In the annals of the history of Calhoun County and the rest of the Gulf Coast, dredging has been an integral part of the economic development of the region. In the field of dredging, the name King Fisher stands out for his impact on that industry through the company he founded. King Fisher Marine Service, Incorporated was owned and operated for 58 years by King and his wife Jewel. Together, from its founding in 1940 at Port Lavaca, Texas, they built King Fisher Marine into the largest dredging and marine construction business in Texas. The company flourished, eventually becoming the largest home-based, family-owned dredging business before it was sold in 1997.
Jewel served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the company from 1940 until 1982 and a member of the Board of Directors from 1940 to 1998. Thus King and Jewel, both lifelong residents of Calhoun County, who married on August 13, 1937, remained devoted to each other and to the development of a business that meant so much to so many. It was an amazing cooperative venture of two people who have left their mark on the region and the state.
King Fisher’s father was in the seafood business, operating a fleet of shrimp boats. That experience gave King the knowledge of the bays and waterways when he was a young man. Because of this background, King in adulthood entered the marine industry, utilizing his knowledge of the waterways as he operated the dredges, rugs, and crane barges that formed his company as it grew to be the largest dredging company in Texas with over 300 employees. When he sold the company, he counted himself blessed to have had his whole family involved in King Fisher Marine. This family connection was a source of immense pride for the Fishers.
Not only was King Fisher Marine Service an employer that gave the people great job opportunities but the company made important contributions to the economic development of the county and the Gulf Coast, as well as the State. One significant accomplishment was his development of the “walking spud” for dredges, a process which improved the efficiency of a dredge in “walking” down a channel. Under King’s leadership, King Fisher Marine dredged well over a quarter of a billion cubic yards of material for the United States Corps of Engineers as well as for private industry. The company also laid almost two million feet of marine pipeline and drove approximately 300,000 pilings.
This practice represented an innovation that enable the dredging of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to become vital to the economic development of the economy of the whole country. Originally built as a protection to inland transportation, it is now a multipurpose waterway with a varied user base, ranging from commercial transportation to recreational fishing and boating. The commercial aspect is the most important which has spurred economic growth in the coastal regions. King Fisher Marine Service made an outstanding contribution to the marine industry. That contribution resulted in King Fisher’s being honored by inducted into the Smithsonian Rivers and Harbors Hall of Fame.
The GIWW has made it possible for side channels to provide access to areas like Port Lavaca, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Victoria as well as other coastal towns and cities. It has enabled also the local economy to attract large commercial enterprises in Calhoun County and adjoining neighboring counties such as Victoria and Jackson counties attracting large corporations such as the Formosa company and other commercial giants, providing tremendous opportunities for jobs.
In addition to the economic and industrial of the area, the value of GIWW was shown forcefully during World War II when 70 ships were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico alone, those ships were contributing to the war effort by transporting vital supplies and men to aid in the war effort. The value of the commercial and military activity in the Gulf was recognized early in World War II by the Axis powers, principally Germany.
Jewel Fisher was involved in the war effort after the attempted burning of the causeway which connected Port Lavaca to Olivia area was deemed espionage by the FBI. A surveillance system then was installed in the Calhoun County area on the bay front with a wooden tower for observation. At a height of 25 feet, the tower was directly connected to the headquarters of the military bases at San Antonio. Jewel Fisher was one of the volunteers who responded to the military’s call to help monitor the station and report any activity that might concern the military and the prevention of enemy activity.
Not only was King Fisher Marine a vital part of the economy of the Gulf Coast, King demonstrated forcefully the use of dredged material to improve areas like the beaches. Fisher restored 2,000 feet of beach at Port O’Connor at his own expense, thus bringing “King Fisher Beach” into reality and showing Fisher’s dredging acumen and his community spirit.
This feat was not only a boon to Port O’Connor but it represented an advancement in the use of dredged material to benefit an area. Such material would normally have been consigned to a site dedicated to disposition of such material but, in this case, was used to replenish the beach at Port O’Connor. King Fisher Beach became one of white sand, one that was both beautiful and safe, an asset to the growth of Port O’Connor and the recreational attraction of the area.
King Fisher then made arrangements with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to include a clause in all subsequent contracts for dredging at the site of Port O’Connor that any dredged material would be used on King Fisher Beach to make sure that the beach was stabilized continually. As a result, the Corps of Engineers has made it a practice to use in future contracts the provision that usable dredged material be used in beneficial ways.
In addition to “King Fisher Beach,” King Fisher was instrumental in raising La Belle, La Salle’s ship which sank in Matagorda Bay in 1686 and was lost for over 300 years. The Texas Historical Commission led the effort to recover artifacts from La Belle, especially the cannon from La Belle, and enlisted the aide of King Fisher Marine to accomplish that task. Many of the artifacts recovered from La Belle now reside in various museums such as the Texas Maritime Museum in Rockport and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. King Fisher Marine Service played an important part in the preservation of the history of La Salle’s expedition. The recovered artifacts are a testament to the history of La Salle’s expedition. The recovered artifacts are a testament to the history of the bays of Calhoun County and their place in the annals of Texas history at large.
Both of these enterprises reflect the Fisher’s devotion to their community and its health, as well as setting a standard for responsible use of the material from dredging operations.
The honors that accrued to King and Jewel Fisher are many and varied. Those accolades represent their achievements on a local, regional, state, and country scale. King was inducted into the National Rivers Hall of Fame and the Pipeliners Hall of Fame. In 2000, King was named one of Calhoun County’s 25 Most Influential People of the 20th Century by the Port Lavaca/Calhoun Chamber of Commerce. In 2004, the Chamber also gave King and Jewel Fisher the Man and Woman of the Year Award.
King and Jewel Fisher were treasured citizens of Calhoun County and the Gulf Coast. Upon King’s passing on January 7, 2005, in its Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3, the Texas Legislator cited King Fisher for his “tenacity, integrity, and construction expertise” as the components of his invaluable “contributions to the economic development of the State.”
