Prior to European settlement the area around Galveston Bay was settled by the Karankawa and Atakapan tribes, who lived throughout the Gulf coast region. Spanish explorers such as the Rivas-Iriarte expedition and José Antonio de Evia charted the bay and gave it its name. Texas State Historical Association.</ref> In 1816 the pirate Louis-Michel Aury established a settlement on Galveston Island but was soon succeeded by the pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafitte transformed Galveston and the bay into a pirate kingdom establishing bases and hide-outs at locations such as Trinity Bay, Clear Lake, and Eagle Point.Chang (2006), p. 187.Kearney (2008), p. 177.</ref> In 1821, however, the United States Navy ousted Lafitte and the colony was largely abandoned.