Indianola might have become a modern gateway to Texas if elements of nature had not conspired against the port city. Weather, disease, and fire all had a hand in the demise of what was the state’s second busiest seaport for nearly 40 years.
FM 316 ends 14 miles southeast of Port Lavaca on the shores of Matagorda Bay near the site of what was once called “Texas’ Queen City.” Only 6 feet above sea level, the road along the beach is lined with vacation and rental homes built on stilts. Only a few hearty residents call the village home year-round.
The only business in the seaside ghost town, other than real estate agents and RV parks, is the Indianola Fishing Marina at the south end of the road where the entrance to Powderhorn Lake cuts into the mainland. The area is prime waters for redfish, sea trout, and flounder. The coastline also attracts a large number of migratory and resident birds.
The marina provides the only convenience store and waterfront cafe for miles, along with cabins and RV spaces. The owners expanded and spruced up the place for a 2004 grand opening. Night fishing is very popular on the new piers.
With the exception of Sunday afternoons, the sandy beach along Ocean Drive is nearly always empty. The few children playing in the waves or fishermen throwing their lines into the surf seem oblivious to the history that happened here 120 years ago. If it weren’t for a few reminders, the memory of the once bustling port would be lost to the history books.
René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle is believed to have been the first European to step on the beach of what was to become Calhoun County. The French explorer may have named the area at the mouth of the Mississippi after King Louis XIV, but his attempted settlement in Texas in 1685 lead to his death and disaster for his party of colonists. In 1938, the state erected a pink granite monument that towers over the beach.
The wind-swept beaches were left to the natives until 1844 when Carl, Prince of Solms-Braunfels chose the natural harbor of Matagorda Bay as the landing spot for German immigrants coming to Texas. Without transportation and roads inland, many of the settlers died of yellow fever, some began the long walk to New Braunfels, and others stayed to build the port of Karlshafen.
The name was soon changed to Indian Point, and the town thrived with the arrival of the U.S. military. For the next 30 years the port was a major military supply station, first for the Mexican War and then for the frontier forts. It was second only to Galveston for the number of immigrants and goods that came ashore.
A herd of camels destined for West Texas duty landed here in 1857. Mrs. Angelina Belle Eberly, hero of the Archives War who is memorialized with a statue on Austin’s Congress Avenue, died in Indianola in 1860.
With a population of 5,000, Indianola reached its peak of prosperity when on Sept. 16, 1875, a hurricane killed 300. The town rebuilt slowly to a population of 2,000 until on Aug. 19, 1886, a second, more powerful storm and a fire destroyed the town and its will to fight the elements. The residents and the county seat moved to Port Lavaca, and the beach became playground for swimmers, fishermen, and birders.
About the only remnants of the port city is a concrete cistern beside Ocean Drive and old pilings of abandoned piers. The foundation of the former courthouse, now in the water about 300 feet off the beach, is marked by a large granite block beside the road. A cemetery off Comal Street is littered with old tombstones, although the location of Mrs. Eberly’s grave is unknown.
To see a nice exhibit on Indianola, drop by the Calhoun County Museum in Port Lavaca at 301 S. Ann St. For information on fishing or cabins, call the Indianola Fishing Marina at 361/552-5350. The Powderhorn RV Park can be reached at 361/552-7481.
780th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in June 2 • 2006.
