This well-written history of Galveston provides an overview of the city's rich and colorful past and provides readers, researchers, and tourists with information about today's historical points of interest. In 1900 Galveston was struck by a hurricane and flood that killed approximately six thousand people; the greatest disaster in the history of the United States. Afterward, the citizens built a seawall, raised the grade of the island, and constructed a causeway for future protection. In the first half of the twentieth century the city became noted for its illegal drinking, gambling and prostitution. After the Texas Rangers cleaned it up, Galveston developed into a tourist town. Historic preservation projects such as houses, buildings, museums, and the square-rigged ship Elissa completed its evolution.