Before the times of bridges, condominiums, and marinas Marco Island was divided into two different land masses; an area that is now the southernmost third of Marco and an area of about 50 acres of shell that had been raised by hand by Calusa Indians, who came to the Island at an unknown time. They disappeared around the time of the Spanish Explorers. It was this northern tip that was named Key Marco and is now known as Old Marco. What is now the center of Marco Island was a water outlet into the Gulf of Mexico until it later became a mangrove swamp.

What attracted a tribe of Paleo-Indians to Marco Island? That is a question that remains shrouded in mystery. Relatively little is known about this group of fishermen and skilled artisans who lived on Marco for more than a thousand years.

As tourists and residents of today, the Calusa were likely drawn to the island for its tropical, sheltered, almost mystical atmosphere. They were thought to have considered Marco a sacred place, as storm clouds rolling towards it often seemed to stop mysteriously and travel north or south.

The Calusa were accomplished fishermen and artisans. They made brightly painted clay masks to resemble animals and carefully wove fishing nets. They were known as fierce warriors and wore ornate jewelry and clothing.

The Calusa also practiced an early form of recycling. They built giant mounds using clam shells, fish bones and other discarded items. The shell mounds today are some of the highest areas in south Florida.  Take a drive over Indian Hill in the Caxambas area of Marco. The elevation is over 50 feet above sea level, the highest elevation in Southwest Florida!

It was believed that the plight of the Calusa was unfortunately similar to that of so many other Indian groups. European explorers such as Ponce de Leon, who may have died close to Marco after a battle with native people, brought disease and weapons with them. The result was decimation.

The arrival of homesteader Captain W.D. "Bill" Collier rang in the arrival of modern life on Marco in 1870. Collier's Marco Island centered around the fishing and clamming industry. Several of the original buildings of Collier's sleepy village still remain in the Old Marco area today.

Captain Bill stumbled upon one of the richest archaeological finds in Florida as he dug mucky soil as fertilizer for his garden. After, word got around and the Smithsonian Institute archaeologist, Frank Hamilton Cushing, got involved in the excavation.  Hundreds of artifacts were uncovered. A six-inch wooden cat statue, The Key Marco Cat, became the very symbol of the lost Calusa and remains so today.

The isolated, mosquito-infested and largely undeveloped little island remained so up until the early 1960's when Barron Collier's last holdings were sold to Deltona Development Corporation with brothers Elliott, Robert and Frank Mackle at the helm. The rich and famous as well as the blue collar were drawn in by an incredibly successful marketing campaign. A beach front hotel brought guests onto the sandy, clean and pristine beaches of Marco. Affordable subdivision-like housing was bought by those wishing to own a piece of paradise. Many of these original homes are still occupied today by Islanders.

The Army Corps of Engineers, who had briefly held a post on the southern tip of the island during the 1950's at a missile tracking station, became embroiled in a lawsuit with the Mackle brothers when Deltona mapped out its development plans to include lands the government had deemed "environmentally sensitive". After years of expensive court battles, the Mackles admitted defeat, but Marco Island is forever indelibly etched in the minds of many as the ultimate vacation and living paradise.

Today it is well established that Marco Island is a first-class resort island with a unique atmosphere that simply can't be found elsewhere. Where else would one find millionaires sitting among fishermen at chickee bars talking about the incredible fishing that can be had any time of the year?