South Padre Island History

Westerners first walked the shores of Padre Island around 1519 when Spanish Explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda surveyed the area as he charted the Gulf of Mexico for Spain. Padre Island first appears as ‘Isla Blanca' (White Island) on a map drawn by Pineda. In 1804, Padre Jose Nicolas Balli was given a land grant by the Mexican state and founded a settlement named “Rancho Santa Cruz” on Padre Island, about 26 miles north of its southernmost tip. He and his nephew, Juan Jose Balli, established a ranching operation and were able to raise large herds of cattle, horses and mules on the island

Around 1800, the pirate, Jean Lafitte, who became an American hero of the War of 1812, ranged around Padre Island. Legend has it that he filled his casks with fresh water from a well dug just west of Laguna Madre. After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, the American settlers of Texas began wanting independence from Mexico. Soon revolution swept into the Rio Grande Valley and Mexican troops massed at Matamoros. On April 21, 1836, Sam Houston's forces annihilated the Mexican army led by General Santa Ana in the Battle of San Jacinto, and the Republic of Texas was born. Several battles with Mexico took place after Texas entered the Unites States to settle the border with Mexico as the Rio Grand River.

In 1861, when Texas seceded from the Union, the Union Navy moved to blockade the Padre Island coast, hoping to stop the flow of Confederate cotton and European guns. Fighting continued on both land and sea throughout the war. The last battle took place in May 1865, a full month after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. Ironically, the Confederates beat the Yankees in the final battle of the Civil War, sending them back to nearby Brazos Island.

During the early 1940s, the US Army Air Corp established an Air Base at a nearby airport about three miles West of South Padre Island. Fighter aircraft from the base practiced bombing and gunnery sorties in and around an isolated portion of South Padre Island. If you travel to the West side of South Padre Island, you can still find old bomb and bullet shells from fighter/bomber aircraft. During low tide, you can see pieces of aircraft from a few unfortunate wrecks and crashes.

A large portion of the Island was closed to the public under the National Park Service until 1962. When the Park opened, local civilians and outsiders began to see a bright future ahead for South Padre Island. Businesses began to spring up and entrepreneurs soon started building motels and resorts. However, this prosperity stifled a bit when a destructive hurricane destroyed much of Port Isabel and portions of South Padre Island in 1966. South Padre Island has become a favorite destination for Spring Break in recent years, increasing the popularity of the island.