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July 1, 2011

Letters to the Editor Open Letter To All Padre Island Residents 
 The Island United Political Action Committee has just completed its fourth year and what we set out to do is working. In May, the Island voted successfully for the Mayor and four City Council members who were endorsed by the PAC. This does make a difference at the City Council when there are issues going on that effect our Island. 
Thank you to all who participated in the election process and for voting: Precincts 40, 81 and voters in Precinct 19 who are eligible to vote in Corpus Christi elections. The Island’s percentage of registered voters who actually vote is about double what it is in other areas of the city, but we need to do better and we are capable of an even larger turnout at the polls.
On behalf of the IU-PAC, we want to thank all of our Board of Directors for serving. Our Annual Meeting held June 22, 2011 re-elected Board members William Brendel MD, J. J. Hart, Skip Greenstreet, Pam Maupin and John Vaughn. In addition, William Goldston, P.E. was elected to serve a two year term. Continuing to serve on the Board are Steve Horton, Shawn McGregor, Colleen McIntyre, Bill Schroeder and Dan Winship. Newly elected officers for 20112012 are Dan Winship, President; J. J. Hart, Vice President; Pam Maupin, Secretary and John Vaughn, Treasurer. A special thanks to Nita Smith who served on the Board the last two years.
Island residents are welcomed at our open Board Meetings, forums and fundraisers. We are interested in your opinions and visions for our Island and we thank you for your continued support. 
 Dan Winship, President, Island United Political Action Committee

A5

Island Moon

Art for the Ark

Please support our upcoming fundraiser by reporting our 5 day event in Port Aransas. Louis Garcia is a local artist who decided to host 67 artists donating original works of art. The art will hang in Coffee Waves, 1007 State Hwy 361, Port Aransas, TX from 6 am this Thursday June 30 to Monday July 5 at 11 pm. Friends of the ARK, the non-profit 501 (c) (3) that raises money for the ARK will be on hand from 6 am - 10pm on Thursday and 6 am - 11pm FridayMonday.

End of the Day The sun has gone down behind the dunes. It has been a great afternoon. I wish it wasn’t ending just yet. Sunset is coming, with it goes the light and the end of the day. The tide is coming in. Will the waves gently lap at my toes before the light fades away? Elizabeth “Beth” Garrett Queen Dolphina Royalty of the Third Coast Friend to all the Sea Creatures

Truck Stuck in Sand Gets a Helping Hand

Mystery Person of the Fortnight The mystery person last issue was the German Fraulein Angela Amaral. You can find her serving signature martinis and the occasional German beer at the Office Lounge. Stop in and wish her Guten Tag!

Editor, Yesterday when I came home from work I saw a cable truck digging itself deeper and deeper in the sand on Leeward. This morning our waste truck did not hesitate to help these guys getting the truck out of the sand. First he tried to pull, then he pushed and got the cable truck free. It was nice to see people help people.

Who Are the Moon Monkeys

Evelyn Pless-Schuberth

Just Say No RE: Beach Vending Why? Do we not already have enough trash down there now? Check out the dumpsters behind out local restaurants (who pay enormous taxes and insurance) and then picture that blowing around at the beach. Really? Seriously? There are already two restaurants right on the beach for our tourists’ convenience.

Mike Ellis, Founder Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Dana Pope Office Lisa Towns Classifieds Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft Tracy Stoffel Contributing Writers (In no particular order) Devorah Fox Sunny Reed Mary Craft Chris Adler Maybeth Christiansen Dr. Tom Dorrell Kendal Ezell Jay Gardner Diane Halfety Todd Hunter Mike (Murph) Murphy Ronnie Narmour Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Andre LaVoy Patrick Lewis Miles Merwin Office Security/Spillage Control Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Padre Island Moon The Island Moon is published every other Wednesday, Dale Rankin, Editor. Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses. Mailed subscriptions are available in the US and are $100 per year. Next day home delivered subscriptions are $100 per year on Padre Island and in Flour Bluff. News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left in the Moon tray at Isle Mail & More, 14493 S P I D. For more information call 361-949-7700 or contact the Moon at 15201 S Padre Island Dr., Suite 250, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 or by e-mail to editor@islandmoon.com.

Trivia Question of the Fortnight

If this door is opened to food vending, it will quickly escalate to other ventures, and our beautiful beach will soon look like a trash flea market. No - we do not want to be like Florida or California. People come to Port Aransas because we are different and unique and that’s why we all love Port Aransas!

Last Fortnight’s Question: What member of a famous sewing machine family lived on the island, and where? Singer Treasure on Padre Island Though his name was famous for business and invention, John Singer was an adventurer. His younger brother, Isaac Merritt Singer, created a fortune when he improved upon the sewing machine in 1851 and started the Singer Sewing Machine Company. But of gadgets and inventions, John Singer had no interest. While his brother was tinkering with not only the sewing machine, but also other inventions, such as a rock driller, back in New York City, John was exploring the coast of Texas.

