Useppa: An Ongoing Journey

By Ken, Dr. William Marquardt and Pat Birt

Useppa: An Ongoing Journey provides an in-depth account of the ten-thousand-year history of a magical island off the southwest coast of Florida.

Useppa: An Ongoing Journey travels through ten thousand years of the islands inhabited history. The journey begins with the Calusa Indians, the islands first known inhabitants, and then moves on through the influence of the Spanish, Cuban fishing ranchos, the Civil War, the Bay of Pigs, influential owners, famous guests, archaeology, an entrepreneurial purchase, devastating hurricanes, fun stories shared by present day residents, and so much more. Useppa is a true island off of the southwest coast of Florida and is a place to visit like no other. The authors will take you on a magical trip through Useppa: An Ongoing Journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781475951585

Ken

I'm from a family of 7 brothers and 3 sisters. I have 2 sons, 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. I have always told stories to the children, but it was only after my wife died that I bought myself a computer to fill in my spare time. I started to type short stories and found that I could easily put them into print. I gave them to the grandchildren, and before long, I was printing them for all of their friends.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 Ken and Pat Birt

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4759-5156-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-5157-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4759-5158-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012917893

iUniverse rev. date: 10/30/2012

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1      Who were the first Inhabitants?

Useppa Island is Formed

Calusa Indians in Florida

Human Occupation on Useppa Dates Back 10,000 Years

Possible Roots of the Calusa

Calusa People and What We Know

The Calusa and Their Leadership

Calusa Clothing and Ornamentation

Calusa Homes and Transportation

Religious Beliefs

Calusa Extinction

Chapter 2      What Happened on Useppa from 1560 to1895?

The Spanish and Cubans

Cuban Fishing

Joseph Ximenez

Seminole Wars

Civil War

What kind of supplies did Floridians provide?

After the War

Chapter 3      John Roach and Tarpon Fishing

Tarpon Fishing Gains Attention

John Roach

The Useppa Inn is Built

How Did They Fish in the 1890’s?

Fishing Equipment Becomes Big Business

Edward vom Hofe

Famous People Come to Useppa

Chapter 4      Barron Collier

The Boy Who Would Never Make Good

Collier’s Early Years and Successes

Collier Marries Juliet Gordon Carnes

Collier Buys Useppa and Makes Improvements

Izaak Walton and the Fishing Club

Diesel Power Comes to the Island

The Whoopee Island Club

Hurricane Hits Useppa

Stock Market Crash Impacts Collier

Collier’s Death, Holdings and Contributions

The Rich and Famous Visit Useppa

Chapter 5      Slowdown and Secrecy

Collier Family Now Owns Useppa

Tarpon Inn Demolished

U. S. Government Leases Useppa

Fidel Castro Overthrows Batista

CIA Trains on Useppa

Bay of Pigs, a Failure

Bay of Pigs Exhibit on Useppa

Chapter 6      Snow and Turner

Useppa Sold by Collier Family

Useppa Bought by William Billy Snow

William Snow’s Background

Snow Brings Useppa Back

Snow Sells Useppa to James Jimmy Turner

Jimmy Turner’s Background

Turner’s Real Passion

Turner Sells Useppa to the Mariner Group

Chapter 7      Gar Beckstead – The Beginning

Garfield Beckstead’s Early Years

Beckstead’s Education and Early Career

Gar Beckstead and Sanae Yashima Wed

The Mariner Group and Gar’s Introduction to Useppa

Beckstead Sees Useppa for the First Time

The Decision is Made

Chapter 8      The Return of Useppa

Sanae Meets Useppa

Early Human Resources

Work Continues and Things are Discovered

Visitors Come to Useppa

The Purchase of the Island

Useppa Island Club Is Formed

The First Lot is Purchased

Lots and Cottages Sold

Better Power Comes to Useppa

All Loans are Paid

A Baby is Born

A Wonderful Thing

Chapter 9      Hurricane Charley

The Storm Approaches

Useppa Staff Prepares

Eleven Brave Souls Remain, Would They Do It Again?

Help Arrives

Estimated Damage

Hurricane Charley Recovery

Chapter 10      Archaeology of Useppa

History Yes! Archaeology?

Archaeological Periods

Early Archaeological Interest

First Human Bones Discovered

Chapman and Milanich

Marquardt Comes to Useppa

Year of the Indian Archaeological Project

Useppa Woman Found

Useppa Man Found

1993 Digs

More Human Remains Found

Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Finds

An Invitation

Southern Ridge Excavation, March 2012

Location and Permissions for a Dig

Tools Used

Seven Pits Excavated

What was Found?

Chapter 11      Barbara Sumwalt and the Museum

Barbara’s Beginnings

Bob Enters the Scene

Bob Works for Useppa

Barbara and Bob See Useppa

Residents Remember Barbara

Barbara’s Dream

Barbara’s Plan

Was Barbara’s Dream Dashed?

Mary Anne Krey’s Cottage

Cottage is Moved and Renovated

Current Museum Organization

Bob Sumwalt and Croquet

Bob and Barbara Celebrate 30 Years

A Visit with Bob

Barbara’s Passing

What Do You Do on Useppa?

Chapter 12      Useppa at Play

Authors’ Disclaimer

Where the Stories Come From

A Felon on the Loose

New Year’s Eve 1977

A Reunion and Two Plaques

Growing Up With A Crazy Man And An Even Crazier Japanese Woman

All I Want for Christmas is a Whole Turkey

It Was A Croc!

Cooperstown on Useppa?

Young Visitors Save a Life

Rock On, Erastus!

