ALEJANDRO ROQUE., ESQ. | IMMIGRATION & CRIMINAL LAW ATTORNEY

History of Bonita Springs

Bonita Springs has been inhabited for a long time. Archaeological findings indicate that humans were here about 8,000 years ago, and mound building began 4,000 years ago. This area was home to thousands when Ponce de Leon sailed along our shores and made contact with the Calusa Indians in 1513. Native American villages still exist, and the mounds bear witness to their centuries of wealth. However, European diseases and the slave trade devastated the once-powerful Calusa chiefdom within a few generations.

Surveyors from the Army Corps of Engineers explored isolated southwest Florida in the 1870s and set up camp near the upper Imperial River. After the team left, the region and eventually the settlement became known as "Survey," which was noted on maps. The river was nicknamed "

Survey grew from a scattering of settlers to a village over time. A post office was built in 1901, and the two-story Eagle Hotel opened in 1910, catering to travelers drawn by the area's wealth of unspoiled game and fish.

Later, developers felt that the name "Survey" was unattractive, so the town was renamed "Bonita Springs," Indian Spring Branch became "Oak River," and Surveyor's Creek became "Imperial River."

Barron Collier, looking to expand his empire, extended his Fort Myers-Southern Railroad south to cover Bonita Springs in the early 1920s. This, combined with the opening of the new Tamiami Trail in 1928, resulted in a boom in fresh land in the region. Bonita Springs was temporarily established as a city at this time.

Later, roadside attractions drew people to stop in Bonita Springs. The Everglades Reptile Gardens was the first major tourist attraction to debut in 1936. Featuring local and exotic animals, this roadside tourist attraction helped put Bonita Springs "on the map." The Everglades Wonder Gardens is one of the few remaining historical treasures of its kind in Florida. Additionally, the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track opened in the city on December 27, 1957.

For decades, Bonita Springs was a sleepy little community. But as the years went by, the rush to build began.

With the introduction of air conditioning, the construction of Interstate 75, a major nearby airport, and the new bypass of US 41, the population boom in the 1980s and 1990s brought with it shopping malls, sophisticated offices, and golf courses.

Residents chose to incorporate Bonita Springs for the second time in 1999. Today, Bonita Springs is a beautiful and thriving community with magnificent beaches, wonderful restaurants, excellent recreational facilities and stunning homes.

It's hard to believe that just over three generations ago, the origins of this successful town were a few farmers' huts beside a stream in the backwaters of nowhere - in Survey.

Fountain:

*https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonita_Springs