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The Bartos Group - Your Marco Island Real Estate Expert - Call Us At (239) 394-3040
Marco Island HistoryMarco Island Information Links
History of Marco Island
A sun-drenched jewel on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, Marco Island features 6 miles of beach and over 100 miles of waterways within its 14 square miles. Marco Island is the largest Barrier Island within Southwest Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands area extending from Marco Island to Cape Sable. It lies within the subtropical to tropical climate zone and experiences a distinct wet and dry season with most of the rainfall occurring between the months of June and October. With a permanent population of 15,000 and a peak winter season population of 35,000, Marco Island’s residents and visitors alike call this special Island...Paradise. The City of Marco Island is located in Collier County, a short drive from the City of Naples. It is well known for its high quality of life, natural resources, casual atmosphere, and friendly people. The Marco Island visionaries were the Mackle Brothers -- Elliott, Robert, and Frank, Jr. They are responsible for the modern development of Marco Island, and acquired most of Marco Island for $7 million. Their company, The Deltona Corporation, developed a master plan for the Island. It was to be designed for a complete range of resort and leisure living -- hotels, motels, apartments, and extensive areas for homes. Today Marco Island is an upscale community consisting of more than 5,000 single-family residential homes, 10,000 condominium units, 2,000 hotel units, 2,500 vacant residential lots, and a pleasant mix of restaurants, retail stores, and commercial services. With over 300 new homes constructed annually, the Island is expected to be substantially developed by 2010. Before the splendor of the modern era, Marco Island was the domain of the fierce Calusa Indians and hardy pioneers. It is believed that the Calusa moved to Florida at least 4000 years ago. When Christopher Columbus set sail to explore the new world, the Calusa were flourishing along the lower Gulf coast; rich land and sea resources provided the Calusa with a plentiful food supply and raw materials for tools, shelter, and clothing. The Calusa were expert woodworkers who carved hollowed-out canoes, beams and planks for their houses, docks, and piers. Archeological finds on Marco Island revealed fine hand-carved works -- masks, animals, and even gods. The most famous discovery, a six-inch wooden panther-like figure, named Key Marco Cat, is now housed in the Smithsonian Institution. Some of Spain’s most celebrated navigators and conquistadors were eager to tackle the virgin shores of La Florida in the 1500s. A companion of Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, led the first European exploration of Florida from Puerto Rico in 1513. After rounding the Florida Keys and in search of fresh water, he is said to have made landfall on or near Caxambas at the southern end of Marco Island where the present-day Estates area is located. Two artesian springs were located near what is now known as Caxambas Pass. The Calusa lived in the hills at Caxambas high atop mounds made of discarded shells and in huts over the water at present day Old Marco Village, about five miles to the north. Shell mounds would later be discovered toward the southern end of the island. The Spaniards are credited with naming the island and its inhabitants. "Caxymbas" was noted on maps. The name Caxambas -- Indian for fresh water -- is one of the oldest place names in North America. The island became known as La Isla de San Marco and over the years became known as San Marco Island and eventually Marco Island. The early inhabitants were likely descendants of the Mayans. The Calusa were a tall, handsome people and were known for their fierce and warlike nature. Relations between the Spaniards and the Calusa were seldom friendly. Explorers were often ambushed the instant they waded ashore. In 1521 Ponce de Leon was fatally wounded by a Calusa spear. He died a few days later in Cuba. The Calusa were skilled hunters with both the spear and the bow and arrow. While they depended mainly on hunting, fishing, and food gathering, they are believed to have grown some crops. Spanish diaries indicated that the Calusa feasts usually consisted of "very good fish and oysters without anything else." Due to the diseases spread by the Spanish explorers and the slave hunters from Europe, the Calusa were annihilated by the mid 1700s. Seminole Indians later took the place of the Calusa Indians and lived in the region. The island and Southwest Florida were nearly uninhabited until after the Civil War. Hardy pioneers, willing to live on the raw mosquito-infested mangrove swamp settled the island and fished, hunted, and shipped surplus crops to Key West. While well-cultivated plantations were observed in 1824. William Thomas (W.T.) Collier is credited with the founding of Marco Island when he arrived at the north end of the island in 1870, presently Old Marco Village. However, his second son, Captain Bill, would prove to be the hardiest of all pioneers