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Rockport TX
Picton Tow Boat Company

The founder of the Picton Tow Boat Company was DM Picton. He died in 1937. His obituary says in part:
     "The late Mr. Picton was a pioneer on the Texas coast in the construction of rock breakwaters and jetties and other type of large and difficult marine construction. In the last month of his illness it gave him considerable satisfaction that the company, which bore his name and which he headed as president, had completed the very difficult job of capping with concrete the long east jetty at Sabine pass.
     This piece of work was reputed to be the most difficult piece of concrete pouring ever accomplished, and apparently insurmountable obstacles were overcome in the capping of the 6,900 foot jetty.
     He lived in Rockport for 50 years. He was the contractor who built the Corpus Christi breakwater approximately 17 years ago, and he also built the jetties at Aransas Pass, Freeport, Galveston, Sabine Pass and the southwest pass in the Mississippi River."

The Aransas Pass jetty would allow commercial development to expand toward Rockport TX or Corpus Christi TX. Both cities wanted development to go their way. Here are some old advertisements advocating bringing business in the direction of Rockport. As it turned out, the Corpus Christi development was more successful as growth went that way. Rockport today is a small town and artist colony. It is a great place to visit and live. There are many restaurants and it is a hub for sport fishing. Catches include red drum, speckled trout, flounder, etc.

Deep Water Harbor built in Port Aransas 6.1 mb .pdf file This is an advertisement for Rockport TX. It was hoped that the jetties built at Port Aransas would make Rockport more popular. This is a very interesting advertisement.

Rockport advertisement 5.7 mb .pdf file  Another advertisement for the city of Rockport TX and the Deep Water Harbor

DM Picton and his 5 sons ran the Picton Tow Boat Company and the company continued after his death. Here are some 1950 rate quotes for the Picton towing out of Port Arthur TX
Picton rate schedule 1950 this is a .pdf file If you want to see the complete map , you will have to print and then cut and paste. It shows steaming time in the Sabine district for the Picton Tow Boat Company.

Ports that Picton towing served in 1950 .pdf file This shows the ports served by Picton Towing out of Port Arthur TX

1974 street map of Rockport TX .pdf file  This is a 1974 street map of Rockport TX

To the best of my knowledge, the  Picton Towing vessels were sold to Moran Towing about 1977.

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