Monday, November 3, 2014

Interesting Things About Naples Florida History

By Jony Mozen


Naples history is relatively short but interesting. This lovely town was founded in the late 1880s, by John Stuart Williams and Walter N. Haldeman. You will find more about Naples Florida history if you visit one of beautiful museums built here, and there you will be able to see numerous photographs and other documents saved from this period. Here are some historic facts Naples Florida archives still save, and you might find interesting.

This all area was once inhabited by the Caloosa Indians. The first settlers, Roger Gordon and Joe Wiggins, came here in the late 1860s. The whole area was mainly swampland, but there were some people who believed that it can become prosperous. Some even considered this bay more beautiful than the one in Naples, Italy, and that's how the town got its name.

John S. Williams was the senator of Kentucky, but also the general of Confederate Army, before that. His friend and business partner Walter Haldeman owned the Louisville Courier Journal. They were both visionaries, and shared the idea of one unusually designed, prosperous town placed in this beautiful environment. Their company was named the Naples Company.

Thanks to these two visionaries, six hundred feet long T-shaped pier was built, and that was the beginning of tourism in this area. Wealthy tourists started to come. For the next thirty years or so, only a few families used this area as their winter resort. The problem was in very poor roads leading there, as well as in the fact that there was no railway.

Another visionary, Barron Collier, made the next important step. He bought over million acres of swampland and spent great deal of money in building the paved highway called Tamiami Trail. It was called so because it connected two cities, Tampa and Miami. Collier understood the importance of good roads and trains, and the whole county was named after him.

The first passenger train came here in 1927, in January 7. The train was called the Orange Blossom Special. The last train left this area in 1971. The Depot is now restored and used by numerous community organizations. Every day at noon, the train whistle can still be heard, just as it was for years.

The first bank was established here in 1949, on Fifth Avenue. The first library was opened in 1932. In 1945 there were only seventeen telephones in the city. Numerous celebrities were seen here during these years, including Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper, for example. Thomas Edison also spent some time here.

In 1932, famous Charles Lindbergh landed his plane here, accompanied by his wife, Ann, to get some supplies for their holidays. They were spending some time in this area. During the Second World War, hundreds of pilots were trained here for combat flying. After the war, the civil airport was established in 1953.

After the Second World War, this town finally started to grow and prosper. Today, this really is one of the richest towns not only in Collier County. This i the area with the largest percentage of millionaires. Tourism is still the most important thing here, but there are also real estate, banking and other important industries.




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