After lunch, I again boarded the ferry for a short trip to Cayo Costa State Park. This park encompasses 2,420 acres on one of Florida's largest unspoiled barrier islands and is a 9 mile long wilderness preserve. The southern portion of North Captiva Island is also included in the park. Here you will find pristine white sand beaches, hiking trails, 30 primitive campsites and 12 rustic cabins. A free tram transports visitors from the bayside docks to the gulf side of the island.
For four thousand years before the arrival of Europeans in Florida, a succession of Native American fishing cultures lived and worked in the Charlotte Harbor area. Several of their shell mounds are located on Cayo Costa. Cayo Costa means Key by the Coast, a name that was given to the island by early Spanish explorers.
In the early 1800's Spanish fishermen from Cuba established fishing ranches on islands along Florida's west coast. Fish were caught, dried, and then transported to Cuban markets.
A quarantine station was established on the northern end of Cayo Costa for immigrants entering the country through Boca Grande pass in the late 1800's.
Approximately 20 fishing families lived on Cayo Costa inn the early 1900's, where they established a school, post office, and grocery store. Fishing continues to be a prominent activity.
