Captain Luis Cazorla of Presidio La Bahía crossed San Antonio Bay to visit the island in 1776, and discovered that the Indians had killed the mates of a shipwrecked British trading vessel.

To prevent the Indians from using Matagorda Island as a hiding place to stage attacks, La Bahía commandant Juan Cortés burned and cut brush around the point of crossing.

[2] Meanwhile, on the eastern shore, the city of Seadrift, which had been established following the American Civil War, began to develop into a place of interest for fishing and shipping.

The population slowly recovered, and had surpassed its original peak in 1990, following a wave of Vietnamese refugees, who emigrated to the city after the Vietnam War.

[9] On average, the San Antonio Bay system is 2 meters (6.6 ft) deep, and covers approximately 531 square kilometers (205 sq mi).

[12] The shores along the bay, specifically the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, are home to countless birds including the endangered whooping crane, pelicans, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, shorebirds, ducks, and geese.

American alligators, collared peccaries, feral hogs, coyotes, bobcats, raccoon and white-tailed deer as well as clams and crabs are included among the bay's diverse wildlife.

[13] Several pelicans that had been rescued and cleaned after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, were brought to the shore of San Antonio Bay in June 2010.

[14] Nearly detached from the Gulf of Mexico by barrier islands, San Antonio Bay does not support a large shipping industry.