Second Picture Section
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 waters have big fish, the beaches beauty
Hidalgo bridge to Reynosa (Struby Photo)
Ships at dock, Port Brownsville
Mr. Padre Island himself: John L. Tompkins
Treasure during Buccaneer Days
Playfolk and Sportsmen
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 daily runs. Twenty miles out of Port Isabel, for instance, the red snapper catch is so well assured that many skippers don’t charge if their guests fail to return with some.
Laguna Madre is a natural spawning ground for many varieties of fish, such as trout, flounder, redfish, croaker, whiting, sheephead, snook, drum, ladyfish, and the jackcravelle, who loves to break rods, tear up reels and take lures away.
Already two hundred and seventy-two varieties of salt water fish have been pulled from the waters around Padre, and more than eight hundred varieties are believed to exist within convenient boating distance. Thirty-eight varieties of game fish alone are contained in the surrounding waters.
For the fisherman who prefers a lure, advice from Padre Island is, “Fish, like men, are attracted by an extra bit of finery; those little frills that transform the ordinary into a ravishing dish so delectable that they can’t be ignored. Flirt with the fish; doll up your hook. Sheath a common hook in the latest styles of feather, set it off with just the right touch of glittering metal, and often the fish just can’t resist it. A pork rind, one of the most widely used baits, can be added to a spoon with devastating effect. It improves the action of the wobbling spoon and will often produce strikes when nothing seems to do the trick.”
One of the most interesting natural features of the Padre Island area is its proximity to the only truly deep area in the entire Gulf of Mexico, Sigsbee’s Deep. There can be little doubt that the nearness of this enormous body of deep blue water is a direct factor in creating the mild weather conditions and bountiful marine life in the area.
Skin diving is rapidly growing in popularity as a sport at Padre. Favorite targets for the spear fishermen off Padre Island are ling, jewfish, snapper, redfish, trout, flounder, mackerel and sheepshead. Divers bring to light some of the secrets of the Gulf floor—as well as tackle boxes and debris from wrecked ships.
Although fishing is year round, excellent hunting is seasonal. During the fall and winter, Laguna Madre and nearby inland waters are filled with migratory waterfowl. Yours for the bagging are redhead, pintail, canvasback, teal and blue-bill ducks, Canadian and white-front geese, mourning doves and whitewing doves, and bobwhites.
Deer and javelina, sometimes known as the peccary, are easily hunted on one and two day camping trips in the Rio Grande Valley.
For the simpler sports, hikers can enjoy a trip down the hard-packed sand beach of Padre or explore the thousands of sand dunes. Treasure hunting is also a funtime sport.
Camping out doesn’t necessitate any quantity of stream-lined equipment. Most of the time one can sleep under the stars with no fear of rain or cold weather. The broad expanse of room provides plenty of activity for children, while adults may relax and enjoy the sea breezes.
Artists frequently dot the beach to catch the vivid colors on their canvasses, so inspiring is the natural beauty of sea and sand.
Romping in the Gulf is considered safe because of long reaches of shallow water. The towns of the Valley offer golfing, auto races, horseback riding, wrestling, bowling, roller skating and swimming in the modern resort hotel and motel pools. Each year a Walkathon is held on Padre Island, in which the contestants must restrict their gait to a walk in covering the distance of the length of the island. Organized treasure hunts, fishing and golf tournaments, add to the island’s fun facilities.
ISLA BLANCA PARK, on the southernmost section of the island, has ample room and facilities including beach cabañas, bathhouse and sundeck, many provisions for recreation, and a picturesque seaside restaurant. An elaborate FUNORAMA for the children features a train ride with streamlined diesel models.
Because of the good nature of the weather, most of the water sports are enjoyed the year round.
Padre’s Promise
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 white sand beaches in the world. Laguna Madre is a natural water sports basin, and the deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is already world famous.
Padre Island’s principal developer, John L. Tompkins, whose grandfather marched down Padre with Taylor’s army during the Mexican War in 1846, is known locally as “Mr. Padre Island,” and has focused international attention on the area’s resort possibilities.
When Padre Island’s future as a National Seashore Park began to be considered in Congress, a popular song, called “Come with me to Padre Island,” was dedicated to the island. It was composed and recorded by your author, Loraine Daly of San Antonio, Texas, and Carl Johnson of Dallas, Texas. It served to introduce this little-known tropical island to many who were not acquainted with it.
Envisioned in the island’s near-term future are a marina, a king-sized aquarium—where the public can view marine life—and an oceanographic laboratory.
Brownsville, which neighbors the southern tip of Padre, has long been known as the gateway to Latin America. None of us can deny the significance of having one of our brightest resort areas right at the doorstep of the entrance to our country.
Bibliography
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 Grande, Lewis, New York, 1916.
Lott, Virgil N., People and Plots on the Rio Grande, The Naylor Company, San Antonio, 1957.
McKenna, Verna Jackson, Old Point Isabel Lighthouse, Harlingen, Texas, 1956.
Pierce, Frank Cushman, A Brief History of the Rio Grande Valley, George Banks, Menasha, Wisconsin, 1917.
Purcell, Anita, Ed., Frontier Mexico: 1875-1894 (The Letters of William L. Purcell), The Naylor Company, San Antonio, 1962.
Reese, Pauline, The History of Padre Island, Master’s Thesis, Texas College of Arts and Industries, Kingsville, Texas.
Stambaugh, J., The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, The Naylor Company, San Antonio, 1954.
Writer’s Round Table—Padre Island, The Naylor Company, San Antonio, 1950.
