Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston ""Mother Church of Texas"". The prefecture was elevated to a vicariate apostolic on July 10, 1841. On May 4, 1847, the vicariate became the Diocese of Galveston in the Province of New Orleans and St. Mary Cathedral Basilica was designated the cathedral. In 1926, the then-diocese was placed in the newly created Province of San Antonio. After the devastating Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Houston began to expand after the Port of Houston was completed. At the request of Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of Galveston, Pope John XXIII authorised the construction of a co-cathedral of convenience in Houston, and on
Free State of Galveston Coast League was established and the Galveston White Caps team was created. Galveston won the championship in 1953 but the team then faded and was disbanded in 1955 as the rest of Galveston's economy was collapsing. The city created the Oleander Bowl football tournament in 1948, which evolved into the Shrimp Bowl and lasted until the late 1950s. Originally a tournament between colleges in the region, it eventually became a contest between local military units. The tournament was never especially successful only bringing in modest crowds at its peak. Following the 1900 hurricane, Galveston adopted a commission government (in 1960