Photo Credit: Public domain; Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-USF33-012018-M4.
Photo Caption: People walk and fish atop the breakwater in February 1939.
By: Jillian Becquet
You can’t research tourism in Corpus Christi without running across decades of beautiful photographs depicting locals and tourists enjoying the Corpus Christi Bay. People strolling, fishing, or merely exploring the breakwater comprise one of the most recurrent historical scenes.
This large rock structure, topped with a paved surface, provides its visitors with an unencumbered view of the bay and the city. It offers us a safe way to venture onto the bay without the need for a swim or a boat and allows us to view nature’s creatures in the calm waters. Postcards of the beloved breakwater have been produced so visitors could document and share their visit.
While Corpus Christi has done much to enrich its tourism draw throughout the years, the attraction of the breakwater has been a pleasant benefit. It serves its greater purpose by protecting the city from storms and enabling the Port of Corpus Christi to thrive.
As the city recovered from the 1919 hurricane and made plans to secure funding for the Port, the necessity of creating a calm harbor became obvious. After decades of political efforts, both a seawall (1940) and a breakwater (1926) now protect the city and its port, as well as provide residents and visitors with bay front enjoyment.
