GULF, TEXAS
AKA Old Gulf, Gulf Hill and Big Hill

History in a Pecan Shell

In 1901, after the astounding success of Beaumont’s Spindletop, men immediately started searching for similar geologic structures. Here they found the Big Hill (or Gulf Hill) dome. Although some oil deposits were found, it paled in comparison to the Beaumont/ Port Arthur discovery. However, huge deposits of sulphur were found which led to this town’s prosperity (1919-1932).

A post office was granted in 1918 and the site became a stop on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad. Production began in earnest in 1919. Its isolation and lack of housing made Gulf a company town. Houses were furnished for workers and company executives by the Texas Gulf Sulphur Company. At the time, this was the second-largest sulphur mining operation.

A school was built in 1921 and the company provided the community’s own diary. In a shrewd move, the company rented commercial buildings (they had built) to merchants. This provided the people with their needs, while avoiding the headaches of day-to-day operations.

At the time of the stock market crash, the population of Gulf was around 1,500. The sulphur field didn’t last forever and by 1932 production had stopped. Nevertheless, the community retained its 1,500 residents as well as twelve businesses through the darkest days of the Great Depression. By 1943 Gulf had been reduced to a mere 300 people served by a single business.

Population figures weren’t reported after 1949 and the school merged with the Matagorda ISD in 1949. The homes and buildings were cannibalized or moved and by 1952 none were standing on site. It was dropped from maps and no longer appears even on Matagorda County maps.
See 1920 Matagorda County Map >

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