Water Rails & Oil - Historic Mid & South Jefferson County

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Above: Mrs. Leola King and W. J.
Dickerson admire a billboard
recognizing Port Arthur’s selection as
one of ten cities in the United States
to win the coveted All-American City
Award in 1973. This recognition was
made possible by municipal
improvements made in the preceding
ten years.
COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF THE GULF COAST,
PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS.
Below: W. Sam Monroe, president of
Lamar University Port Arthur,
now Lamar State College–Port
Arthur, 1975.
COURTESY OF THE PORT ARTHUR PUBLIC LIBRARY,
HISTORICAL COLLECTION.
for many residents in the construction and
operation of the facilities.
In February 1993, the first Mardi Gras of
Southeast Texas took over downtown
Port Arthur, and an estimated 100,000 people
lined Procter Street for parades and other events;
within five years direct participants operated
twelve “krewes,” and attendees had increased to
over 250,000 people.
Southern Jefferson County, especially Port
Arthur completed its first century in the 1990s.
Some areas, such as Sabine Pass, though older,
Chapter IV ✦ 41