History
When Padre Ballí owned the island, it was known as the Isla de Santiago land grant. (Padre Ballí also owned La Feria grant, the Las Castañas grant, part of the Llano Grande grant, and the Guadalupe grant.) Padre Island had been granted to his grandfather, Nicolás Ballí in 1759, by King Carlos III of Spain, and Padre Ballí requested a clear title to the property in 1827. He was the first person to have the island surveyed and was the first settler who brought families to the island. He also built the first church on the island for the conversion of the Karankawa Indians and for the benefit of the settlers. About 26 miles (42 km) north of the island's southern tip, the priest founded the town of El Rancho Santa Cruz de Buena Vista (later known as Lost City), where he also kept cattle, horses, and mules.
Ballí died on April 16, 1829, and was buried near Matamoros. Title to the island was granted to him posthumously on December 15, 1829, issued jointly in the name of Padre Ballí and his nephew Juan José Ballí. The priest had requested that half of the island be given to his nephew, who had been helping him there. Juan José (nephew) lived on the island from 1829 until his death in 1853.
Padre Island was one of the eight candidate sites for the first test of an atomic bomb but the bomb was detonated in White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico.
See also: Hispanic Heritage Sites (U.S. National Park Service)Read more about this topic: Padre Island
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