If I could erase one phrase from the Naples playbook, it would be “sleepy fishing village.”
Sleepy means “sluggish,” and “fishing village” represents a community dependent on the fishing trade. A Google search of that three-word term will bring up towns and cities around the world that clever promoters love to describe as former sleepy fishing villages that thankfully, they gush, have overcome that sad condition and are now drenched in glam and fabulousness.
The fact is, the town of Naples started out in the 1880s as a retreat for millionaires (billionaires by today’s standards) who had the wherewithal to build a fine hotel and one of America’s most prestigious sporting clubs. They built two-story vacation homes. They put in a lush beachfront golf course, where Charles Lindberg reportedly landed his plane to visit friends. They stayed all winter or visited often because they could afford to. In 1889, acting first lady of the United States Rose Cleveland was the first guest at the posh Naples Hotel, followed by a who’s who of politicians, industrialists, and movie stars the likes of Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper.
By the mid-1920s, Barron G. Collier was building a utopian new town called Everglade, with a wide boulevard and an imposing neoclassical courthouse. His exclusive Rod & Gun Club was soon dubbed the hideaway for presidents. Meanwhile, the Orange Blossom Special launched its route between New York and Miami, stopping at the Naples Depot to drop off wealthy vacationers. They all came to enjoy the weather and the beach and to fish and hunt with native guides. Were those hard-working Seminoles, gladesmen, and ranchers “sleepy?” I think not.
They were hardly sleepy a century before that, when the Seminoles and Miccosukee outsmarted the U.S. Army and defied defeat. Nor were the gladesmen who speared alligators to feed their children or the cowmen who worked from sun up to sundown tending cattle.
Collier County Mounties
Down in the Everglades, Collier was carving a road through the swamplands to connect his new town to Naples and Miami. But there was such lawlessness along the route that he built waystations to house rough, tough, armed motorcycle cops to ensure safe passage for travelers. While the lawmen kept order on the trail, Wild West style, their wives pumped gas, served meals, and sold necessities at the waystation. As for uniforms, Collier learned of a recently closed Broadway play that had featured Canadian Mounties, so off he went to New York and bought their costumes. The fierce lawmen were proud of their high leather boots, but the pink jackets not so much. The Collier County Mounties patrolled the Tamiami Trail until 1935.
So please, as we marvel at our town’s world-class dining, beyond-fabulous fundraising galas, and glam-to-the-max hotels and boutiques, it’s worth an honest look back to discover the rich tapestry of our anything-but-sleepy past.
EXPLORE
Collier County Museums
Free exhibits and programs at five locations.
Naples Historical Society
Field trips and programs for schoolchildren, Palm Cottage walking and house tours, and free family days.
Everglades City
The town that Barron Collier built.
Cattle Drive and Jamboree
March 9, 2024
A ceremonial roundup of 100 head of cattle and procession from Main Street, Immokalee, to Roberts Ranch. The colorful, family-friendly event includes storytelling, roping, and whip-cracking demonstrations, traditional food, music, and crafts.