Name: South Padre Island, Texas
Address: South Padre Island, TX

The Night the Bridge Fell RoadyGoat

The bridge you just crossed, the Queen Isabella Causeway, is the island's lifeline. But in the early hours of September 15, 2001, that lifeline was severed. A towboat pushing four barges lost control in the currents and slammed one of the barges into a support column of the bridge. A 160-foot section of the roadway instantly collapsed. In the darkness, unsuspecting drivers heading off the island drove straight into the gap, plunging eighty-five feet into the Laguna Madre below. Three people were rescued, but eight others lost their lives. The disaster physically and emotionally isolated the island. For over two months, residents and workers relied on a ferry system while the bridge was repaired. It was a tragic event that underscored the island's dependence on its single connection to the mainland and remains a somber chapter in its modern history.

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The Lost Treasure Fleet of 1554 RoadyGoat

Just off the coast of the island you're on lies the scene of a 16th-century catastrophe. In April 1554, a fleet of four Spanish ships loaded with treasure from the New World sailed for Spain. Off Padre Island, up toward what is now the Mansfield Cut, a storm caught them. Three of the four — the Santa Maria de Yciar, the Espiritu Santo, and the San Esteban — were smashed by the waves and sank. About three hundred people were aboard, and perhaps half to two-thirds of them drowned before reaching the beach. The ones who made it ashore started walking south for Mexico, and that walk turned into a death march; only one man, Fray Marcos de Mena, is known to have reached Panuco alive. For four hundred years the cargo lay on the seafloor. In the 1960s salvors began recovering silver and gold, cannons, crossbows and astrolabes. Many of those artifacts are now on display at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, a tangible link to a dramatic moment in the Age of Exploration.

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The Turtle Lady of South Padre RoadyGoat

One of South Padre's most beloved stories began in the 1960s with a woman named Ila Loetscher. Iowa's first licensed woman pilot and a friend of Amelia Earhart, she came down here after her husband died and became fascinated by the sea turtles — particularly the Kemp's ridley, the most endangered sea turtle in the world. Seeing them threatened by fishing nets and development, she took action. Starting in 1966 she helped bring Kemp's ridley eggs up from Mexico to be protected on this beach, and she nursed sick and injured turtles back to health in her own backyard, which earned her the nickname 'The Turtle Lady.' Her passion was infectious. She put on shows with her 'pet' turtles to educate the public — she even took one on Carson and Letterman — and her small, personal project grew and grew. In 1977 she founded what is now Sea Turtle, Inc., a world-renowned hospital and conservation center right here on the island. It's a powerful reminder of how one person's dedication can change the fate of an entire species.

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Loetscher, Ila Marie Fox [Turtle Lady]

1966

Ila Marie Fox Loetscher, known as the "Turtle Lady," one of the first female pilots in the United States, a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, and a conservationist celebrated for her work with Kemp's ridley sea turtles, was born on October 30, 1904, to Charles Irwin Fox and Eliza Ann (Sharr) Fox in Callendar, Iowa. Her siblings included her older brother Ray, her twin sister Olive, and younger twin brothers, Kenneth and Keith. The 1910 census listed the family still living in Callendar, Iowa, where her father was a physician. By 1920 the family had moved to Pella, Iowa, where she graduated from high school and attended Central College. She later transferred to the University of Iowa and received her bachelor of arts degree in 1928. While working as a recreational director in Davenport, Iowa, Ila Fox developed an interest in aviation and began taking flying lessons. She also did promotional aviation work at the airport in nearby Moline, Illinois. On September 1, 1929, she became a licensed pilot and was the first licensed woman pilot in Iowa and Illinois. Amelia Earhart soon invited her to become a charter member of an organization meant to support female pilots; the group eventually became known as the Ninety-Nines, representing the ninety-nine charter members. Ila Marie Fox married David L. Loetscher, an engineer, in Pella, Iowa, on June 8, 1933. They had no children. The 1940 U. S. census recorded the couple in Bridgewater, New Jersey, where David Loetscher worked as a chemical engineer. They still resided there in 1950, and the census listed Ila Loetscher as a comptometer operator for a railroad company. Her husband died in 1955. After the death of her husband, Ila Fox Loetscher moved from Somerville, New Jersey, to stay with her parents at their winter home in Pharr, Texas. She quickly fell in love with nearby South Padre Island and decided to move there. While in Texas, Loetscher became aware of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, an endangered species that hatched on a specific stretch of Mexican beach along the Gulf of Mexico. In an interview that was published in a feature in the San Antonio Express-News in 1975, she recalled that Dearl Adams, head of the Valley Sportsmen's Club, first asked her to accompany him, along with his wife Ethel and other volunteers, on an annual trip to collect the turtle eggs in 1966. With the cooperation of the Mexican government, the group drove back and forth between the nesting grounds of Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, and South Padre Beach to transport the eggs of Kemp's ridley sea turtles away from poachers in Mexico to safer beaches. During the next forty-eight to sixty-two days, they stood guard and made sure that the turtles hatched and successfully waddled back into the ocean. Overall they helped more than 1,000 sea turtles make their way into the water. These turtles always return to lay eggs where they originally hatched. The turtles, used for both food and leather, are most vulnerable to predators in shallow water and while on land. In Mexico, turtle eggs were gathered and sold as culinary delicacies. As a result, by moving the eggs to South Padre Beach, Loetscher helped allow the turtles to hatch and protect them from returning to unsafe beaches as adults. The first Kemp's ridley sea turtle known to return to South Padre Beach came to lay her eggs in May 1974. By the early 1970s Ila Loetscher was well-known throughout South Texas for her advocacy and care of sea turtles. She kept injured turtles in her house and averaged 100 visitors a week. Children referred to her as the "Turtle Lady"-a nickname that became synonymous with her mission. As of 1975 she was the only private individual who was permitted by both state and federal agencies to hold sea turtles in captivity. In 1976 volunteers determined that a turtle rookery had definitely been established on South Padre. In 1977 Loetscher formed the nonprofit Sea Turtle, Inc. Her home served as a semi-official rescue center and

