Bonita Springs Historical Society, Inc.
history of bonita springs, southwest florida, historic preservation, historical homes
The Bonita Springs Historical Society was formed in 1984 by a small
and dedicated group of individuals who shared an interest in discovering
and preserving the unique heritage of the area. The Society strives to build
enthusiasm about Bonita Springs, and to share historical knowledge with
the community. The members are involved in Historical Preservation on the
local and county levels.
Members receive a monthly newsletter covering all the Society's programs and events. See below for a membership form. All are welcome!
Call for open hours at the Liles Hotel History Center in Riverside Park. The 2007 (and some past years) Whitehouse Christmas ornaments will be available for purchase at $20 each.
2008 Speaker Series:
When: Second Tuesday of the month, January through April.
Where: Community Hall at 27381 Old US41, Bonita Springs, FL
Contact: Charlie Strader 239-992-9660
The Bonita Springs Historical Society will offer the public an evening series of presentations funded by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. The series will take place at the Community Hall on Old US41 from January through April beginning at 7:00 pm, with social time starting at 6:30pm. The theme of the 2008 series is, Real Florida: The History and Legacy of the Native Landscape. The society's goal is to educate and entertain the public about the historical and timely events that have shaped the culture and environment of Florida. The monthly events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 239-992-6997.
The first speaker, Gary Mormino, will appear on January 8. He is the author of, "Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida". Mormino, a professor at the University of South Florida, will present a historical perspective on pivotal events that have impacted the state. In 2006, he was awarded the Charleton Tebeau Book Award.
On February 12, Theresa Schober, Director of The Mound House on Ft. Myers Beach, will present. Schober, a noted local anthropologist, has taught at Florida Gulf Coast University and worked at the Randell Research Center on Pine Island. She will share her knowledge of archaeology as it relates to Southwest Florida native cultures.
On March 11, Dr. Michael Jepson, a marine anthropologist, will share his project on the coastal communities of Cortez and Cedar Key. The documentary and photo exhibit was a joint effort between Jepson and photographer Carlton Ward Jr. funded by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council.
Patsy West will round out the season on April 8 with a
unique presentation on the Native Seminoles with whom she has formed a close
relationship. She is the author of The "Enduring Seminoles" and
"A Seminole Legend: The Life of Betty Mae Tiger Jumper". West
writes a column for the Seminole Tribune and is the director of the Seminole/Miccosukee
Photographic Archive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The author's books will
be available for purchase.
Our programs are ambitious, encompassing meetings with local authors, professors, experts, notables in local history and related fields, and exploring the marvelous history of Southwest Florida.
Please call the Society at 239-992-6997 or 239-992-9660 for schedule and location.
Some of the many exciting Member Events scheduled throughout the year: Exhibits at the Liles Hotel in Riverside Park on Old41., Walking Tour of Historic Bonita/Picnic., Mayor of Survey, 4th of July., Historical Society Tea., Historical Tours., Dinner/Dance.
*Newly updated web photo gallery!*
Local historical images for sale!
For those looking for a unique gift or decoration, the Bonita Springs Historical Society has print and digital historical images for sale. Mostly black and white 8X10's, the photographs look beautiful framed and may have special memories to many. The cost is $10 each for a digital JPG or $35 for a mailed print. For a preview of 910 available images you may access on the web gallery of http://www.explorationsinc.com/historical/bshsphotos/. The internet scans are at a much lower resolution and size than the originals. Call Charlie Strader at 239-992-9660 or email BSHS@ExplorationsInc.com for more information.
Highlights of Bonita History
Bonita Springs has long been inhabited; in fact, since the days of prehistoric man. Recent discoveries place men in Bonita some 8000 years ago. Here are some milestones in our history:
Thousands of Calusa Indians were here when the Spanish came in 1539 looking for the Fountain of Youth. Within a couple of centuries, the once mighty Calusa Chiefdom was decimated by European diseases and slave trading. The few survivors moved to the Florida Keys and on to Cuba. Some may have been assimilated into Seminole tribes taken refuge in South Florida.
In the 1870's, government surveyors in a remote part of Southwest Florida pitched camp near a medicinal spring, which the local Indians believed could heal the sick. After the crew left, the site became know as Survey. The stream became known as Surveyor's Creek.
During the next decade only a few homesteaders moved in
the area. In 1887 a small, thatched-roof, log-walled public school was built.
In the late 1880's the population of the area more than doubled when Braxton
B. Comer bought 6000 acres of land around Survey. In 1888 he imported 50
Negro families from Alabama with mules and equipment to work his large plantation
growing pineapples, bananas, coconuts and other kinds of fruit. Once here,
they stayed in the old Surveyor's camp and called their new home Survey.
