Padre Island Administrative History

General Books and Publications

Arnold, J. Barto, and Robert Weddle. The Nautical Archeology of Padre Island. New York: Academic Press, 1979.

Britton, Joseph C. and Brian Morton. Shore Ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. Austin, Texas: The University of Texas Press, 1989.

Chase, Alston. Playing God in Yellowstone. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986/1987.

Connor, Vida Lee. Ancient Galleon Sails Again. J.A. Baldwin Company, 1969.

________________. Treasures Recovered Off Padre Island. J.A. Baldwin Company, 1969.

Dilsaver, Lary M. and William C. Tweed. Challenge of the Big Trees. Sequoia Natural History Association, Inc., 1990.

Ewing, Floyd E., ed. Handbook of Texas Supplement. Austin: Texas State Historical Association. Vol. III, 1976.

Freemuth, John C. Islands Under Siege. Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press, 1991.

Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies. Padre Island National Seashore Field Guide. October 14, 1972.

Hartzog, George. Battling for the National Parks. New York: Moyer Bell Limited, 1988. Hogner, Dorothy. South to Padre. Boston/New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Company, 1936.

Ise, John. Our National Park Policy: A Critical History. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1961.

Lasswell, Mary. I'll Take Texas. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1958.

Leatherman, Dr. Stephen P. Barrier Island Handbook. 3rd Edition, College Park, Maryland: The University of Maryland, 1988.

Lee, Ronald F. Public Use of the National Park System, 1872-2000. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., January 1, 1968.

Mahan, William. Padre Island, Treasure Kingdom of the World. Texian Press, 1967.

Meizner, Robert. "History of Padre Island." Master's thesis, Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, 1948.

Phillips, William G. Yarborough of Texas. Washington, D.C.: Acropolis Books, 1969.

Preston, Howard Lawrence. Dirt Roads to Dixie, Accessibility and Modernization in the South, 1885-1935. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1991.

Reese, Pauline. "History of Padre Island." Master's thesis, Texas College of Arts and Sciences, Kingsville, Texas, 1938.

Rothman, Hal. Preserving Different Pasts. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1989.

Runte, Alfred. National Parks The American Experience. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, Second Edition, 1987.

Sadler, Jerry. Treasure Tempest in Texas. General Land Office, State of Texas, n.d.

Salinas, Martin. "Historic Indian Populations of the Rio Grande Delta and Vicinity." Master's these, University of Texas at Austin. August 1986.

Smylie, Vernon. Conquistadores and Cannibals, Early History of Padre Island 1519-1845.

______________. This is Padre Island.

______________. The Secrets of Padre Island, 1845-Present. 1964.

Sontag, William. The First 75 Years. Eastern National Park & Monument Association, 1990. South Padre Island Investment Company. "South Padre Island." Brownsville, n.d.

Webb, Walter Prescott, ed. Handbook of Texas. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, Vols. I and II, 1952.

Weise, Bonnie R. and William A. White. Padre Island National Seashore, A Guide to the Geology, Natural Environments, and History of a Texas Barrier Island. Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 1980, 1991.

Wright, Gerald R. Wildlife Research and Management in the National Parks. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992.

Writer's Round Table. Padre Island. San Antonio: Naylor Press, 1940.

National Park Service Publications and Studies

Aquatic Waterfowl Resource Management Plan for Padre Island National Seashore. 1969-1979. January 1, 1969.

Bullard, William C. Interpretive Prospectus. Denver Service Center. September 1, 1974.

Campbell, T.N. "Appraisal of the Archeological Resources of Padre Island, Texas." February 1, 1964.

Dahl, B., et. al. "Post Hurricane Survey of Experimental Dunes." Padre Island, Texas. 1980. Draft Development Concept Plan. Padre Island National Seashore. 1991.

Ditton, Robert B. and James H. Gramann. A Survey of Down-Island Visitors and Their Use Patterns at Padre Island National Seashore. Technical Report No. 6, Cooperative Park Study Unit, Department of Recreation and Parks, Texas A&M University, March 1987.

Everett, K. Keith. Novillo Line Camp Historic Structures Report. Southwest Cultural Resources Center, National Park Service, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 1979.

Hambly, Derek O. "Environmental Education, Padre Island National Seashore, Environmental Study Areas." 1969.

Horizon Environmental Services, Inc. Final Report, Padre Island National Seashore Vegetative History. June 1989.

Padre Island National Seashore and Southwest Regional Office. Natural Resources Management Plan for Padre Island National Seashore. June 1, 1974.

Price, Dr. W. Armstrong. Geology and Oceanography, Padre Island National Seashore, July 31, 1965.

Scurlock, Dan, et al. Archeological Assessment. Padre Island National Seashore. Texas Historical Commission, Austin, June 1974.

Seegar, William S., et al. "Aerial Surveys of Spring Migrant Peregrine Falcons Along the Texas Mexican Gulf Coasts." c. 1982.

