by LORAINE DALY and PAT REUMERT THE NAYLOR COMPANY Book Publishers of the Southwest SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 4th Printing Copyright ©, 1962, by Loraine Daly and Pat Reumert This Book or Parts Thereof Must Not Be Reproduced Without Written Permission Except For Customary Privileges Granted To The Press And Other Reviewing Agencies All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 62-13061 Printed in the United States of America...

The parents of Loraine Daly and the dear friends of Pat Reumert. We fondly remember how, as children, we tested their tolerance, shared their affection, and grew up under the warmth of the old-fashioned story book variety of their family life....

We wish to thank the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Texas Game and Fish Commission, and the Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce for furnishing photographs. In our research we were aptly guided by Vernon Smylie of Corpus Christi, Texas. We wish to thank him not only for help, but for the source material he made available....

As you read the following pages, we hope you can feel a bit of the primitive, swashbuckling history of Padre Island. Where once roamed savages, cavaliers, pirates, soldiers and pioneers, there now rises—out of the sand dunes—an isle which every man has pictured for himself. Tropical birds, sea shell treasures and exotic driftwood are cradled among the gleaming white sand dunes. Once in awhile the shifting sands reveal to the lucky hunter an old money cache or relic of a bygone civilization. Padr

Water skiing off Padre Island Padre driftwood takes many weird shapes Driftwood’s beauties are many and varied Padre’s white sand dunes contrast with Gulf waters “Cactus garden” in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (Ken Snyder Photo) Shipwreck! Boilers and wreckage from the Nicaragua Earthen oven used by missionaries—Mission, Texas Mier Bell tolled disaster—1842 (Ken Snyder Photo) Ruins of the Patrick Dunn Ranch Rio Grande R.R. Locomotive (Ken Snyder Photo) Port Isabel lighthouse Century-old church—We

The ghostly etchings of past eras, traced in the mysterious sands of Padre, are a lusty view for the hardiest. Here thrived humanity at its most intense pitch. Adventure, somehow, often seeks islands in which to ferment. Here were wars, savages dueling with royalty, romances of Indian princesses, pirates’ revenge, blood-soaked buried treasures, conquerors’ defeats, resting places of high-spirited explorers, refuges for thieves, scoundrels, and for idealists. Their secrets nap beneath the rhythmi

Lying under the warm sands of Padre Island, and beneath the waters of her coastline, lies the testimony of the island’s turbulent dwellers. Beachcombers still frequently uncover these evidences. Relics of past civilizations have been laid bare by Gulf storms. Dispatched to Spain by Cortez of Mexico in the summer of 1553, a fleet of twenty treasure ships, laden with gold, silver and gems stolen from Aztec shrines, sailed from Vera Cruz, Mexico, with about two thousand persons aboard. Among them w

Padre Island, the slim white ladyfinger of the Texas coastline, stretches for one hundred-ten miles, from sparkling Corpus Christi to historic Brazos Santiago (Arms of St. James) Pass. Laguna Madre (Mother Bay), a beautiful natural bay, separates the mile wide island from the Texas coast mainland. Cradled in the Gulf breezes, Padre’s picturesque terrain beckons to pleasure seekers to taste its temperate climate. Mile after mile of rolling sand dunes, which appear to be a miniature mountain range

Great migrations of birds darken the sky on their way to Padre Island and the surrounding winter refuge area. Here you can watch stately, elegantly attired families; noisy, rollicking, irresponsible marauders; lovely, comical, natives and foreigners. Most of those that inhabit the Laguna Madre area are members of the wading tribe; dainty snowy egrets, graceful black and white stilts, dignified blue herons, reddish egrets, clownish Louisiana herons, fat, bell-mouthed pelicans, laughing gulls. Mor

Padre Island itself is easily accessible by car, train, plane, boat or bus. Flying in, one can land at Brownsville International Airport (at the south), Corpus Christi Airport (at the north), Padre Beach Airport at Port Isabel, near the southern point of the Island. Three causeways are now in use and another is being planned. At Corpus Christi, one may reach the island over the scenic Nueces County Causeway. From Port Isabel to the island, one mounts the three million dollar, two and one-half mi

It’s like having your cake and eating it, too! Residents and tourists on Padre Island and in the Valley can enjoy the indulgences of modern life in growing cities. Yet, if they want to take a step into the past to arrest the tempo of contemporary living, they can cross the border into Mexico’s picturesque towns and villages. These border towns are the gateways to the great Mexican cities of Monterrey, Saltillo, Guadalajara, Mexico City and other interior points. Visits to the border cities are u

The holiday spirit, like the tropical warmth, never really seems to leave Padre Island and the Rio Grande Valley. All year long there is something going on that creates crowds, costumes, parades and a spirit of excitement and fun. “Come, be gay with us,” the slogan of Brownsville’s Charro Days sums up the fun calendar. A colorful pageant called BUCCANEER DAYS is held annually in the spring in Corpus Christi. Visitors and natives are requested to dress in pirate costumes. Spectacular events inclu

Citrus Queen wears dress of citrus products Cotton-picking! Corpus Christi area Boating in a resaca The Old Salt Lake— La Sal Vieja (Struby Photo) The Stillman House, Brownsville Wild turkey, Rio Grande Valley Mother coyote feeds her young (Kalmbach Photo) Whooping Crane—fast becoming extinct Waterfowl are plentiful off Padre Bullfight Charro Days mean music Charro Days street scene Everybody gets in on Charro Days Corpus Christi skyline from the waterfront Queen Isabella Causeway Padre Island w

On Padre Island, and in the surrounding Rio Grande Valley, are many and varied forms of recreation. Between Padre and the Texas coast lie the teeming waters of the famous Laguna Madre, where many varieties of fish await to challenge the fisherman. Whether he prefers fishing in the bay, from the jetties, surf fishing or deep sea fishing, this area provides many thrilling catches for the sportsman. Boats may be chartered for personal use or an individual may join one of the party-boats that make d

There seems to be little doubt that Padre Island will quickly take its place as one of the nation’s outstanding recreational spots. With only three semitropical beach areas in the United States, the southern parts of Florida, California, and Texas, Padre is the largest and last undeveloped warm water beach area left. On Valentine’s Day, 1954, the beautiful Queen Isabella Causeway opened at the southern tip of the island. The climate is as good as Miami’s, and it is blessed with one of the finest

Ferguson, Harvey, Rio Grande , A. A. Knopf, New York, 1933. Gilpin, Laura, The Rio Grande , Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1949. Hockaday, J. A., Article in the Port Isabel Press , June 26, 1959. Hogner, Dorothy Childs, South to Padre , Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, New York, 1936. Horgan, Paul, Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History , Rinehart, New York, 1917. Kelsey, Anna Marietta, Through the Years , The Naylor Company, San Antonio, 1952. Lewis, Tracy Hammond, Along the Rio Gra