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It
is astounding that in a little over 100 years, Naples has changed from
a relatively unknown area into the well-planned and thriving city that
we know today. This "Bit of History", provides a glimpse of
Naples' past. When Florida gained its statehood in 1821, most people thought
of Southwest Florida as an area of wilderness and swampland. It was Walter
N. Halderman, owner-publisher of the Louisville Courier Journal and General
John S. Williams, a prominent Kentucky politician, who "discovered"
Naples in 1885 and promoted the area as a refuge for Northerners who would
like to escape the bitter cold winters. It is believed that the first
sunset reminded the two gentlemen of similar sunsets in Naples, Italy,
thence the name Naples came into being. We are all familiar with the beauty
and harmony of present day Naples, but the city and the state of Florida
had very humble and simple beginnings. It's earliest inhabitants were
small bands of aboriginal Indians who moved into the peninsula. Their
main diet was shell food found along the shallow water, a fact made clear
by the enormous shell mounds that are still visible today. These mounds
of shells, which are now protected, were used by the early settlers as
road building material and also for the cement that was in the early buildings
referred to as "tabby".
In 1513, Ponce de Leon recorded that he sighted sand hills and then returned
in 1517 to claim the area for Spain. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris gave
Florida to the English. Even though most of the Spaniards left for Cuba,
the remaining few intermarried with the Indians and fought during the
First Seminole War (1810). Their defeat culminated in the United States'
acquisition of Florida in 1821. It is generally believed that approximately
200 Indians, descendants of those families, are currently living in the
Everglades area and living and working in Collier County.
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For the
next 25 years, a few traders and squatters were living in and around Naples.
Records show that there were ten families living near Everglades City and
that there were two business houses in the area. The first construction
in Naples, in 1889, was the building of a 16-room hotel and the 600-foot-long
Naples Municipal Pier. The Pier enabled large boats to dock at the end,
and to become a popular place for fishing and watching the sunsets. Halderman's
family continued with the development of Naples until 1914, when E.W. Crayton
purchased the business. Under his leadership of 25 years, he turned Naples
into the beautiful and well planned city as it is today. The Naples Hotel
was expanded and became the center of the social life of the winter guests.
Around 1922, after a single lane shell road was built between Ft. Myers
and Naples, the city slowly began to grow. A 10-passenger bus traveled the
45 miles in around 5 hours, allowing time for repairing flat tires and digging
the vehicle out of the sand. A small golf course was built and was replaced
in 1932 by the Naples Golf and Beach Club which still stands today. |
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Without roads to the larger cities to the north and east, Naples was destined
to remain a small town. It was the vision of
Barron
Gift Collier, a successful advertising magnate, that would ultimately change
the future of Naples. Collier visited southwest Florida in 1911 and purchased
Useppa Island on his first visit. For the next ten years, Collier envisioned
a land of great opportunity and laid out a plan for the part he would play
in its development and potential growth. In 1921, he started to fulfill
his plan and for the next two years continued to purchase land. Collier
eventually owned over a million acres in southwest Florida. When the Florida
Legislature convened in 1923, Collier presented his plan for the new county.
He promised to provide better drainage and transportation, promote the area
for new settlers, and most importantly, to finish the uncompleted Tamiami
Trail. The Trail, which started in Tampa and continued south to Fort Myers
had no possibility of linking to the 43-mile trail in Dade County without
major funding. It was Barron Collier who provided the capital to complete
this necessary link to the East Coast.
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The impact
of World War II had a major influence on the future of Naples. With the
need of training centers for pilots, Collier County and Naples joined forces
to provide the necessary property for an airport. The service men that were
stationed at the air field experienced the relaxed life style and beautiful
weather in Naples and many returned after the war to make Naples their new
home. During the next decade, new streets, homes, beach restoration and
a mosquito control program were established. There were many families who
contributed time and money to provide recreational areas such as Cambier
Park, Caribbean Gardens, Delnor State Park, Lowdermilk Park and Fleischman
Park. The citizens by subscription, opened a full equipped and accredited
hospital. The elegant Third Street South shopping area was built. The Conservancy
was formed to preserve Briggs Nature Center and The Rookery Bay area. The
building activities of this era attracted new business such as banks, restaurants,
real estate and retail businesses. In 1970, the population in Naples was
13,000 and specialty shops closed from May 15 to October 15 with the proprietors
leaving the area. The population doubled during the winter months providing
an active social life in the few established private country clubs and private
homes with cocktail parties, dinner parties and fund raising benefits. |
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During
this growth period, the Earl Frye family moved to Naples. Frye soon joined
his friend Wes Downing and formed a real estate business. David E. Frye,
his son, continues in the family tradition as president of Downing-Frye
Realty, Inc. Downing-Frye Realty has experienced phenomenal growth and
is now the largest real estate office in Florida.
As
Naples continues to grow, new developments and golf courses abound. Third
Street and Fifth Avenue are flourishing as well as recently developed
shopping centers in North and East Naples. Stores that once closed during
the summer are now open year around. New schools are being built to keep
up with the demand of young families.
With
all the growth and changes happening in Naples, it is gratifying to know
that the image that attracted the first settlers still stands true today.
Naples continues to be a beautiful, relaxing place to live with beauty
and harmony abounding for all of us to enjoy.
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