Up until the devasting hurricane of 1886, the port of Indianola on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County was the second largest port in Texas. Most historical accounts relate that there were thousands of people who immigrated through the port of Indianola. These immigrants eventually settled in Texas along the paths to Victoria, Cuero, New Braunfels, and other parts of south-central Texas.
Immigration laws required ship's manifests (passenger lists) were to be turned over to the officials at the port where the ship first made landing. For immigrants coming to Indianola, this was usually New Orleans or Galveston, or even a port on the east coast, such as New York. Passengers then boarded smaller vessels to complete the final stage of their long journey. Smaller vessels were necessary since the bay leading into Indianola was too shallow for the larger sailing vessels. Due the hurricanes and other factors, there are no extant official passenger lists for this port.
In 1994, as a project of the Victoria County Historical Commission, the Indianola Immigrant Database was created in an effort to record Indianola immigration via family history, printed histories, and other sources that might be provided by descendants of the immigrant pioneers. In 1998, the Victoria Regional History Center (VRHC) at the UHV Library was selected by the Victoria County Historical Commission as the repository of the Indianola Immigrant Database along with the printed resource material generated by the project.
The Indianola database was created to provide information about immigrants to Texas who may have entered Texas via the Indianola seaport. Indianola was destroyed by a hurricane in 1886. Ship passenger lists are not extant.
If you had an ancestor immigrate through Indianola, please fill out as much information as possible on our Indianola Immigration submission form.
Anyone wanting to send family histories or documents about those family members, may do so by mailing them to the VRHC to be added into the physical collection.
Send to:
Victoria Regional History Center
UHV Library
3006 N. Ben Wilson St.
Victoria, TX 77901
Suite 3118
