From the Padre Island National Seashore Archives (courtesy of the Dunn family)

Pat Dunn, who owned a cattle ranch that covered about two-thirds of Padre Island from the late 1800s until his death in 1937.

Except for the wreck of the 300 in 1554, there were never any major events or battles of historical signifcance on Padre Island.   Many would think that this means nothing of historical interest ever occurred on the island.  They would be wrong.

Padre Island is rich with history, but because no major events occurred here, little was recorded about the people who lived or passed through here.  That simply makes finding the information difficult.

In this section of the website, you will learn about the people who made the history of the island.  Currently, only the best known people are described, later, however, more biographies and tales will be added to flesh out the fascinating, untold, and often overlooked history of Padre Island.