Sanibel's Agricultural Past & the Arrival of the Seasonal Vacationer

Stark Sanford Carraway and Belton C. Johnson at
work in a tomato field on Sanibel, January 1912. *

Imagine driving along Sanibel-Captiva Road or East Gulf Drive and seeing acre upon acre of citrus groves and fields of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, watermelons and radishes. I would find it rather interesting, wouldn't you? You wouldn’t know it by driving around the island today, but Sanibel was a thriving farm community in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The fertile soil and lure of living on an island “paradise” was quite appealing to many people; many of the island’s pioneer families were farmers and became quite successful in their endeavors. Homes were built from lumber milled from native trees and even from palmetto fronds; several of these historic structures are still standing today at their original locations.


One of Sanibel’s most notable families, the Bailey’s, arrived in the mid-1890s. Harry, Frank and Ernest Bailey began farming soon after they settled on the island with their mother. They started the Sanibel Packing House in 1899 where they packed and loaded island produce onto steamboats bound for other parts of the country and points beyond. The packing house became Bailey’s General Store and it is still in operation today, located at the corner of Periwinkle Way and Tarpon Bay Road. You are likely to meet native sons Sam and Francis Bailey at some point when visiting the island; they are true gems full of many tales from Sanibel’s past.


As people were settling on Sanibel to farm, other entrepreneurial spirits saw the island as a mecca for travelers who longed to escape the harsh winters of the Northeast. Several lodging establishments were built to cater to visitors who arrived by ferry to enjoy the warm temperatures and clear blue Gulf waters.


The Matthews, now the Island Inn, opened in 1895 and is the oldest continually operating hotel on the island, having celebrated their centennial in 1995. Other early lodging establishments include the Tarpon House, Palm Lodge, Reed’s Landing and The Sisters, which is known today as Casa Ybel Resort.


The hurricane of 1926 flooded the island with tons of saltwater, putting an end to the agriculture industry. Farmers turned to other professions including innkeeping, commercial fishing, building trades and charter boat services as they began a new era of their lives on Sanibel.

As the popularity of wintering on Sanibel grew, condominiums were built for "snowbirds" and vacation rental agencies like Sanibel Holiday were born, providing travelers an "all-inclusive" way to find the perfect accommodation to meet their needs.


*Photo courtesy of the book Images of America: Sanibel Island by Yvonne Hill and Marguerite Jordan, copyright 2008.