Padre Island National Seashore             

Photo Collection

The museum's photographic collection contains several hundred black and white as well as color photos and negatives in small (35mm), medium, and large formats dating from the early days of the Dunn Ranch (circa 1874) to the present.  Here are a few of the most interesting.  More may be found throughout the website, especially in the Photo Gallery of the Nature and Science section.

 A aerial view of a line camp down island (either the Green Hill or Black Hill) taken by Fred "Doc" McGregor on April 22, 1937.

An aerial view of what is now known as the Bird Island Basin area taken in 1941.  Note the extent of the sand dunes.

A Coast Guardsman patrols the beaches during the Second World War.

The Pat Dunn Ranch headquarters in a photo taken by Doc McGregor in 1951.

(L to R) Unidentified woman, Ladybird Johnson, and Superintendent Borgman on the beach at the time of the park's dedication in April, 1968.

Ladybird Johnson unveils a plaque commemorating the dedication of the National Seashore in April, 1968.  The plaque is currently on display in the Malaquite Visitors Center.

Dunes near Permian Tank road, now known as Bird Island Basin road, in 1971.

Shoeing a horse at a ranching demonstration on April 24, 1976.  The demonstration was part of the park's celebration of the nation's bicentennial.  For the demonstration, the park contracted the former foreman of the Dunn Ranch to bring together some of the vaqueros (Spanish for "cowboys") who used to work the ranch and stage a typical work day replete with a typical cowboy meal for onlookers.

Cooking at the Novillo line camp during the 1976 demonstration/ranching reenactment.  These were the cowboys who worked the ranch prior to its closing in 1971.  During the ranch days, they cooked their meals just as seen here.

One of the vaqueros shows how to make camp bread.

Vaqueros at the Novillo bunkhouse during the ranching reenactment in 1976.

Malaquite Beach hosts a rock concert on Easter, 1978.

This is one of a series of aerial photos taken of the entire National Seashore on July 29, 1979 and shows the area between Bird Island Basin road (at the top) and the entrance to South Beach (bottom) below the Malaquite Visitor Center.   North is at the top.

Note that extensive dune fields existed near the Laguna Madre shore.  Since 1979 the vegetation has been reclaiming the island and taking it back to its natural state.

This is another of the 1979 series of aerial photos and shows Yarborough Pass.  Note the drilling facilities and related network of roads which no longer exist.   Also note the tire tracks in the mudflats.  Mudflats are sensitive environmental areas and tire tracks and footprints may linger in them for decades.  The tracks shown here may have existed before the opening of the park in 1970.  For this reason, driving off the beach and into the sensitive areas of the dunes, grasslands, and mudflats is prohibited and strictly enforced.

This 1979 photo shows the Mansfield Channel.  Note the extensive areas of barren sand that existed at the time.

The sea turtle hatchling facilities in 1983.

An unusual pet that showed up in the park one day with his owner. Photo undated.

Send an e-mail to the Virtual Museum Curator via PAIS_Museum@nps.gov.