Tres Palacios Bay is a northeastern extension of Matagorda Bay on the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

coast in

Matagorda County Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County is ...

. It is fed by the Tres Palacios River. The city of Palacios is located on its shores. A channel that connects Palacios to the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

has been dredged through the bay.

History

Two conflicting stories explain the name of the bay ''Tres Palacios'', which is Spanish for "Three Palaces". One account describes the aftermath of a Spanish shipwreck on Matagorda Bay. As the survivors approached present-day Palacios, they saw three palaces on the shore. However, when they reached land, the palaces mysteriously disappeared. Another account explains that the bay was named for

José Félix Trespalacios José Félix Trespalacios (died August 4, 1835) was the first governor of Coahuila y Texas as part of the United Mexican States. Career Trespalacios was a member of the militia in Chihuahua but then in 1814 was charged with organizing rebelli ...

, who briefly served as Governor of Texas in the 1820s. Before Palacios was founded in the early 20th century, several settlements were established on the bay. Tres Palacios was founded in the 1830s, and was widely known as Tidehaven due to its location on the outer tidal reaches of the bay. A blacksmith shop, two hotels and a market were constructed in the town by the 1850s, and a post office was established in 1856. Palacios Point was founded in 1838 at the confluence of the Matagorda and Tres Palacios Bays. Along with houses, a few wharves and warehouses were constructed prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. However, most of these buildings were torn down or abandoned in the 1880s due to storms and legal conflicts.

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

was established in the same area following the arrival of the railroad in 1902, but it never developed into a substantial settlement. Shortly after the founding of Palacios, Collegeport was established on the opposite end of the bay. The town's name derived from the Gulf Coast University of Industrial Arts, which had been erected in the area by the Hurd Land Company. The town prospered in cattle, until the late 1910s, when a farming shortage, followed by an icestorm caused many residents to leave. The university was closed in 1952. Collegeport still exists, and had a population of 85 people during the

2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

Ecosystem

The bay is a popular fishing destination, specializing in shrimp and

blue crab Blue crab may refer to: * Blue Crab 11, an American sailboat design * ''Callinectes sapidus'' – Chesapeake or Atlantic blue crab of the West Atlantic, introduced elsewhere * '' Cardisoma guanhumi'' – blue land crab of the West Atlantic * '' Dis ...

production. It is also recognized as an ideal

birding Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, ...

locale; over 300 species of birds have been spotted near the bay, and it led the nation during the

National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

's Annual Christmas bird count from 2000 to 2002.

References

{{Coord, 28.706699, -96.196289, display=title Bays of Texas Bodies of water of Matagorda County, Texas