Port Arthur's Pleasure Island

Port Arthur's Pleasure Island, an 18.5-mile-long man-made body of land, extends from the mouth of the Neches River on the northwest to the Sabine Causeway on the southeast and is surrounded by Sabine Lake and the Intracoastal Waterway. The U.S. Corps of Engineers created the Island from deposits dredged while constructing the Port Arthur Canal, completed in 1899, and the Sabine-Neches Intracoastal Waterway, completed in 1908.

Pleasure Island is today a place of beauty. Its hills, bluffs, and vistas of Sabine Lake are a delight and pleasure to those who visit.

THEN

Before the creation of Pleasure Island, Port Arthur pioneer Arthur Stilwell realized the attraction of Sabine Lake and constructed a 2,000-foot boardwalk into the lake from the piazza of his Sabine Hotel in 1896. The boardwalk soon expanded to include a boathouse, dance hall, and roller rink and supported boating, fishing, and other water sports. Storms and a 1911 fire destroyed this popular facility. In 1913, after Pleasure Island was created, a dance hall and roller coaster were built at the east end of Pleasure Pier Boulevard. In 1941, a private investor built the Pleasure Pier Ballroom, a midway, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and the largest wooden roller coaster in the South. A fine 18-hole golf course was enjoyed for years. Pleasure Island was Port Arthur's playground for decades until the Pleasure Pier Bridge, opened in 1931 and frequently hit by ships, was taken out of service in 1967, making it difficult to reach the island. Storms, fires, erosion, and vandalism eventually destroyed all of the existing facilities.

NOW

The Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge and the Sabine Causeway now connect Pleasure Island to Port Arthur and Louisiana, thus opening the door for future development. The Pleasure Island Commission, whose members are appointed by Port Arthur City Council, oversees island projects. Cajun-style cabins, condominiums, the Port Arthur Yacht Club, shops, restaurants, a championship disk-golf course, residential areas, and many acres of playgrounds and picnic facilities attract visitors. The Walter Umphrey State Park was completed in the summer of 1997 on Mesquite Point and is a popular fishing and picnicking facility. Boat launches, the music park, a 400-slip marina, and biking and hiking trails are enjoyed by thousands. Now opened the Palms of Pleasure Island an 18 hole championship course located between Sabine Lake and the intracoastal canal for more information call 409.984.5000.