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More History of Marco Island

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Fast facts

The initial phase of the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) began in 1915 by Lee County, and bogged down due to lack of financing and technical problems when the link from Fort Myers to Naples was completed.

In 1921, enter the New York millionaire Barron Gift Collier, who made his winter home on Useppa Island, which he owned (he moved to Florida permanently in 1926). Collier quietly began buying Florida land, acquiring just over a million acres in Lee and Hendry Counties. He teamed up with Marco Island activist Tommie Barfield to persuade the state legislature to divide enormous Lee County and allow him to name the southern portion (which he mostly owned by then) for himself. In return, he undertook the completion of the Tamiami Trail from Naples to the Dade County line, and began this operation almost immediately.

The amazing tale of this engineering endeavor has filled many history pages. During the ensuing seven years of construction, the Collier enterprises used labor from Florida, the Caribbean and the entire Southeastern U.S., and had to house, clothe, feed and care for all these people. The logistics alone were staggering: goods and equipment were transported by truck, rail, ship and even wagon teams of oxen. Huge storage warehouses were needed, security personnel had to patrol the entire road as it progressed and communications were pressed into remarkable use.

The crews employed incredible amounts of dynamite to blast the roadbed through Florida limestone, and also had to contend with sand, swamp, trees and thick undergrowth. Gasoline stations were established every 10 miles and also provided food and drink for work crews. One of these buildings survives today at the junction of SR 92 and the Trail, known as Royal Palm Hammock.

In the joining of the two highways at the Dade County line, it was found that the Collier experts were on target, and the Dade County engineers had to change their roadbed to conform to plans.

After the Trail’s completion in 1928, there was a huge two-day celebration in Everglades, the county seat (now Everglades City), with a county fair, dazzling fireworks and a 200-car motorcade. The entire Seminole tribe was invited.

At the time, because of road bonds, Collier County’s indebtedness amounted to over $1.6 million — by 1943, the figure was down to $382,000, leading the state to hail the county as an example of fiscal probity and encourage other Florida counties to emulate Collier.

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Marion Nicolay and Betsy Perdichizzi of the Marco Island Historical Society are compiling this report on a weekly basis for the Eagle. Shirley Beckwith oversees the archiving of photos for MIHS.