Come on city leaders - please stop pushing your own agendas and start thinking about we-the-locals who elected you! And to my fellow Port Aransas - we need to be paying attention and speaking up before they slide it through, and its too late. Just say no to beach vending.

Port Aransas

Boy Scouts He first arrived in Texas around 1847, along with his 23 year-old New Orleans-born wife, Johanna Shaw Singer, and their children. Upon their arrival, John could see that Point Isabel and Corpus Christi were important supply stations and the family quickly established a shipping business in Port Isabel Beginning with a three-masted schooner called the Alice Sadell. Padre Island

Padre Island Atomic Testing The television show, “How States Got Their Shapes” mentioned in a recent broadcast that Padre Island was once in consideration for the site of the first nuclear test. We all know they chose the White Sands missle range in New Mexico to be the site of the first atomic bomb, so I have the following question? What was Padre Island like during World War II and what can you tell us about Padre Island being under consideration as the site of the first atomic bomb? Wayne Mastalski

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t. ~Erica Jong

The Singers built a new home on the foundation of Balli’s old house and renamed the ranch Las Cruces. There, they operated a cattle ranch and invested in real estate, buying and selling land on Padre and Brazos islands. At some point, John also invested $500 into his brother’s Singer Sewing Machine Company, for which he is said to have profited handsomely from. Mrs. Singer also had a large garden where she grew vegetables that once ripe; she took to Port Isabel in a skiff to sell. At some point, Singer was appointed wreck master of the island, a position which allowed him to profit from salvaged materials. During this time, the family came across a number of Spanish coins while scouring the beach and one tale alleges they came across a wooden chest containing about $80,000 in jewelry and coins. Singer is said to have kept the bulk of his found treasure, as well as his earnings, in a large sand dune which he called “money hill.”

Sally Marco

The leaders and scouts of BSA Troop 949 worked hard to wash over 70 cars in May to raise money for their upcoming summer trip to Camp Alexander in the Colorado Pike National Forest. These boys proudly uphold the Scout Oath and Scout Law and fulfill the vision of the Boy Scouts of America by becoming responsible, participating citizens and future leaders of our community and our country. If you are interested in supporting our Island BSA Troop and contributing to their summer camp fundraising goal, please send your tax-deductible donation c/o: Scoutmaster Scott Howell, BSA Troop 949, 13826 Hawknest Bay, Corpus Christi, Texas 78418. Make your check payable to BSA Troop 949.

Ranch from the Padre José Nicolás Ballí estate, which had been awarded to Balli in 1829 by a Mexican Land Grant.

Unfortunately, that first year of business would not be a good one for the family. As John captained the Alice Sadell from the harbor at Port Isabel, the ship encountered bad weather. New to the job and not yet an experienced seaman, Singer was sure that the storm would blow over. However, as the winds grew stronger and the waves began to lap over the deck of the boat, he decided he needed to head toward land. The winds helped, as he navigated towards Padre Island, but rather than land safely, the schooner was smashed into the coast. Singer, along with his wife, four children, and a hired hand all survived. From the wrecked schooner, they then set about salvaging the materials and supplies from the boat and while they lived in a tent made of the salvaged canvas sails, they built a small house and crude furnishings from driftwood and wreckage from the boat. Though stranded, they fell in love with the island, and when a rescue vessel finally arrived, they refused to leave. John soon built a small boat that allowed him to travel back and forth to the mainland, where he purchased a few head of cattle. The family also subsisted on fishing and a small garden that Mrs. Singer planted. The Singers not only survived, but prospered and four years later, in 1851, they bought the old Santa Cruz

By the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, the Singer family had grown to include seven children and the family had amassed a fortune in collected treasure, including Spanish coins, silver bars, and jewelry. The Singer’s Las Cruces Ranch was located near the strategic Brazos Santiago pass, and this, coupled with the fact that the Singers were known Union sympathizers, they were soon ordered off the island. Forced to leave their cattle and other belongings behind, the Singers buried their collected treasure, estimated to have been valued at $60,000-$80,000 at the time. The Singers then lived at Flour Bluff, south of Corpus Christi before moving to Brazos Island. In the meantime, Federal troops occupied their Las Cruces ranch, subsisting on the Singer cattle. Finally, when the war was over, the Singers were allowed to return to Padre Island, only to find that their house had been torn down by the Union sailors and used for firewood. Furthermore, the island had been hit by a hurricane during his absence and as he searched for “money hill,” it was not to be found. Wind, water, and shifting sand had erased the landmarks and changed the entire landscape of the island. When Mrs. Singer died in 1866, John first went to Honduras for a time before returning, collecting his family, and moving to New Orleans. Singer returned to Padre Island on at least two occasions with his oldest son, Alexander, trying again to find “money hill” and the buried treasure. However, he failed. John Singer died, an impoverished man in Mississippi in 1877, without the treasure ever having been recovered. Though several visitors to the island claimed to have discovered the Singer and Balli homesteads, calling them the “Lost City,” in the mid 1900’s, verification of these discoveries were never made. Today, many believe that the lost cache remains on the island somewhere at the southern most tip. Other tales say that Singer also buried another cache between two small oak trees.


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