The Story of Houston Astros

The Story of Houston Astros — page 5
6 A s t r o s BIG BEGINNINGS he founders of Houston Texas started the city in 1836 with 6,642 acres of land that they bought for 9,428 They had grand expectations for the new town which they promptly named after Sam Houston the first president of the Republic of Texas But as optimistic as those early settlers were they couldn’t have imagined that their little hamlet would become the fourth-largest city in the United States a bustling international port the epicenter of America’s oil operations and as the home of NASA’s Johnson Space Center the hub of the nation’s space exploration program But even a city with so much going on can make room for recreation and baseball has long been one of Houston’s favorite pastimes The first known ballgame in Houston was an informally organized affair that took place on April 21 1867 In front of more than 1,000 people Houston’s team the Stonewalls annihilated the Galveston Robert E Lees 35 2 In 1888 Houston fielded one of six teams in the Texas League which was later incorporated into baseball’s minor-league system to T