Over a thousand years ago a powerful storm sliced through the barrier island, creating Blind Pass and separating Captiva and Sanibel Islands.

The Calusa Indians were the first known inhabitants of Captiva. In the 1500s the Spanish explored the island and adjoining Gulf.  The 1800s brought the Cuban fishermen who populated the waters around Captiva. By the early 1900s the Island supported flourishing farms and citrus groves.

In the early years of the 20th Century, visitors discovered the virtues of the island.  Whether to escape the harsh north and mid-west winters, or for the emerging sport fishing class to cast their line with the possibility to wrestle a fish that equaled them in size.

Remote, independent and bountiful, Captiva has attracted artists, writers, fishermen, celebrities, and scores of colorful island characters.  President Teddy Roosevelt, writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, artists Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein were captivated by this island paradise.