Shaver, Donna. "Padre Island National Seashore, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Project, 1989 Report." U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, September 1989, and November 1992.

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

Sissom, Stanley L., Ph.D., et al. Baseline Study - Three Ponds within Padre Island National Seashore Park. December 1990.

Statement for Management. Padre Island National Seashore. June 22, 1976.

"Summary of Land Acquisition Program." Padre Island National Seashore, Texas. January 1. 1966. Senator Ralph W. Yarborough Papers, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Superintendent's Annual Report. 1965-1976, 1978-1979, 1985, 1987-1992. Annual reports for 1977, 1980 through 1984, and 1986 are not available in Federal or park archives.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Master Plan (April and July 1964).

U.S. Department of the Interior. A Master Plan for Padre Island National Seashore. (Preliminary Draft). December 1, 1971.

U.S. Department of the Interior. General Management Plan. Development Concept Plan. April 10, 1983.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Land Protection Plan, Padre Island National Seashore and Southwest Regional Office. September 24, 1985.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Natural Resources Management Program for Padre Island National Seashore. 1986.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Draft General Management Plan/Development Concept Plan and Environmental Assessment. November 1, 1987.

U.S. Department of the Interior. "Briefing Statement." Padre Island National Seashore. April 2, 1987.

U.S. Department of the Interior. "Management Operations and Internal Controls Evaluation." Padre Island National Seashore. April 13-17, 1987/June 21, 1987.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Final Environmental Statement, Proposed Master Plan. Padre Island National Seashore. n.d.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Environmental Assessment, Minerals Management Regulations for Non Federal Oil and Gas Rights. December 1, 1977.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Wilderness Study for Padre Island National Seashore. October 10, 1971.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Statement for Management. Padre Island National Seashore, June 22, 1976.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Resources Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for Padre Island National Seashore. 1981.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Resources Management Plan - 1986 Revision. Padre Island National Seashore, National Park Service, 1986.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Interpretive Prospectus Padre Island National Seashore, Division of Interpretive Planning, Harper's Ferry Center, National Park Service, 1989.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Oil and Gas Report for Padre Island National Seashore. National Park Service, Land Resources Division, Mining and Minerals Branch, July 3, 1990.

Visitor Use Information. Padre Island National Seashore, 1989.

Voorhees, Alan and Associates. Final Report, Transportation Study for Padre Island National Seashore. January 1, 1980.

"Wilderness Recommendation for Padre Island National Seashore, Texas." (Final). August 1, 1972. Whistler, Robert. "Novillo Line Camp Site." n.d.

. "Beginning of Interpretation - Recreation Areas." n.d.

Woodward, A.W., et. al. The Use of Grasses for Dune Stabilization along Texas Coast. November 1, 1971.

The majority of primary sources are located in the collections and archives of Padre Island National Seashore now based at the headquarters building in Flour Bluff, Texas. Many of the early park documents are catalogued and easily accessible. Other material on the park, especially the 1980s and 1990s, is found in the library of the Gulf Ranger Station. These materials are filed by topic and mostly indexed on the front of the file box. References to box numbers in the study refer to those in this library. There are also general studies that relate to the National Seashore or academic studies involving Padre Island.

Most of the National Park Service documents were found at the National Archives and Records Center in Lakewood, Colorado. The Archives stores some of the documents relating to Padre Island, as well as other national parks from the Southwest Regional Office or Region III. The Fort Worth Archives Division has no records of Padre Island and the Records Division have only a few documents. The National Park Service is now retaining copies of the annual reports at the Harpers Ferry Center with microfilmed copies available at the Denver Service Center.

Government Documents

Congressional Record. Washington, D.C., 1958 - 1962

Periodicals

Mabrey, Les. "Padre Island National Seashore." The Texas Architect. October 1970.

Yarborough, Ralph. "The Bounty of Nature." The Texas Observer. December 27, 1962. Yeaman, Jack. "The Fabulous Treasure of Padre Island." Texas Parade. June 1950.

Zimmerman, David R. "The Peregrine America's Most Endangered Falcon." National Parks and Conservation Magazine. September 1972.

Newspapers

Interviews

Several of the former superintendents are no longer in contact with the National Park Service and thus unable to be interviewed. Some of the earliest superintendents are now believed to be deceased. Fortunately, many of the National Seashore's longtime employees provided interviews or brief responses to questions allowing elaboration on the written documentation regarding the park.

Miscellaneous Sources

Copies of legislative hearings, pre-park studies, and some correspondence are found here. One of the most useful pieces for the pre-park years was a loosely bound set of copies of correspondence regarding Padre Island. This material provided excellent coverage for the years leading up to the 1962 legislation. The collection also contains some photographs and negatives.

Scrapbooks and personal material from supporters of Padre Island are catalogued in the collection. Several scrapbooks from the earliest years of the park were maintained by the staff and give personal insights to the beginnings of the park. The one compiled on the park's dedication day is especially worthy of attention.