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Trading in Houston

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In 1901 oil was discovered in Beaumont, Texas and it was decided that a profitable industry could be made from selling the oil supply to other countries. As Houston during this time was still a city on the grow, the find resulted in then president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt approving one million dollars to create the first ship channel for Texas so products such as oil and farming produce could be transported to other locations around the globe quickly and easily and a result of this gesture to the region, Houston has become one of the biggest port locations throughout the entire United States.

Due to the mass oil production that has continued until this day, this resulted in Houston being catapulted up the list of cities with the largest population. It is located 4th place and is only now behind New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. There was more good fortune awaiting Houston a few years later because the first Japanese – American residents that moved to Houston in 1902 founded rice and corn and the very first university was built in 1912 – was accurately named the Rice University. Just two years later, President Woodrow Wilson opened the first official port for the area in 1914.

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