Research Catalog

Bulwark against the bay : the people of Corpus Christi and their seawall

Title
Bulwark against the bay : the people of Corpus Christi and their seawall / Mary Jo O'Rear.
Author
O'Rear, Mary Jo, 1943-
Publication
College Station : Texas A & M University Press, [2017]

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JFE 17-4938Schwarzman Building - Milstein Division Room 121

Details

Description
xiv, 176 pages : illustrations, maps; 25 cm
Summary
"After a devastating hurricane in 1919, the people of Corpus Christi faced the stark reality of their vulnerability. It was clear that something had to be done to protect the community against future storms, but the mere will to take precautionary measures did not necessarily lead the way. Instead, two decades would pass before an effective solution was in place. Mary Jo O'Rear, author of Storm over the Bay, returns to tell the story of a city's long and often frustrating path to protecting itself. The result of tireless research, Bulwark Against the Bay reveals that in the decades after the 1919 storm, eight different plans for a seawall along Corpus Christi Bay were put forth. O'Rear argues that each plan reflected the point of view of a particular engineer, politician, or artist while also reflecting the aspirations and anxieties of the time. The struggle to construct a seawall was not merely an engineering challenge; it was also bound up with the growing popularity of the Ku Klux Klan, local aversion to Roman Catholicism, the emergence of the League of United Latin American Citizens, new efforts on behalf of African American equality, the impact of the Great Depression, support for Franklin Roosevelt, and reactions to the New Deal. A case study of a community wrestling with itself even as it races with the clock, Bulwark Against the Bay adds to our understanding of urban history, boardroom and backroom politics, and the sometimes harsh realities of geography and climate."--Publisher.
Series Statement
Gulf Coast books ; number thirty
Uniform Title
Gulf Coast books ; no. 30.
Subject
  • Sea-walls > Texas > Corpus Christi
  • Hurricane protection > Texas > Corpus Christi > Planning
  • Corpus Christi (Tex.) > History > 20th century
  • Corpus Christi (Tex.) > Politics and government > 20th century
  • Corpus Christi (Tex.) > Social conditions > 20th century
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-169) and index.
Contents
Acknowledgments: My road trip -- Introduction: Corpus Christi at dawn -- The dam -- Back stream -- Undercurrents -- Countercurrents -- Force flows -- Tidal spring -- Reflux -- Rapids -- The bridge -- Undergirdings -- Cross-spans -- Stress failure -- The wall -- Mooring posts -- Weep holes -- Specifications -- Pilings -- Capstone.
Call Number
JFE 17-4938
ISBN
  • 9781623494919
  • 1623494915
LCCN
2016030147
OCLC
953576335
Author
O'Rear, Mary Jo, 1943- author.
Title
Bulwark against the bay : the people of Corpus Christi and their seawall / Mary Jo O'Rear.
Publisher
College Station : Texas A & M University Press, [2017]
Edition
First edition.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Series
Gulf Coast books ; number thirty
Gulf Coast books ; no. 30.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-169) and index.
Other Form:
Online version: O'Rear, Mary Jo, 1943- Bulwark against the bay. First edition. College Station : Texas A & M University Press, [2017] 9781623494926 (DLC) 2016032696
Sudoc No.
Z TA475.8 OR31bu txdocs
Research Call Number
JFE 17-4938
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