The next ten years saw a boom in the planting of citrus groves. And within a few years, Survey developed from a scattering of homesteaders into a community. In 1901, a Post Office was opened in the town of Survey, in 1910 the frame two story, Eagle Hotel was in business catering to visitors attracted to the unspoiled area's bounty of hunting and fishing. By 1912, there were 70 students from 20 families enrolled in public schools.
Also in 1912, a Tennessean named Ragsdale (a land developer and a group of investors) purchased 2400 acres around Survey. He and his associate, Dan Farnsworth, surveyed the area and laid out a small town with streets and avenues named for potential buyers. The developers decided that the name, Survey, lacked sales appeal, so the town was renamed Bonita Springs; Indian Spring Branch became the Oak River; and Surveyor's Creek was renamed to the Imperial River.
At this time, transportation was still mainly by Boat. In 1917, a barely passable road was completed between Fort Myers and Bonita Springs. In the early 1920's, Barron Collier, wanting to expand his empire, had extended his Fort Myers-Southern Railroad south to include Bonita Springs in 1925. This along with the completion of the new Tamiami Trail in 1928, brought another land boom to the area. Also one more pioneer disappeared when Fiddler-ville, so called for its millions of tiny fiddler crabs became Bonita Beach. During this same period, Bonita Springs was briefly incorporated, churches were built, saw mills flourished, there were two hotels and the Banyan tree on old 41 was planted.
Attractions also helped bring more visitors to Bonita Springs. In 1936, the Piper brothers, Bill and Lester, built an attraction displaying alligators, cougars, other wild animals and native plants. The attraction was called the Everglades Wonder Gardens. Today the gardens are one of Bonita's largest attractions. A Canadian, Harold Crant, saw the millions of shells lying, free for the taking, knee-deep in brilliantly colored windrows along the beaches and opened the Shell Factory in 1938. The factory burned down in the early 40's but was later rebuilt in North Fort Myers.
Bonita remained a quiet small town for the next three decades. But, as the years passed, the rush to build was about to start. With the development of air conditioning and the opening of I-75 and the US 41 bypass, access to the area brought shopping malls, modern office facilities and golf courses into the area. Today, Bonita Springs is an attractive affluent area with beautiful beaches, find restaurants, excellent recreational facilities and beautiful homes. It's hard to realize that, a little more then three generations ago, the roots of this thriving community were a scattering of homesteaders' shacks by a creek in the back of nowhere - a place called Survey.
Click here for a 2mb PDF slide show of images from Bonita Springs' past!
Individual & Family Membership Application
Membership Levels & Annual Dues
( ) Individual $20 ( ) Family $35 ( ) Supporter $50
( ) Patron $500 ( ) Lifetime $1000
Name __________________________________________________ Spouse _____________________
Street address ________________________________________________________ Unit # _________
City ______________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________
Phone ______________________________ E-Mail ________________________________________
Residential Community _________________________________________________________________
Notes: Membership and annual dues are tax deductible. The dues year starts and ends in November.
Five dollars of dues will be used to support the Historical Society's Preservation fund.
Please make checks payable to Bonita Springs Historical Society Inc. and mail check and application to Bonita Springs Historical Society, P.O. Box 3015, Bonita Springs, FL. 34133.
Business Membership Application
Membership Levels & Annual Dues
Note: An ad will be placed in the Historical Society's business journal for distribution at Society events and places where the Society's is represented. Please include your business card when returning this form, we will place an ad for your business in the Historical Society's commercial and business partners ad journal.
( ) Business $100 ( ) Business Patron $500
Business Name _________________________________________________________________________
Street address ________________________________________________________ Unit # _________
City ______________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________
Phone ______________________________ E-Mail _________________________________________
* Please include your business card when returning this form. We will place an ad for your business in the Historical Society's commercial and business partners ad journal.
Note: Membership feeís and annual dues are tax deductible. The dues year starts in November.
Please make checks payable to Bonita Springs Historical Society Inc. and mail check and application to Bonita Springs Historical Society, P.O. Box 3015, Bonita Springs, FL. 34133.
Below are links to other sites that may be of interest.
Links below via courtesy of the Florida
Museum of Natural History website:
Please Email us with any bad links or sites that should be included. - THANKS!
To contact, email: BSHS@ExplorationsInc.com
Wepage provided courtesy of the travel company, Explorations Inc.
Created 5/13/05. Revised 11/28/06.