The history of Sanibel Islands and
Captiva Islands is full of captivating, fascinating and fewtimes beyond
the imagination sagas. Tales of notorious pirates, well-known Spanish
Explorers and valiant pioneers are abound on these beguiling southwest
Florida barrier islands. Forming thousands of years ago as one island,
centuries of storms have cut the island in two forming what we know
nowadays as the Sister Islands of Sanibel & Captiva.
1st to inhabit these islands located on
the Lee county coast were the Calusa Indians. The Calusa are well-known
to have occupied Sanibel and Captiva islands
as long as 2500 years ago. The Sanibel island natives were living green
thousands of years before it became fashionable. With whelks, oysters,
clams, conchs as well as hundreds of species of fish the islands give an
abundance of foods for the seafood rich diet of the Calsua. After
carving the foods from the shells the Indians would form skillfully
crafted tools from them. They too used the shells to create shell mounds
which were utilized for high ground to place their huts upon, providing
security from high storm tides. Few shell mounds actually still remain
intact to this day.
The Calusa lived a relatively peaceful
living until around 1513 when explorer Juan Ponce de Leon stumbled
across the islands while seeming for the fountain of youth. He named the
islands Santa Isybella after Queen Isabella. Ponce de Leon tried for a
lot of years to wipe out the Calusa until around 1523 when he was
shoting with an arrow while battling the Indians and died. Although the
Spanish were unsuccessful in establishing a permanent settlement on the
islands they were successful in wiping out the Calusa. European illness
such as yellow fever, tuberculosis, & measles, rendered the Calusa
population all but extinct by the late 1700s.
Pirates were too known to have called
Sanibel & Captiva home. Few say that the islands were home to
notorious pirates such as Jose Gaspar. It is said that Gaspar build a
prison on Captiva where he stored his female prisoners he was holding
for ransom. It is too rumored that Gaspar buried a massive stolen
treasure somewhere on Sanibel. Gaspar terrorized these tropical waters
until 1821 when he was captured by the Navy. He could not bare the
thought of imprisonment so he jumped off the Navy ship & was
believed to have drowned.
The islands remained quiet for more than a
few decades as indian raids kept most settlers & fishermen scared
away. In 1870 the government decided that Sanibel would turn out to be a
lighthouse reservation. Fourteen years later in 1884 the Sanibel
lighthouse was first lit and actually is still operable to this very
day. Within fifteen years of the lighthouse being build pioneers were
starting to flock to sanibel. Well maybe not flock but their were 40
families living in the area that is now known as older Sanibel.
Eventually wealthy citizens from up north
like Thomas Edison & Henry Ford discovered that Southwest Florida
is paradise. The Southwest Florida islands would not be a secret much
lengthy. Following the wealthy industrialists south were an array of
citizens from each walk of life. Eventually the Casa Ybel Resort was
build to house visitors & tourists from the north seeking the sun,
sand and sea. But as everybody who visits Sanibel and Captiva island
know once you come you will never want to leave. With all the public
from the north wanting to call the islands a permanent home a school had
to be built. Sanibel citizens built their 1st school house in 1892 and
it can still be viewed at the Sanibel Historic Village.
Sanibel island offers a number of
activities for its visitors which includes fishing, shelling, wildlife
tour and much more. Find a boat charter company that provides
knowledgeable guides to enhance your experience. If you’re planning an
upcoming island vacations in Southwest Florida. Sanibel Island a great place for families with young children.
