History of Galveston, Texas 1825, establishing the Port of Galveston, and, in 1830, erected a customs house. During the Texas Revolution, Galveston served as the main port for the Texas Navy. Galveston also served as the capital of the Republic of Texas when, in 1836, interim president David G. Burnet relocated his government there. In 1836, Michel Branamour Menard, a native of Canada, along with several associates, purchased of land for $50,000 from the Austin Colony to found the town that would become the modern city of Galveston. The Congress of the Republic of Texas hired Robert C. Trimble and William Lindsey to survey
Port of Galveston and two Royal Caribbean ships call the port home year-round, while Disney operates one ship for limited sailings. An estimated 946,000 cruise passengers will sail from the port in 2017, a ten percent increase over 2016. A 2015 economic analysis estimated that cruise passengers injected $56 million per year into the local Galveston economy, an average of $62 per passenger. There are two dedicated cruise terminals. Unlike many other ports, the cruise terminals are not used for other activities, such as conferences or corporate events. Terminal 1 was expanded and improved in 2010, as a condition of Carnival placing their