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History of Sanibel & Captiva
Islands, Florida
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
feature a history rich in intrigue and adventure.
From native Indians, to Spanish explorers, infamous
pirates and brave pioneers, the islands have many a
fascinating tale to tell.
Historians believe that Sanibel
and Captiva were formed as one island about six
thousand years ago, as sediment that rose from the
sea after being shaped by centuries of storm
activity.
Dating as far back as 2,500
years, the native Calusa Indians were the
first-known residents of the island. The Calusa
skillfully transformed the waterways around the
island into abundant riches of food and tools.
Whelks, conchs, clams, oysters, and other seafood
were used for food, and their empty shells were
crafted into tools. The Calusa proved to be skilled
builders and craftsmen, perching their huts high
atop shell mounds to provide protection from storm
tides. Some of their shell mounds, which were also
used for ceremonial, ritual and burial sites, remain
intact today.
Famous explorer Juan Ponce de
Leon is believed to have discovered Sanibel Island –
which he named “Santa Isybella” after Queen Isabella
-- in 1513 while searching for his “Fountain of
Youth.” He and his Spanish seamen battled the
hostile Calusas for years, and Ponce de Leon
eventually suffered a fatal arrow attack at their
hands in 1523, at which time he retreated to Cuba
and died.
The Spanish were unsuccessful in
establishing any kind of permanent settlement.
However, their infiltration introduced European
disease and slavery to Sanibel, and overcome by
yellow fever, tuberculosis, and measles, the Calusa
population all but became extinct by the late 1700s.
Legend has it that the barrier
islands soon became a haven for infamous pirates.
“The Buccaneer Coast” attracted the notorious Jose
Gaspar to the region in the early 1800s, where it
was rumored that he buried his stolen treasure on
Sanibel, and then built a prison on “Isle de los
Captivas,” or Captiva Island, where he kept his
female prisoners “captive” for ransom. Gaspar
himself was captured in 1821 by the U.S. Navy, but
wrapped himself in chains and jumped overboard off
his ship, rather then face imprisonment.
Indian raids from the Seminole
Wars kept settlers and fisherman at bay and
discouraged any permanent settlements on Sanibel for
several decades. Although Florida was admitted into
the Union in 1845 as the 27th state, it
was only after the country’s Civil War that
increased military activity was able to secure the
area and deem the island safe for settlers. In
1870, the U.S. Government ruled that Sanibel would
become a lighthouse reservation and, on August 20,
1884, the
Sanibel Lighthouse was first lit, and
remains a working lighthouse to this day.
Pioneer settlement on Sanibel
centered around Point Ybel, which is now considered
“Old Town Sanibel.” This area near the lighthouse
was once the center of island activity, where most
of Sanibel’s early pioneers passed through. By
1889, there were 21 houses and 40 families living on
Sanibel. In 1892, with a population nearing 100,
Sanibel built its first schoolhouse, which visitors
can now see displayed at the Sanibel Historical
Village.
As wealthy industrialists from
the north, such as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford,
discovered the balmy climate and fishing paradise of
Fort Myers, they also made their way to unbridged
Sanibel Island for rest and relaxation. In the late
1880s, the beautiful Casa Ybel Resort – originally
known as “The Sisters” – began their tradition of
gracious hospitality to travelers seeking sun, sand
and sea.
In 1928, the Kinzie brothers
constructed docks at the east end of Sanibel, and
ferry service provided transport to the island for
the next 35 years. Sea captains and farmers quickly
started to homestead the island. In addition to
“Old Town,” a village developed at Wulfert (near
today’s “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge)
where settlers planted grapefruit, watermelon and
vegetable farms. Inventor Clarence Chadwick
converted most of Captiva into a key lime
plantation; today, Chadwick’s plantation is the site
of the 330-acre South Seas Resort.
Agriculture took a hard hit with
the hurricanes of 1921 and 1926; the first of which
split the island in two, the latter which featured a
14-foot storm surge that completely flooded all
low-lying areas. Island agriculture never
recovered, but in its place, a new source of revenue
emerged: hospitality.
Famous Americans continued to
seek a tranquil retreat on the islands. Charles
Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
frequently visited; in fact, Anne wrote her famous
“Gifts from the Sea”” while vacationing on
Captiva. President Teddy Roosevelt and poet Edna
St. Vincent Millay also came to visit.
Regarded as one of the islands’
most influential visitors, Jay Norwood “Ding”
Darling first discovered Sanibel on a trip in 1935.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist and
noted conservationist, “Ding” wintered on Captiva
for years to come, and actively campaigned for
federal protection of the island’s fragile
ecosystem. In 1945, more than 6,300 acres of
mangrove, bay and estuary became the
J.N. “Ding” Darling
National Wildlife Refuge,
and today is home to more than 300 species of birds,
50 species of reptiles and amphibians, and more than
30 types of mammals.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s,
Sanibel and Captiva’s reputation as sanctuary
islands attracted more and more visitors. Drawn by
its now-famous Florida
beaches,
shelling,
fishing,
and wildlife,
visitors arrived via a half-hour ferry ride from
Fort Myers. Many stocked up for the week at
Bailey’s General Store, which is still a mainstay of
the island today.
The Sanibel Causeway was
completed in 1963, and soon threatened to change the
face of the island. Many were afraid that the
island would succumb to over-development and lose
its charm and natural heritage. Eleven years later,
Sanibel formed its own city government, allowing
residents to control their own destiny in preserving
the island. Land use restrictions enacted in 1974
continue to guide growth and development today,
ensuring that generations of families will be able
to continue to enjoy the special ambience and quiet
harmony that Sanibel and Captiva Islands have to
offer. |
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