Captiva Island - Captiva, Florida
Posted by: 
BoomersOTR
N 26° 28.994 W 082° 11.006
17R E 382048 N 2929743
Barrier island located north of Sanibel Island, Florida.
Waymark Code: WMZ6X4
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 09/20/2018
Views: 3
"On CAPTIVA ISLAND (Sp., captive), 16 m. (45 pop.), reached by a bridge, are a Government lighthouse and quarantine station. According to legend, the pirate Gasparilla imprisoned captured girls here, hence the name. Captiva Island, however, was listed on maps before the pirate is credited with coming to Florida. President Theodore Roosevelt came here often for deep-sea fishing. A giant devilfish, or manta, measuring 30 feet across and weighing more than 2 tons, was landed by him after an all-day battle. Nearly 50 steel-jacketed .30 caliber bullets were fired into the creature before it was beached on a small island in Blind Pass, which was afterwards called Devilfish Key; Roosevelt Beach here was named for the President. The WPA Guide to Florida, 1939"
The write-up in the American Guide Book may contain some inaccurate statements. First being there is no lighthouse and quarantine station on Captiva Island. These are located north of here on Gasparilla Island. President Roosevelt did fish in this area, however, Devilfish Key is also located north of Captiva just east of Gasparilla Island.
Today Captiva Island is home to multi-million dollar mansions, restaurants, gift shops, watercraft shops and the famous South Seas Resort.
Book: Florida
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 484
Year Originally Published: 1939
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