Galveston City Map Poster

About Galveston

The city has undergone numerous annexations and boundary changes, which have greatly increased its area. The name Galveston is derived from "Isle de Jean Charles", a former name of the island on which the original settlement was built. It was named by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe in honor of René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle's patron saint after his successful expedition into Canada in 1679–1680 (during what is known as France's Second colonial empire). The citys first European settlements were constructed around 1816 when a group of pirates led by Louis-Michel Aury established an outpost called Campeche on the southern side of Buffalo Bayou with plans to plunder Spanish ships for their cargoes and bring captured booty back to Louisiana; they soon abandoned it because it lacked an adequate deep water harbor.