Historical Marker
Andrew A. Rasmussen
Port O'Connor, Calhoun County · Texas
Erected 1985
Rasmussen learned the sea young. Born at Ulbolle, Denmark, on May 8, 1858, he crossed with his brother at thirteen and spent seven years as a cabin boy on Great Lakes sailing craft out of the Chicago area. He took United States citizenship so he could command a vessel, and before he was twenty-one he was captain of a ship running from New Orleans to Tampico for Poncho Yturria of Brownsville. He owned the Louis before the schooner he lost at Cavallo Pass. He retired from the Coast Guard in 1918 as a warrant officer-boatswain.
What the plaque says
Andrew A. Rasmussen A native of Denmark, Andrew Rasmussen (1858-1933) came to the United States at the age of 13 and began a maritime career that lasted for 60 years. Following the shipwreck of his schooner, the "Dorio and Doria," in 1885, Rasmussen joined Calhoun County's Saluria Life Saving Service, which had rescued his crew. By 1889, he was placed in charge of the station, which later became part of the U.S Coast Guard. Capt. Rasmussen and his wife, Theresa Amelia (Smith), built a home at this site in 1911. They are buried in the Port Lavaca Cemetery. (1985)
Where it stands
28.44199, -96.41863 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Port O'Connor — 1.1 mi
- Site of the Town of Indianola — 7.1 mi
- The Chihuahua Road — 7.1 mi
- Sgt. William Henry Barnes — 7.7 mi