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Brazos Santiago, C.S.A.

1861

Brazos Santiago Pass, to south of this spot, was important Confederate harbor-entry during the Civil War. On island across the pass were fort and town of Brazos Santiago, where on Feb. 21, 1861, Texas troops under Col. John S. Ford captured the U.S. depot with mortars, siege guns and ordnance. A Confederate battery was then set up. In March 1861, off the bar, on U.S.S. "Daniel Webster", E.B. Nichols and Maj. Fitzjohn Porter, acting for Texas and the U.S., arranged Federal evacuation of the Rio Grande. Blockade ships arrived Dec. 1861. Col. Ford shifted forces to Brownsville. Gen. J.B. Magruder, C.S.A., ordered blasting of lighthouse north of pass, 1862. Trade vital to Confederacy plied from Cuba, Europe, Asia to Bagdad, Mexico, often actually slipping into Brazos Santiago Pass. Harbor sheltered blockade runners 1861-64. On May 10, 1863, U.S.S. "Brooklyn" destroyed schooners in the harbor. Late 1863, French warships banned war material in Bagdad, and Mexican steam lighters ran guns from sea vessels into Brazos Santiago. Nov. 2, 1863, Gen. N.P. Banks landed U.S. Army here, took line of Rio Grande forts. Refortified Brazos Island and made it terminus for Army railroad to Rancho Blanco on Rio Grande. When C.S.A. retook Rio Grande Line in 1864, Federals in Brownsville were thrown back to Brazos Island. Col. Theodore H. Barrett, with troops from here, marching on Brownsville in May 1865, was confronted by Col. Ford's Confederates at Palmito Hill and fought last engagement of the Civil War.

Historical Marker → · 3.6 mi away

Brazos Santiago Pass and Brazos Island Military Depot

1836

Named by the Spanish, Brazos Santiago Pass is a narrow passageway extending inward from the sea. The pass lies between Brazos Island and Padre Island. The changing depths of the pass channel kept large vessels from entering, but offered seclusion to smaller ships. The entire area proved strategically important in a variety of military conflicts. Brazos Santiago harbor became part of the Texas revolution when the Texas warship "Invincible" heavily damaged the Mexican warship "Bravo" in April 1836. Supplies bound for the Mexican Army did not reach their destination. In 1846, U. S. Army General Zachary Taylor set up a military depot at the mouth of Brazos Santiago Pass on Brazos Island. during the war with Mexico, thousands of volunteers were encamped here, awaiting transfer to other locations. In February 1861, the U. S. Army surrendered the depot to forces of the stat eof Texas prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Federal soldiers landed unopposed in 1863 at Brazos Island, taking Fort Brown and Brownsville, only to abandon them less than a year later. In May 1865, the last battle of the Civil War was fought at nearby Palmito Ranch. The depot was abandoned following hurricane damage in 1867. (1996)

Historical Marker → · 3.6 mi away

Port of Matamoros

1824

The Port of Matamoros was established in 1824. Commercial cargo, shipped mainly from New Orleans and other U.S. ports, was unloaded at the port and transported overland to Matamoros, Reynosa, Camargo, Monterrey, and Mier. Mexico maintained a garrison and at least one Navy vessel at the port. This area was the site of numerous naval encounters between the U.S. and Mexico in 1836-37, during and after the Texas Revolution. Jurisdiction over the port was finally settled in 1846 when forces of U.S. General Zachary Taylor occupied the area at the outset of the Mexican War.