Chapter 13      The British Are Coming! … and More

What the H***? Blimey!

A Loan to the British Government

Size Doesn’t Always Matter

Useppa Island Airstrip

1984 Arrival of Helicopter

Gunship from the HMS Liverpool

HMS Apollo Comes to Useppa

Royal Yacht, Britannia, Visits Useppa

The Fire Department

Birthdays

Weddings

Anniversaries Celebrated

The Honor Roll is Created

Travel to the Island

Sailing on Useppa

Staying Fit

Fun and Money

Leo Nawn (Nine Wicket Croquet)

A Date for the Evening

You Play Like a Woman

Fun Continues Today

Chapter 14      What Does the Future Hold?

The Museum

Boys’ Fun

The Prevalent Wish

Closing

Acknowledgements

Photo Credits

End Notes

Foreword

Most of us can think of places we have visited that seem special, out-of-the-ordinary, even unique. For some, it is a site of natural beauty. For others, it is a bucolic landscape rich in tradition, where old ways are still valued and life is practiced at a gentle and unhurried pace. For the historically inclined, nothing eclipses a famous spot where noteworthy people have lived, died, and made momentous decisions.

Useppa Island has all of these. It is extraordinarily beautiful. A deliberate and unhurried ambience is valued. Well known people from all walks of life have trod its soil. Perhaps its diminutive size helps to amplify its historical allure. You can hike from the southern tip to the northern tip between breakfast and lunch, and you can stroll from its eastern to western shore in less than half an hour. Yet so much has happened here!

For me, a person who has visited Useppa Island many times since first setting foot on its shore thirty years ago, the remarkable men and women of Useppa — living and dead — are the most compelling thing about the island. Not only do I count some living Useppans among my closest friends, but as a professional archaeologist who has studied the island’s past in some detail, I can’t help but see ghosts wherever I go.

A hunter in 6500 B.C. silently stalks his quarry during the time when Useppa was not yet an island. In A.D. 500, Calusa Indian fisher folk ply their nets, sing their songs, celebrate their triumphs, and mourn their dead. In 1833, Spanish-Cuban rancho leader José Caldez chafes under the presence of customs official Henry Crews, who occupies a cottage at the island’s northern point. Union sympathizers take refuge on Useppa in 1863, facing uncertainty during the War Between the States. A magnificent hotel is built on the northern end of the island in the late 1890s. First John Roach’s, later Barron Collier’s hotels and cottages draw tarpon fishermen as well as an astonishing collection of people — politicians, industrialists, business leaders, movie stars, writers, sports heroes — whose names are household words throughout the nation.

I walk to the peak of Calusa Ridge on the pink path, only to encounter there a golfer sinking a long putt on the fourth green in 1930. Just like Bobby Jones! she remarks to her friend. They amble cheerfully toward the fifth tee, not realizing that scarcely three feet below the surface lie the remains of a fishing village that thrived 4,000 years before they were born. I am lost in thought on the steps of the Collier Inn, when someone says, Um, excuse me, sir, could you step aside, please? President Roosevelt is coming through.

I watch the Central Intelligence Agency secure the island in 1960, beginning a sequence of events that will end tragically in a place called the Bay of Pigs. I see Garfield Beckstead discover the island for the first time on Easter weekend, 1976, and witness opening day at the Useppa Historical Museum — now the Barbara Sumwalt Museum — in April, 1994. I marvel as Useppa Island rises like a phoenix from the devastation of a category 4 hurricane in 2004.

All this and much more await you in Ken and Pat Birt’s Useppa: An Ongoing Journey. Now you can witness Useppa’s 100 centuries of history in one entertaining book. Filled with illustrations and rich narratives of times past, it is also rife with anecdotes of the present and thoughts of the future. If you have not been to Useppa, this book will be an enjoyable introduction to a very special island. If you do visit Useppa Island, it may help you find some of the ghosts yourself.

William Marquardt

Introduction

Not being a native or even a frequent visitor to Florida, Ken had no knowledge of the islands lying off the state’s west coast. When they moved to Venice, Florida, Pat told Ken, I think you’ll love Useppa Island. Considering the history Pat had with the island and its owner, Ken simply said, It would be nice to visit it someday. Some months later, Pat contacted Garfield Beckstead, her previous employer, friend and owner of Useppa Island, and he invited the Birts to visit for a few days.

It was December, and the first day on the island was windy, very cool and raining. Ken was not impressed and said, I think I like other places we’ve visited better. But, the next day the sun rose and it was clear, calm and warm. That day began a love affair with Useppa Island that has continued and will continue for the remainder of our days.

We couldn’t believe the beauty and the history of the island. We couldn’t believe the love for the island that Gar Beckstead showed in his efforts to return it to the heights that it had reached in its illustrious past. We came to realize that it had a history thousands of years old and we wanted to capture that history on paper.

This offering is our modest attempt to capture the long history in as complete a way as possible. It is not a scholarly work but intended for the resident, visitor or interested party who might like to know a little more about this fantastic island. Let’s begin Useppa: An Ongoing Journey.

Chapter 1

Who were the first Inhabitants?

Paleo-Indian Migration

and the Calusa Indians

Useppa Island is Formed

There was a time when what is now referred to as Useppa Island was not an island at all but part of the mainland lying in the southwestern portion of the Florida peninsula. What is now Useppa Island was more than sixty miles from the water.

The ice age was coming to an end and the resulting meltdown caused a rising sea level creating what is now referred to as Pine Island Sound and islands off the mainland. Among these barrier islands were