Padre Island Administrative History

¹For more information on this topic, see Howard Lawrence Preston, Dirt Roads to Dixie, Accessibility and Modernization in the South, 1885-1935, University of Tennessee Press, 1991.

²For more discussion on this topic, see Alfred Runte, National Parks The American Experience, University of Nebraska Press, second edition, 1987, especially Chapters 5 and 8.

³"Texas First Park Board Accepts 15 Sites," San Antonio Express, Friday, March 21, 1924; Raymond Torrey, "Southwest Park Playground Highway," Sunday, July 4, 1926, no newspaper named; Phebe K. Warner, "Phebe K. Warner of Claude Writes Interesting Article on State Parks," Amarillo Sunday News and Globe, Saturday, November 9, 1929; Phebe Warner, "Wonderful Natural Parks Would Provide Recreation Centers for People of State," The Western Weekly, no date; Phebe Warner, "Can Texas Afford To No (sic) Develop Our State Parks?," Greenville Evening Banner, Saturday, March 1, 1930.

⁴Ibid; interview with James W. Steely, August 1993.

⁵Ibid.

⁶Correspondence from D.E. Colp to Judge Oscar Dancy, July 10, 1923, David F. Colp Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

⁷Memorandum of Agreement, December 1922, David E. Colp Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin; and miscellaneous correspondence in David E. Colp Papers, University of Texas at Austin.

⁸Correspondence, to D.E. Colp, from Thos. Owen, Puget-Sound-to-Gulf Highway Association, November 7, 1921; to Judge O.C. Dancy, from Colp, July 10, 1923, David E. Colp Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

⁹Drawn from testimony of Oscar Dancy at 1959 hearing on Padre Island National Seashore, p. 39.

¹⁰Letter to D.E. Colp from Dial Steel Corporation, January 9, 1926, David E. Colp Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

¹¹Gulf Coast Causeway Company. Harlingen, Texas, October 8, 1925, Charter No. 44457.

¹²John Sneed. "Boom Along South Texas Coast Grows," Dallas News, Friday, April 2, 1926, David E. Colp Papers, from Mrs. W.C. Martin, April 2, 1926.

¹³Interview with James W. Steely, August 1993.

¹⁴Letter to Mrs. W.C. Martin from D.E. Colp, April 8, 1926, David E. Colp, Center Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

¹⁵Letter from D.E. Colp stating facts of park arrangements, July 24, 1926, David E. Colp Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

¹⁶There are two charters on file for the Brazos de Santiago Pass Ferry Company, one dated August 6, 1925, and the other August 7, 1925. The latter is marked "forfeited." Both include sketch maps and show the probably points for the ferry.

¹⁷Ocean Side Toll Road Company, Brownsville, Texas, October 8, 1925, Charter No. 44458.

¹⁸Brazos de Santiago Pass Ferry Company, Charter No. 44126, August 6, 1925

¹⁹James W. Sheire, Historic Resource Study, Office of History and Historic Architecture, Eastern Service Center, Washington, DC, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, August 1971, p. 53.

²⁰Writer's Round Table, Padre Island, Naylor Company, San Antonio, 1950, p. 200.

²¹Pauline Reese, The History of Padre Island, master's thesis, Texas College of Arts and Industries, Kingsville, Texas, 1938, p. 22.

²²Sheire, p. 55.

²³Writer's Round Table, p. 197; p. 201.

²⁴Sheire, p. 55; Reese, p. 23.

²⁵Sneed, April 2, 1926.

²⁶Copy of charter on file at Texas Secretary of State office, from State of Kansas, Dixie Development Corporation, Filed January, 14, 1927, and approved February 28, 1927.

²⁷Toll's specific reasons for not recommending Padre Island were not located. This trip is discussed in "Proposed National Park and National Monument Areas in Region III," Region III Headquarters Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 1939, pp. 28-29.

²⁸"Proposed National Park and National Monument Areas in Region III," Region III Headquarters, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 1939, p. 28.

²⁹Agersborg is referenced only by his initials.

³⁰Letter from H.P.K. Agersborg, July 4, 1935, report on site visit, p. 1.

³¹Ibid.

³²Letter from H.P.K. Agersborg, July 4, 1935, p. 2.

³³Ibid.

³⁴"Proposed National Park and National Monument Areas in Region III," Region III Headquarters, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 1939, p. 29.

³⁵Correspondence to Regional Officer, Region 3, July 13, 1936.

³⁶Alfred Runte, National Parks: The American Experience, University of Nebraska Press, 1987, 2nd edition, pp. 223-224.

³⁷William G. Phillips, Yarborough of Texas, Acropolis Books, 1969, p. 21.

³⁸Price Daniel, "Tidelands Controversy," Handbook of Texas, pp. 1008-1009.

³⁹Interview with Senator Ralph Yarborough, December 10, 1993.

⁴⁰Ibid.

⁴¹Corpus Christi Caller-Times, "South Texas: Facts and Comments," September 8, 1935.

⁴²Corpus Christi Caller-Times, July 5, 1936.

⁴³Minutes, State Parks Board, October 21, 1935.

⁴⁴Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Sunday, June 11, 1950.

⁴⁵Minutes, State Parks Board, February 1936.

⁴⁶Corpus Christi Caller-Times, July 4, 1936.

⁴⁷Corpus Christi Caller-Times, March 26, 1937.

⁴⁸Corpus Christi Caller-Times, March 26, 1937.

⁴⁹Corpus Christi Caller-Times, May 30, 1937.

