The city of Port Arthur began as the dream of railroad man Arthur Stilwell, who envisioned it as a trade and tourism center. By the time the city was incorporated in 1898, Stilwell had founded the Port Arthur Channel and Dock Co., which welcomed its first ship to the port of Port Arthur the following year. In just two years, oil was discovered in nearby Beaumont, kicking off the Spindletop boom that would see Port Arthur become the biggest oil refining locale in the world by the mid-20th century. In 1948 the town held its Golden Jubilee celebration, 50 years after its incorporation as a city which centered around a parade with drummers marching down Procter Street trailed by floats, including one with the Golden Jubilee queen and her court, and another with Reddy Kilowatt, a mascot used to promote rural electrification efforts.
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