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SANIBEL - CAPTIVA FLORIDA ISLAND HISTORY
Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico
Agent Andy Gelberg presents AN EXCITING HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE ISLANDS OF SANIBEL AND CAPTIVA florida......a pirates bounty of romantic intrigue and adventure
"Seashell Capital of the World" has always been synonymous with  the barrier islands of Sanibel florida and its sister island Captiva, located in the Gulf of Mexico, three miles from its mainland, Fort Myers, Florida, with Tampa to its north and Naples to its south. The crescent shaped Sanibel Island is about 12 miles long and 2 miles wide at its center. Captiva Island is about 6 miles long and about 1/3 mile wide at it's center. In 1921 Captiva Island was as wide as Sanibel Island, but over the years several severe hurricanes eroded Captiva Island to its current size. Captiva Island has several marinas and many magnificient Gulf and Bayfront homes. Unlike most islands Sanibel lies east to west in the Gulf of Mexico, not north to south and thus its unique geology acts as a scoop during each high tide and gathers up an abundant assortment of colorful sea shells, over 400 different species, along its beaches. There is a new batch of shells that are brought in at high tide each and every day. Visitors come from all over the world to hunt the beautiful white sandy beaches for that special shell, all the while enjoying an average ambient temperature of 75 degr ees fahrenheit. Visitors from around the world find the Florida Island of Sanibel enchanting and find Captiva Island, well...."Captivating." 
Sanibel Island and Captiva Island feature a history rich in intrigue, PIRATE LORE and ROMANTIC ADVENTURE. Historians believe that Sanibel and Captiva islands were formed as one island in the 1400’s as sediment rose up from the Gulf of Mexico after being shaped by centuries of hurricane activity.
Historians cite that in 1513 famous Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon is believed to have discovered Sanibel Island while on his search for the “fountain of youth.” He named this new island “Santa Isabella” after Queen Isabella of Spain, who financed his explorations. The Spaniards were unsuccessful in establishing any type of settlement on Sanibel due to being under constant attack from the indigenous and extremely fierce Calusa Indians. However, legend has it that the islands of Sanibel and Captiva were soon to become a haven for infamous and villainous pirates, namely a most notorious pirate by the name  of Jose Gaspar. During his reign on the islands, in the early 1800’s, it was rumored that he buried stolen treasure here from the many ships that he plundered in the Gulf of Mexico. He then built a prison on the “Isle de los Captives”, or Captiva Island, where he kept his female prisoners “captive” for ransom. The pirate Jose Gaspar was captured in 1821 by the U.S. Navy. Rather than face imprisonment in the “Graybar Hotel”, he wrapped himself in chains and jumped overboard to his death.
Later came Florida's Seminole Indians[Seminole means "wild people"] who did not take kindly to the Spaniards that were trying to colonize Sanibel and Captiva Islands. The Indian wars began and were brutal by any standard as 1,500 U.S. soldiers were killed. The Seminoles discouraged any permanent settlements in Florida for many decades, until in 1845 Florida was admitted to the Union and became the 27th State. After the Civil War the military increased its presence here and as a result the islands were then secured and deemed safe for settlers. In 1870 the U.S. Government ruled that Sanibel would become a lighthouse reservation to protect ships from running aground on the island at night, and on August 20, 1884, the Sanibel Lighthouse was first lit and remains a historic working lighthouse to this day.
 As wealthy industrialists from the north came to Sanibel and Captiva in the late 1800’s, notables such as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford discovered the balmy climate and fishing paradise of close-by Fort Myers Florida. Soon they made their way, by boat, to Sanibel and Captiva and discovered that rest and relaxation in the sunny climate and were greeted by white sandy beaches and the beautiful azure hues of the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1928 a ferry service was started, connecting Fort Myers to Sanibel and a new source of revenue emerged….hospitality. As word spread of these wonderful islands other famous people started visiting Sanibel and Captiva islands, frequent visitors included Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh, President Teddy Roosevelt and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.
One of the islands most influential visitors was Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, who came here in 1935. He was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist and conservationist. During his early years he actively campaigned for Federal protection of the islands fragile ecosystem. In 1945, more than 6,300 acres of mangrove, bay and estuary became the world famous J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Preserve, and today is home to more than 300 species of birds, 50 species of reptiles and amphibians, and more than 30 types of mammals.
Drawn by its now-famous Florida beaches, shelling, fishing and wildlife encounters Sanibel and Captiva’s reputation as “sanctuary islands” attracted more and more visitors, so in 1963 the Sanibel Causeway bridges were built connecting Fort Myers to Sanibel, and that soon changed the face of the islands. Many were concerned that Sanibel would succumb to over development and potentially lose its charm and natural heritage, so in 1974 Sanibel formed it’s own government and became a city, allowing residents to control their own destiny in preserving the Islands.
Serving the Islands of Sanibel and Captiva a scant 30 miles away in Fort Myers is the Southwest Florida International Airport, coded FMY, for air travelers and hosting all major airlines. Easily navigable thoroughfares and bridges bring you to the Islands of Sanibel and Captiva, gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.
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