⁵⁰Floyd E. Ewing, Handbook of Texas, Supplement, Texas State Historical Association, Volume III, 1976, pp. 20-21.

⁵¹Corpus Christi Caller-Times, May 26, 1937; interview with Senator Ralph Yarborough, December 10, 1993.

⁵²Corpus Christi Caller-Times, June 25, 1937.

⁵³Corpus Christi Caller-Times, November 13, 1938.

⁵⁴Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Sunday, June 11, 1950.

⁵⁵Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Sunday, June 11, 1950.

⁵⁶"Proposed National Park and National Monument Areas in Region III," Region III Headquarters, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 1939, pp. 28-29.

⁵⁷Runte, p. 147.

⁵⁸Typewritten report entitled, "Special Report on Padre Island Proposed Park," 1937.

⁵⁹Memorandum, to Director from Regional Director of Region III, July 17, 1939; correspondence to National Park Service from J. Frankavis regarding special reports, January 11, 1940.

⁶⁰George B. Hartzog, Jr., Battling for the National Parks, Moyer Bell Limited, 1988, pp. 81-82.

⁶¹Corpus Christi Caller-Times, May 29, 1946.

⁶²Corpus Christi Caller-Times, August 23, 1946.

⁶³Correspondence to Newton B. Drury from Jeff E. Bell, Manager, Corpus Christi, Chamber of Commerce, September 27, 1946; and correspondence from John E. Lyle, Jr. to Drury, October 5, 1946.

⁶⁴Correspondence and internal communication from Acting Director Doerr to Bell and Lyle, October 10, 1946. One letter indicates that Drury is out of the office, but informed Doerr to respond.

⁶⁵Memorandum, to Director from John M. Davis, Acting Regional Director, October 22, 1946.

⁶⁶Correspondence from Naval Air Station, November 21, 1946.

⁶⁷Memorandum, to Milton McColm and John Kell, from M.R. Tillotson, discussion of what to take and look for on Padre Island, January 24, 1947.

⁶⁸R. Gerald Wright, Wildlife Research and Management in the National Parks, University of Illinois Press, 1992, p. 23.

⁶⁹Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Sunday, February 9, 1947.

⁷⁰Ibid.

⁷¹Memorandum, from Chief, Division of Recreation Resource Planning, to Regional Director, Region Three, "Cape Hatteras Material as Background for Possible Discussion with Moody Foundation," May 1, 1959, pp. 1-2.

⁷²Milton J. McColm, "Report on Restudy of Padre Island Gulf Coast, Texas," Region Three, National Park Service, April 1947, p. 5.

⁷³Ibid., p. 6.

⁷⁴Ibid., p. 12.

⁷⁵Ibid., p. 14.

⁷⁶Ibid., p. 16.

⁷⁷Corpus Christi Caller-Times, November 18, 1948.

⁷⁸Ibid.

⁷⁹Walter Prescott Webb, editor, Handbook of Texas, Volume I, Texas State Historical Association, Austin, 1952, pp. 746-747.

⁸⁰Jack Yeaman, "The Fabulous Treasure of Padre Island," Texas Parade, June 1950.

⁸¹Weise, p. 43.

⁸²Ibid., p. 42.

⁸³Ronald F. Lee, Public Use of the National Park System, 1872-2000, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, January 1, 1968, p. 6.

⁸⁴John Ise, Our National Park Policy: A Critical History, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1961, p. 517.

⁸⁵Ibid., pp. 518-519.

⁸⁶Ibid., p. 519.

⁸⁷Hartzog, pp. 197-198; William Bowen, "History of Padre Island National Seashore," typed manuscript, e. 1965, p. 1.

⁸⁸Ise, p. 520; Bowen, p. 1.

⁸⁹Bowen, pp. 1-2.

⁹⁰"Padre Island Area Texas," Seashore Recreation Area Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC, 1955, pp. 2-19.

⁹¹Bowen, p. 2.

⁹²Ibid., p. 3.

⁹³Ibid.

⁹⁴Memorandum, to Director National Park Service from Hugh M. Miller, October 18, 1957, Padre Island National Seashore Archives, p. 1.

⁹⁵Bowen, pp. 4-5.

⁹⁶Ibid., p. 6.

⁹⁷Ibid., p. 7.

⁹⁸Ibid., p. 8.

⁹⁹Ibid., p. 9.

¹⁰⁰Ibid., pp. 9-10.

¹⁰¹Memorandum, July 3 1958, to Legislative Counsel, Office of Solicitor, from Director, National Park Service, subject "Meeting with Texas Congressmen Concerning Padre Island Park Proposal," p. 2; interview with Senator Ralph Yarborough, December 10, 1993.

¹⁰²Ibid., pp. 9-10.

¹⁰³Lee, p. 6.

¹⁰⁴Memorandum, July 3, 1958, p. 1.

¹⁰⁵Lee, p. 6.

¹⁰⁶1959 Hearing before Subcommittee on Public Lands 86 Congress, 1st Session on S.4.

¹⁰⁷Memorandum, to Regional Director, from Regional Chief of Division of Recreation Resource Planning, subject "Meeting of Texas State Committee on Padre Island," November 15, 1961, P. 3.

¹⁰⁸Ralph Yarborough, "The Bounty of Nature," The Texas Observer, December 27, 1962, pp. 3-4.

¹⁰⁹Interview with senator Ralph Yarborough, December 10, 1993.

¹¹⁰Wall Street Journal, Southwest Edition, Monday, December 22, 1958.