Chapter 3: 1923 - 1939

It was the Roaring ’20s and the time of Prohibition. Florida was experiencing a land boom — and Florida’s “last frontier” beckoned Barron Gift Collier, an advertising tycoon who had a vision to carve a new resort town out of wilderness. One of the richest men in the country, Collier bought more than 1.3 million acres in Southwest Florida and set out to develop it. He persuaded state leaders to create a new county in his name, breaking his piece of paradise off from Lee County. The Tamiami Trail opened, linking Collier County to the rest of Florida. The trains came. But trouble was lurking around the bend. Florida’s land boom went bust and the Great Depression hit.

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: The visionary Barron Gift Collier Published 4/1/2012 at 12:08 a.m. 1 comment

  Merle Harris recalls the heydays of the 1920s in Everglades City, describing them as the "mosquito days." At the time, her father worked for tycoon Barron Gift Collier, hauling freight to the growing town by boat and barge.

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: The Orange Blossom Special arrives in Naples Published 4/1/2012 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  It has been called the great train race. In 1926 and 1927, two rival railroads reached Naples 11 days apart.

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: The Tamiami Trail spans more than 274 miles Published 4/1/2012 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  The east met the west with the building of the Tamiami Trail.Opened up to traffic in Collier County on April 26, 1928, the long-anticipated highway was celebrated as the "greatest road built during the 20th century." Some have compared it ...

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: Naples' first mayor remembered as colorful, controversial Published 4/1/2012 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Naples' first mayor — remembered as a colorful and eccentric man who liked to tell tall tales — got the name Speed from his mother.Speed was his mother's maiden name — and it seemed all too fitting when at Naples' ...

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: David Copeland left mark on Collier County Updated 4/10/2012 at 2:12 p.m. 0 comments

  Barron Gift Collier made a promise.To convince state leaders to carve out a new county in his name, he promised to finish the long-awaited Tamiami Trail. The job seemed impossible. But Collier chose the right man for the job: David ...

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: Barron Gift Collier was 'ahead of his time' Published 4/1/2012 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  Barron Gift Collier — Collier County's founder — had a gift for business.He made millions in the advertising business, then poured $17 million of his own money in the 1920s into developing what he saw as Florida's last frontier.

• Lighthouse Project - Chapter Three: The Game Changers Published 4/1/2012 at 12:00 a.m. 0 comments

  People whose influence made an impact on the area.

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