ECON, JETTIES - Port Aransas Museum

ECONOMIC ∼ THE JETTIES
Business came to the Aransas Pass in 1829 when a schooner sailed through it carrying
tobacco to Mexican buyers. In 1880, the U.S. Congress finally acknowledged the economic
importance of this waterway by funding a jetty system to make it safer for ships.
Construction of the two--north and south--rock jetties at the Aransas Pass began in 1895
and continued through 1918--by 1911 large cargo ships had begun using the pass. The jetties
economically benefitted Port Aransas in two ways. Discovery of tarpon fish in the pass by
jetty workers led them to hire Port A boatmen to take them fishing, and soon Port Aransas
had become a nationally acclaimed fishing destination--see the Guides panel for details.
Also, the jetties led to the creation of a seaport on Harbor Island; and what happened to
that seaport brought Port Aransas to the tourist economy that it enjoys today.
Rocks and pilings ready to be transported from the mainland town of
Aransas Pass to the work site at the pass.
A tugboat stands by a barge with rock carrying flatcars.
Supervised by the Corps of Engineers, the
building of the Aransas Pass jetties was a massive
enterprise. The rocks were transported from midstate quarries to Redfish Bay on railroad flatcars.
At a loading dock in the bay, the rock cars went
onto barges that were towed to a transfer dock
close to the jetty work site. From that dock, the
rock cars were pushed down a trestle track to the
work site where a crane put the rocks into the
water. The years of the postcards were not
provided in the collection, but it is reasonable to
believe they date between 1900 and 1911.
From the dock, the flatcars were rolled down a
trestle built into the Gulf. The rocks were then
placed by this steam driven crane.
Transfer dock close to Port Aransas (Tarpon when image was made).
A better view of the transfer dock.