Island Doorstep

The beautification project along the highway into Port Isabel that was recently finished has made a vast improvement in the appearance of the town.

The scenic facelift is important because first impressions do indeed influence a visitor’s feeling about the community. If the town looks shipshape, our area visitors feel safe to come aboard. South Padre Island led the way on this issue, with the well-landscaped medians and the picturesque welcome sign at the foot of the bridge, and I am glad that Port Isabel has done the same.

The most visible parts of this beautification are the new signs that front the highway on your approach to the town and the landscaping that will make Queen Isabella Boulevard a palm lined tropical trail. The Texas Department of Transportation and the various authorities in our city government should be thanked for this improvement and its positive impact on the community as a whole. I have seen several folks out of their cars being photographed by the “Welcome to Port Isabel” sign, and that should make us all proud of our shared community.

A short time ago, I purchased some old Port Isabel photographs, and among the group was a snapshot of another sign, from a bygone era, which also was a favorite among our area’s guests.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, just getting to Port Isabel was somewhat of a challenge. Located 250 miles from San Antonio and 350 miles from Houston, this place was quite removed from any large city. Add to this the fact that the roads were nothing like today’s fine thoroughfares (even with construction) and you had the ingredients for a hard trip. Also our cars today are far more dependable, and we won’t even go into a discourse on tires.

The road through the King Ranch was especially challenging. I can remember as a boy, we followed slow trucks for an eternity on that busy, narrow stretch of pavement. Most folks were “played out” just getting here. But those that braved the trip were rewarded with great fishing and memories to last a lifetime. The isolation then became part of the charm and mystique.

Back in the early 1950s, a different sign welcomed folks to our little slice of heaven, and it reminded people of just why they were here and how far removed they were from the rest of civilization. The top line of the sign, which was posted at the end of the entrance to town along the bay front, declared that you had reached “The End of the U.S.A.” This was pointed out, even before you were informed just where you were on the second line of the sign. Below the town’s name was the declaration: “Only one road in—the same one out.”

Then we got to the real reason for most visits, “Fishing Capital of Texas” and “Home of the T. I. Fishing Tournament.” The last two lines of the sign reminded the reader how far from home they were with the distance to the farthest reaches of the United States posted for all to see: Portland, Maine, 1,996; Chicago, 1,475; and San Francisco, 2,180. Of course, these figures meant miles away from Port Isabel.

However, in the golden era of the road trip, this was the whole point, to get away and go far. Americans were getting out and seeing their country and finding the hidden diamonds in the rough like Port Isabel in the early 1950s.

The family that visited here and took the photographs now being presented for our enjoyment had a marvelous stay by the look of it. They caught some nice fish and swam in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters at Padre Beach, as the island used to be called. It is also apparent that they visited during the Texas International Fishing Tournament or some other fishing contest, due to a photo of a trophy catch lineup. The fishing was truly world-class here back then, but I seriously doubt that this one family caught all those tarpon. If they did, a serious blow has been dealt to my pride.

As brave visitors continued to venture to the end of the United States of America, they discovered a town not only removed from the rest of the country by great distances but seemingly removed from time as well. Things were more relaxed and carefree here. The hustle and bustle of life in post World War II America was not the guiding factor here. People felt the change in climate and attitude as they fished the warm gulf waters and watched the breeze sway the palm trees. They saw sights that one didn’t see elsewhere in America, like sail-powered fishing boats and old Don Chencho plodding along the sandy streets on his mule cart.

The visitors of those days gone by brought memories of a wonderful old fishing port, steeped in history, back home with them and became unofficial ambassadors for the town. As the word spread, the town grew and some of the elements of the old seaport passed into time, like the old welcome sign.

Today’s welcome sign lends the impression of a community on the rise, and someday it too will only be a memory in someone’s photographs of a fantastic visit to the Point.

Rod Bates writes about the history of the Laguna Madre area for Island Breeze on Sundays. To experience more history, visit Bates at the Rio Bravo Gallery at 107 E. Tarnava St., a half block south of the Lighthouse Square in Port Isabel.