Nomes curiosos: Padre Island, pr. Corpus Christi:
«Padre Island is the largest of the Texas barrier islands and the world's longest barrier island. The island is located along Texas's southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is noted for its white sandy beaches. Meaning father in Spanish, it was named after Father José Nicolás Ballí (c.1770-1829), who owned the island and served as a missionary priest and collector of finances for all the churches in the Rio Grande Valley. He also founded the first mission in present-day Cameron County.[1]
Padre Island is the second-largest island by area in the contiguous United States, after Long Island in New York on the Atlantic Coast. It is about 113 miles (182 km) long[2][3]: 186 and 1.8 miles (3 km) wide,[4] stretching from the city of Corpus Christi, in the north, to the resort community of South Padre Island in the south. The island is oriented north-south, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico on the east and Laguna Madre on the west. The island's northern end connects to Mustang Island by roadway. The southern end of the island is separated from Brazos Island by the Brazos Santiago Pass.
The town of South Padre Island is located on its southern end, with the city of Corpus Christi situated at the northern end, but the island as a whole is sparsely populated. The central part of the island is preserved in a natural wild state as Padre Island National Seashore and part of the lower island is protected as part of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Since 1964, the island has been divided by the artificial Port Mansfield Channel. The terms "North Padre Island" and "South Padre Island" are often used to refer to the separated portions of the island. Padre Island is included within the jurisdictions of Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties in Texas.
History
See also: Hispanic Heritage Site
The island was used and occupied seasonally by the Karankawa people at the time of European encounter. During Spanish rule, Father José Nicolás Ballí, also known as Padre Ballí, owned the island in the 19th century, when it was known as the Isla de Santiago land grant.[1] Padre Island had been granted in 1759 to his Spanish colonist grandfather, Nicolás Ballí, by King Charles III of Spain. The younger Ballí's parents were both Spanish immigrants to Mexico and owned vast amounts of land by royal grants.
José Nicolás Ballí served as a secular priest and missionary; he also managed large amounts of land where he ran a ranching operation. In 1804 he founded the first ethnic Mexican settlement on the island as the town of "El Rancho Santa Cruz de Buena Vista" (later known as Lost City).[1] In 1827 after Mexico achieved independence, Father Ballí requested a clear title to the property of Padre Island.[1] His mother Rosa María Hinojosa de Ballí had made a joint application with him for eleven leagues of the island, but when reapplication was required in 1800, she withdrew her name in favor of him.[5]
After Ballí died in 1829, the government granted title to the island to him posthumously, issued jointly in his name and that of his nephew Juan José Ballí. He had bequeathed half the island to his nephew, who had worked with him on his ranch.[1]
During World War II, United States scientists considered Padre Island as one of eight candidate sites for the first test of an atomic bomb but chose White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for the detonation, instead.[6]
During 1953-1956, an annual 110-mile, three-day walking race was held going the length of the island, south to north, called Padre Island Walkathon. It was the first modern-era ultramarathon in America and involved up to 148 walkers, with a large mobile support staff. At the time, it claimed to be “the toughest, roughest athletic contest in the world,” with a finish rate of only 11%.[7]»
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padre_Island
