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1847 Slave Ditch
Because of shallow sandbars at the mouth of the Brazos, local plantation owners organized in 1845 to dig two canals to improve the route to ship cotton to Galveston. The first would connect Oyster Creek to Bastrop Bayou. It took 2 years for slaves to dig the 1 mile long canal, which was soon abandoned. The canal now serves as a drainage ditch for Lake Jackson. Visiting the site made me realize the backbreaking toil these slaves endured while digging with pick and shovel in the sweltering swamp. |
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