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Dave, Tracey & Li'l Lizzie at Sanibel Island
Ponce de Leon discovered Sanibel and the neighboring islands in 1513 on his voyage around Florida. The Spanish called the islands "La Costa de Caracoles," or "the Coast of Seashells." The Calusa, a Native American tribe, attacked the Spanish intruders but were unsuccessful. According to Seminole lore, the Calusa still roam the Everglades as the spirit of the deer.
Jump forward a century or two and you'd find the Florida Land Company selling shares of land to prospective colonists who came to farm, but by 1837 no one remained. An 1870 census reported two people living on Sanibel, William Allen and his son George, raising castor beans. Others came, but the hurricanes in the 1920's, a railroad line to south Lee County and the Depression combined to eliminate the island’s farming industry. The advent of ferry service made the islands more accessible to visitors and today Sanibel is predominately a tourist area. The fine tourists above are from Minnesota and know how to escape the cold winters!
Visit Sanibel Island website
