Island Voices
Island Voices, They Came to Marco Island
published 2006
The author has written what may well be the definitive local history of the area: the three communities Marco, Caxambas and Goodland. Drawing heavily upon family chronicles, diaries, journals, ledgers and anecdotal material of all kinds, she has pulled together in a sparkling narrative an informal and lively account of the island from its earliest beginnings. Touching briefly on the ancient Calusa Indian dwellers of Marco, she skillfully weaves her tales into a cohesive whole which encompasses the early pioneers in the late 19th century, the island’s foremost citizens and settlers and draws the entire account to a modern conclusion which will leave you wishing you’d been here every step along the way. Residents of Marco today should be embarrassed to miss this wonderful story of our collective past, and every home on the island should have a copy.
Some of the tales go far afield to tie up loose ends of history: the rich and varied backgrounds of the people who came to Southwest Florida from all parts of the country to settle the land, to farm and to fish here; the Olds family who made such an impact and departed the island forever; the Colliers who lived at the north end of the island as the first pioneers; and well-known Tommie Barfield who lobbied tirelessly before the Lee County Commission and the state legislature for improvements to the local area. Eventually, with the aid of Barron G. Collier, Tommie was instrumental in the founding of modern-day Collier County and the government we know today.
**Readers comments**
“I just finished reading Island Voices. It gave me not only an enormous amount of factual information, and an in-depth look at the people: their interaction with the place they lived and their ways of surviving in one of America’s last frontiers. Island Voices is a treasure trove of information. Thank you for writing it,” Robin Brown, author.
ISBN 978-0-9677281-7-9 $19.95 (Soft Cover)