Copano
The long-abandoned port, and later town, of Copano was at what is now called Copano Point on the northwestern shore of Copano Bay, thirty miles north of Corpus Christi in southeastern Refugio County. The townsite is practically inaccessible by land, but can be reached by boat from Bayside, the nearest town, five miles to the south. Copano was named for the Copane Indians who frequented the area and during the Spanish and Mexican eras was known as El Cópano.
The Spanish word puerto may have been the cause of the mistaken belief that Spaniards established a port during the colonial period, as it was the term commonly used in documents regarding explorations of the coast both from land and sea. However, in Spanish as in English the word also means bay, harbor, or inlet; in other words, a natural feature rather than a developed port. Although it may have been the site of incidental landings and shipwrecks at an early date, there is no evidence of Spanish activity to open a port there, or even farther north at Matagorda Bay until the nineteenth century. The explorations of José de Evia in 1785–86 do not mention a visit to Copano Bay, but do address the issue of Karankawa control of the area. This part of the Texas coast remained largely inaccessible to the Spanish in the 1790s, even after the founding of Mission Refugio. The 1807 map of the Gulf of Mexico coast made for Sub-Inspector Félix María Calleja indicates a post at the approximate site of the present-day town of Matagorda and does not identify Copano Bay.
June Melby Benowitz, Jesús "Frank" de la Teja | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
Belongs to
Copano is part of or belongs to the following places:
Currently Exists
No
Place type
Copano is classified as a Town
Associated Names
- [El-]
- [-Landing]
Location
Latitude: 28.15285200Longitude: -97.12686600
Has Post Office
No
Is Incorporated
No