and one of the island’s most famous entrepreneurs. The Barfield family, James and his wife Tommie, would become equally spotlighted in the island history while building their lives in Caxambas, just 5 miles to the south. The Colliers shaped years of development, growth, and prosperity at the north end of the island. J. H. Doxsee opened a clam cannery in 1911 and employed as many as 150 people. Captain Bill’s greatest legacy is the lasting transformation of a sprawling home site into today’s Olde Marco Inn. It was officially opened in 1896 and remains an attractive hotel and restaurant to this day. By the early 1920s, Barron Gift Collier (no relation to W.T.) would arrive on the scene and purchase over one million acres of Southwest Florida real estate, including ninety percent of the island, which he and his heirs planned to develop. In 1962 the Mackle Brothers began to implement their vision to create a showcase island. They purchased most of Marco Island from the heirs of Barron Gift Collier. Excluded from the acquired property was the Old Marco and Highlands area, located in the center of the island. The Mackle Brothers paid $7 million for their initial interest. Later their company, The Deltona Corporation, acquired the remaining interest from the Collier heirs. The master plan called for 125 miles of paved roads and 90 miles of navigable bulkheaded waterways. Land was set aside for more than 12,000 home sites to be used for lot or housing sales; 425 acres was slated for resort hotels; 340 acres was set aside for future apartment construction; 275 for commercial development in planned business districts; 113 acres was designated for schools and churches; and 17 acres for medical facilities. They even set aside a half-mile of gulf beach for public park development under the auspices of Collier County. In addition to a golf course, the master plan called for recreational amenities, yacht clubs, marine facilities, and a country club. The Mackles officially opened modern Marco Island January 31, 1965. Following an extensive advertising campaign, particularly in Chicago, New York, Cleveland and Boston, and in Western Europe, Latin America, and the Far East, people began to pour onto the island. Thirty days following the official opening, 50,000 inquiries would flood the tiny administration office on San Marco Road where the island police and fire department stands today. The first waterways were constructed for opening day, as were the first twelve homes. Brochures listed the waterfront homes from $19,800 to $41,500 depending upon the size. Inland homes on Tahiti Road ranged in price from $14,900 to $23,500. Home sites were listed in the $2,550 range for inland lots and from $5,495 to $16,000 for waterfront sites. By 1968 the island population had grown to an estimated 1,000 people and Deltona was continually adding new home models to the market. At the end of the decade and on the eve of Marco Island’s fifth birthday there was enormous progress. Over 500 apartment units had been completed and another 172 were under construction. Emerald Beach, Sunset House, Southwind, Sea Breeze, and Sea Breeze South condominiums had bee completed. Over 9,500 home sites had been sold and recreational facilities were under construction. A new bridge spanned the Marco River -- tolls were taken when it opened on December 13, 1969, the same year that the Marco Towne Center opened. By the end of 1973 the population had jumped to an estimated 5,000 full and part-time residents. More than 700 single-family homes and 1,500 condominium units had been completed. By the mid-1970s the second bridge connecting the island with the mainland at Goodland was completed. Serious problems developed for the Mackle Brothers in 1976. Previously approved dredge and fill permits to develop Barfield Bay and Big Key, the final two phases of development, were denied by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Environmentalists and conservationists would soon take center stage and through years of litigation, compromise, and public meetings, Deltona would fight the denial all the way to the Supreme Court while teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. In an effort to raise funds for their court battles, the company proceeded to sell many undeveloped properties at bargain basement prices and began selling assets, including its prized possession, the Marco Beach Hotel and Villas, which was sold to the Marriott Corporation in 1979 for $35 million. On March 22, 1982 the Supreme Court refused a Deltona petition to overturn the court decision. The Mackles virtually turned their undeveloped holdings into nature preserves. More than 7,000 people had contracts for home sites on property that now could not be developed. Deltona had used much of the down payment cash flow to develop other parts of the island. The company immediately offered cash refunds, alternative island property, and exchanges for property in other Deltona communities. Both residential and commercial development occurred at an astonishing pace through the 1980s thereafter. By 1998 about 80% of the total potential dwelling units had been completed.
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