Historical Marker → · 3.7 mi away

South Padre Island, TX

1954

South Padre Island is a resort community on Park Road 100 at the southernmost tip of Padre Island in Cameron County. It is flanked on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico, Brazos Santiago Pass, and the Laguna Madre . Brownsville is eighteen miles southwest. The history of the southern part of Padre Island dates from Spanish exploration in the sixteenth century. From the late nineteenth century into the 1950s the only way to reach the area was by ferry. The island had become a resort during the mid-nineteenth century but was not developed until the 1950s after the completion of the Queen Isabella Causeway, now the Queen Isabella State Fishing Pier . A $2.2 million swing bridge connecting Port Isabel to South Padre Island was completed in February 1954. The small prosperity the area gained was partly stifled in 1967 by Hurricane Beulah, which destroyed much of Port Isabel, the gateway to the island, as well as the town of South Padre Island. In 1978 South Padre Island had a population estimated at 314. Ten years later it had an estimated 1,012 residents and 111 businesses. Its main industry is tourism; peak seasons are late winter, spring, and summer. The community, in which many of the businesses and private homes are owned by foreigners, caters to an international clientele and, during Spring Break, to college students from the entire United States. Most of the businesses are related to the tourist trade-hotels, restaurants, condominiums, and souvenir shops. In 1990 South Padre Island had a population of 1,677 and 109 businesses. The population was 2,422 with 243 businesses in 2000.

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Port Isabel, TX

1845

Port Isabel is on the point where Texas Highway 100 meets the Laguna Madre in southeastern Cameron County, sixteen miles northeast of Brownsville. It is connected to South Padre Island by the two-mile-long Queen Isabella Causeway (Park Road 100). The first settlement in the area, Brazos Santiago, was on nearby Brazos Island. In 1788 water sellers traveled to the area to obtain water. The site was also used as a summer resort by 1800. Jean Laffite is said to have had a fifteen-foot well dug near the site of present Laguna Vista, five miles northwest of Port Isabel. Official claim to the land was not made until 1828, when it was granted to Rafael García as part of the Potrero ("Pasture") de Santa Isabel. During the 1830s a small community developed at the site, known as El Frontón de Santa Isabel. Later that name was changed to Punta de Santa Isabel, that is, Point Isabel. A post office was established in the community under the name Point Isabel in June 1845. The name of the post office and community were changed to Brazos Santiago in 1849, when the Oblates of Mary Immaculate arrived in the community and established Our Lady by the Sea Church. Also that year the community suffered an outbreak of cholera, and it was several years before it recovered fully. In 1850 Port Isabel was the second largest town in the area, which by 1859 was exporting $10 million dollars worth of cotton annually. The Port Isabel Lighthouse was built in 1853 at a cost of $7,000; it served as a lookout during the conflict with Juan N. Cortina known as the Cortina War. During the first three years of the Civil War Port Isabel was known as a haven for blockade runners due to its proximity to Mexico. All the ships in the harbor were destroyed or captured during a Union attack on May 30, 1863. The first railway in the area was the Rio Grande Valley Railway, a narrow-gauge line connecting Port Isabel to Brownsville, funded and built by Simón Celaya of Brownsville, which began operation in 1872. The name of the post office was changed from Brazos Santiago to Isabel in 1881. In 1904 the town had one school with two teachers and eighty-one students. In 1915 the community officially became Point Isabel. From 1925 to 1927 the estimated population was 200. The town was incorporated as Port Isabel on March 23, 1928. That year a shallow-draft channel was dredged around the south and west sides of the town. Also in that year, the Rio Grande Railroad was acquired by the Port Isabel and Rio Grande Valley Railway. By 1929 the population had reached an estimated 750. In 1930 the post office changed its name to Port Isabel. The Point Isabel Press was in operation from the 1920s into the 1930s, after which it was the Port Isabel Press . On July 3, 1930, the River and Harbor Act authorized the expansion of the Port Isabel harbor through the Brazos Island harbor project. In 1933 the ship channel was dredged to a depth of twelve feet and a width of 125 feet. That year Port Isabel had an estimated population of 1,177 and forty-five businesses. In 1934 the first annual Texas International Fishing Tournament was held in Port Isabel by the International Game and Fish Association. The first modern use of Port Isabel as a seaport occurred on July 27, 1935. In 1937 a six-foot channel was dredged from Port Isabel to a point two miles east of Harlingen. In 1941 the Port Isabel and Rio Grande sold its track connecting Port Isabel to Brownsville to the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway. The channel connecting Port Isabel to Harlingen was full of silt by 1942 and was no longer in use. In 1952 the community had a population estimated at 2,372 and seventy businesses. By 1956 Port Isabel was served by the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway , completed during the 1950s, increased trade and improved the economic health of Port Isabel, but it also caused problems. A spoil bank from its construction polluted the community, and the city's board sought the assistance

Tsha Handbook → · 6.2 mi away

South Padre Island, Texas

Music in South Padre Island

Songs About South Padre Island

Artists From South Padre Island

Rivers & Roads in Song near South Padre Island

History of South Padre Island

The Night the Bridge Fell RoadyGoat

The Lost Treasure Fleet of 1554 RoadyGoat

The Turtle Lady of South Padre RoadyGoat

Loetscher, Ila Marie Fox [Turtle Lady]

Brazos Santiago, C.S.A.

Brazos Santiago Pass and Brazos Island Military Depot

Port of Matamoros

South Padre Island, TX

Port Isabel, TX

Things to Do in South Padre Island

Everything Near South Padre Island