The Riverboat.

How did Paul Regret arrive at Galveston, Texas?

On a steamboat designed for travel on the Mississippi River and other rivers of the USA. Since Galveston is not on the Mississippi River or a tributary it was not technically a Mississippi River boat.

So what river did the riverboat travel along to reach Galveston? The main river in the area seems to be Buffalo bayou which is 53 miles long. It would take a riverboat a lot less than three days to travel Buffalo Bayou to Galveston.

In fact, Galveston, Texas is a seaport city, on a barrier island with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and West Bay and Galveston Bay on the other side. Nobody would sail a riverboat from Louisiana to Galveston, Texas along the coast or sail straight across the Gulf of Mexico, because riverboats were not seaworthy vessels. It would be suicidal to risk being caught in a riverboat in a storm at sea.

What is the most famous event in the entire history of Galveston? The September 8, 1900 hurricane which struck Galveston, leveled most of the city, and killed 6,000 to 8,000 people, the deadliest natural disaster in US history.

Storms in the Gulf of Mexico can be deadly. Nobody would dare sail the Gulf of Mexico in a riverboat.