Lavaca Bay (/ləvˈɑːkə/ⓘ) is a northwestern extension of the Matagorda Bay system found mostly in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The ports of Port Lavaca and Point Comfort have been established on the bay, and are the main areas of human habitation. Linnville was located on the bay until its abandonment after the Great Raid of 1840, and the major port of Indianola was found near the confluence with the main Matagorda Bay, until the town's final destruction following the massive hurricane of 1886.[1] Smaller communities include Olivia, Alamo Beach and Magnolia Beach. Lavaca Bay is approximately 82 miles (130 km) northeast of Corpus Christi, about 121 miles (190 km) southwest of Houston, and 145 miles (230 km) southeast of San Antonio.
In the late 1680s, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle built a colony dubbed Fort St. Louis in this area. A June 1996 dig at the site that was believed to be the correct location revealed eight French cannon. This led archeologists to excavate the Keeran Ranch site in the area, during 1996–2002; they concluded that the Spanish Presidio La Bahía fort "was built on the La Salle settlement". Some 10 percent of the artifacts recovered are believed to have originated in France.[2]
The bay is noted for its superfund site, caused by mercury pollution from the heavy industry in Point Comfort (specifically Alcoa), across the bay from the largest settlement of Port Lavaca. Although fishing has declined in recent years due to fears of contamination, the bay supports a large finfish population, and the efforts of environmental organizations and the federal government have pressured Alcoa to reduce the polluted areas.
^Cite error: The named reference handbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"La Salle's Texas Settlement". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
LavacaBay (/ləvˈɑːkə/ ) is a northwestern extension of the Matagorda Bay system found mostly in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The ports of Port...
notably the Lavaca and Colorado Rivers. The Texas seaport of Port Lavaca is located on the system's northwestern extension of LavacaBay. The city of...
Lavaca may stand for: Lavaca, Arkansas Lavaca County, Texas Lavaca River Port Lavaca, Texas LavacaBay la Vaca (disambiguation) Lavaka, a Tongan nobility...
southeast for 115 miles (185 km) until it empties into LavacaBay, a component of Matagorda Bay. The navigable Texas river's name is a corruption of Rivière...
waste violations, particularly with the discharge of plastic pellets into LavacaBay and other waterways from the company's Point Comfort plant. In March 2019...
Christi Bay), the Mission–Aransas Estuary (Aransas Bay), the Guadalupe Estuary (San Antonio Bay), the Colorado–Lavaca Estuary (Matagorda Bay), East Matagorda...
from Coahuila discovered La Salle's Fort St. Louis near the head of LavacaBay (present day Victoria County, Texas). Laurens de Graff accepts a commission...
Antonio The Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto, founded in 1721, near LavacaBay, now in Goliad The Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas San Saba, founded...
Dynamics) site summary". EPA. Retrieved 2018-12-21. "ALCOA (Point Comfort)/LavacaBay site summary" (PDF). EPA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-26...
Corpus Christi Bay San Antonio Bay Baffin Bay Nueces Bay Oso Bay Copano Bay Aransas Bay Matagorda BayLavacaBay Redfish Bay Mission Bay Rincon Bayou -...
-97.083333 (Garcitas Creek Source) • elevation 219 ft (67 m) Mouth LavacaBay • location Victoria County, Texas • coordinates 28°42′50″N 96°39′34″W...
East Texas between 1686 and 1690 to find and destroy a French fort near LavacaBay, established by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle on what de León...
Matagorda Bay where the French cargo vessels anchored near Indianola, Texas. During 1685 to 1689, the La Salle colonists adventured north of LavacaBay establishing...
travel between the Gulf of Mexico and Matagorda Bay. The channel is part of the Port of Port Lavaca – Point Comfort, a major sea port in the U.S. state...
East Matagorda Bay is a bay off Matagorda County on the Texas Gulf Coast (at 28°43' N, 95°49' W), enclosed by the Matagorda Peninsula and the tidal flats...
Victoria County and Calhoun County, Texas, in the United States. It flows to LavacaBay. The stream was named after Plácido Benavides, a pioneer settler. List...
In Calhoun County, SH 35 has a junction with US 87 in Port Lavaca before crossing LavacaBay. The route then runs east to Palacios before turning north...
Carancahua Bay is a northern extension of Matagorda Bay located in Jackson and Calhoun counties in Texas, United States. It is oriented from the southeast...
skirmish with Urrea's cavalry. Staying off the main roads, they moved toward LavacaBay, with ten of them eventually escaping. The remainder were surrounded and...