August, 2009
Pine Island Sound, History, Legend and Folklore
By John Paeno
Town of Survey
In 1539 the Calusa were here to meet Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon had thoughts of conquering
the Calusa and establishing a colony where they were (Mound Key). The Calusa controlled all of south
Florida. This was the center of the Calusa world and the Calusa did not tolerate intruders. The Spanish
were ambushed and he was struck by an arrow (thrown from an atlatl or throwing stick) in the thigh and
gave up the battle and retreated back to Cuba where he died within weeks from infection. In the 1870’s
the government decided it was a great place to pitch camp for their surveyors. This place had a mineral
spring and the Indians legends said it had healing powers. This legend could have been linked to the
Cuban refugee Indians that believed the Fountain of Youth was here. At one point in the 1500s the
Cacique of the Calusa (Sequene/Caalos on Mound Key) had so many Cuban refugees here he had to make
a village of them and it was said that they tried to bathe in every little bit of water they could find,
including puddles. The Calusa made fun of them (Fontaneda). The surveyors eventually left the site but
the name of Survey stuck (and became the town of Survey) and the stream that ran through it became
known as Surveyor’s Creek. A few families came here during the 1800s but not much happened until
around the turn of the century 1900. Citrus started booming and homesteaders moved in. In 1910 the
Eagle Hotel was operating for hunting and fishing tourists. In 1912, 70 students were enrolled in the
public schools. Then a man from Tennessee decided to develop the site and the name Survey did not have
enough appeal, so they renamed the site Bonita Springs. The river name changed and became the
Imperial. The roads at the time were pretty useless so the best way to get there was by boat, but then
Barron Collier decided he wanted to expand so he extended his railroad to Bonita Springs in 1925. The
Tamiami Trail came through in 1928 and Fiddler-ville (called that because of the millions of fiddler crabs
on the beach) became Bonita Beach. Few people know it but this is also where the first Shell Factor was
started (Bonita Springs Historical Society).
Today Bonita Springs is a thriving community of about 48,000 out of season residents and
approximately 68,000 in season. It has great beach front and old Florida river front. The newest addition
is the Riverside Park with the renovated Liles Hotel and renovated bungalows and water tower. The park
is perched right on the Imperial River and next to one of the area’s major attractions Everglades Wonder
Gardens (native plants and animals like alligators and cougars). The park has docks, kayak launches,
wilderness river trails, and areas to fish. You can watch the manatee in season from the river platform.
You can also catch live music and entertainment at the park bandstand or visit the art shops in the
renovated bungalows. There is a nice little walking trail and foot bridge over the river for a breathtaking
nature walk. After that you can stop across the park for a great little meal at the Survey Café and now you
will know why they call it that.
Calusa Ghost Tours at 239-938-5342 or HYPERLINK
"mailto:calusaghosttours@comcast.net"calusaghosttours@comcast.net On the web at HYPERLINK
"http://www.calusaghosttours.com"www.calusaghosttours.com or HYPERLINK
"http://www.calusabackwater.com"www.calusabackwater.com or HYPERLINK
"http://www.youtube.com"www.youtube.com and search calusajohn