s. In 1941, the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station got commissioned. Corpus Christi has gone through a considerable development for a long time and now Sparkling City will sparkle as brightly as possible.

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