In her latest book, Sanibel historian Jeri Magg has compiled the stories and achievements of the remarkable women who forever shaped Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Appropriately named Remarkable Women of Sanibel and Captiva, the book tells the history of countless women who bucked the system to make their marks.
Here are just a few of the women you'll read about. Sarita Van Vlick and Zee Butler led the fight to preserve the island from unbridled growth and destruction. Helene Gralnick, in the early 1980s, opened a small shop that became the foundation for Chico's Incorporated. City Manager Judie Zimomra put policies into practice that helped Sanibel flourish after the devastation of Hurricane Charley.
Mozella Jordon was the first black caterer on the island. Mariel Goss, on behalf of bike riders, helped get Lee County to provide bike paths on the island. Nola Theiss, a former Sanibel Council member and mayor, now helps victims of human trafficking. Lavern Phillips worked with her husband to help build BIG ARTS into the organization it is today. Faye Granberry, an avowed conservationist formed the Horticultural and Orchid societies on Sanibel. The stories of these women and many more are absolutely fascinating.
Magg gives us the history of the island and shares stories about the Calusa Indians and pirates on the island. She tells us that in 1894, Sanibel's population was 120 with 100 acres in truck farming. Two years later, the population grew to 350 with 500 acres in truck farming, and land was selling for $10 to $25 an acre.
When asked what she learned while researching the book, Magg said, 'The women in my book came from all walks of life. What could a Confederate War widow, a Cuban fisherman's granddaughter, an international concert pianist or an award-wining actor from New York have in common? They adapted to their surroundings and refused to give up. Most embraced the difficulties of living on the island and were better for it. These women didn't need women's lib, they liberated themselves."
The book is a remarkable read and is available at local book stores and the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village and at Amazon.com.
Magg’s New Book Features Sanibel and Captiva’s 'Remarkable Women' By JAN HOLLY Monday, December 05, 2016
Island author Jeri Magg with her new book, 'The Remarkable Women of Sanibel and Capitva,' and her Yorkshire terrier, Sandy.
From a Calusa princess to the current city manager, Sanibel Island's history is laced with women who played important roles. Thirty-six of those women come to life in “The Remarkable Women of Sanibel and Captiva” by Island author Jeri Magg.
Magg’s first book, “Historic Sanibel & Captiva Islands: Tales of Paradise,” published in 2011, led readers on a guided tour of the sister islands’ historic hotspots, from the tip of Lighthouse Point to the northern end of Captiva. Her loyal fans will be delighted to learn that she has just completed Magg version 2.0. This latest effort is another Island historical guide, but with an unusual twist.
“After completing my first book, my friends urged me to continue with another, but a sequel didn’t interest me,” she said. “An alternative idea came to me fairly quickly—pioneering women who made the Islands what they are today. So I went for it.”
The result, “The Remarkable Women of Sanibel & Captiva,” tells the stories of 36 Island women, beginning in the 16th century with a Calusa princess that married a Spanish explorer and concluding with Sanibel’s current City Manager Judie Zimomra.
“Judie was an easy choice,” Magg said. “Her efforts during Hurricane Charley were heroic. She moved heaven and earth to get Sanibel up and running after the devastation. Through her leadership, Sanibel was able to secure federal help—and quickly—to clear the streets. Her love of the Island is obvious.”
“The Remarkable Women” contains approximately 60 historic photographs, gleaned from public and private sources, some never before published. “Collecting these photographs was quite a job,” Magg said, “but they really add to the book. You see such strength in the faces of these Island heroines.”
Magg pointed to Esperanza Woodring as a perfect example. “Esperanza was a successful fishing guide, working in a man’s world,” Magg said. “She knew everything about Island fish and fishing—and she was quite a character!”
Another of Magg’s remarkable women, Lavern Phillips, was for many years the face of BIG ARTS. “Lavern had an uncanny ability to get people involved. No one could turn her down,” Magg said. “She understood that BIG ARTS could not grow without a permanent home, and she had the determination to make it happen.”
Magg included Mariel Goss in the book, because “she never gave up on the bike paths. The problem was always money, and bike paths on Sanibel were not a priority for Lee County,” Magg said. “After years of effort, she pushed the initiative through. What a blessing those bike paths are for Islanders now.”
Magg said she carved out a special place in “Remarkable Women” for hometown girl Deb Gleason, “because she is such a great storyteller.”
Gleason confessed that learning she was in Magg’s book “stupefied me,” but noted that her childhood memories are indelible. “I feel so lucky to have been a regular rider on the mail boat and the ferry before the causeway was built,” Gleason said. “As a lifelong Islander, I do have vivid memories to share.”
Magg hopes that readers of “The Remarkable Women of Sanibel and Captiva” will be inspired “to look further into our history and appreciate these women for their accomplishments. We Islanders stand on their shoulders,” she said. “They laid the foundation of our community.”
“The Remarkable Women of Sanibel & Captiva” is available for purchase at MacIntosh Books and Paper, 2330 Palm Ridge Road. MacIntosh’s will host Magg in a book-signing reception, Dec. 9, 3-5 p.m.
Historic Sanibel and Captiva Islands - Tales of Paradise
relates the stories and adventures of the early Calusa inhabitants and
Spanish explorers, as well as the Sanibel and Captiva pioneers, who
managed to establish a foothold on two Florida barrier islands despite
hurricanes, mosquitoes, disease, isolation and continuous hardship.
Through the ups and downs of island life, these homesteaders forged a
community of hard-working, strong-minded settlers who helped one another
survive by farming, fishing and, eventually, tourism. Their tales are
both exciting and fascinating
FLORIDA WEEKLY - MARCH 7, 2012
Sanibel and Captiva History
comes alive in new book
by Phil Jason
Southwest Florida’s coastal
islands are among the state’s — and the nation’s — most enjoyable treasures.
Sanibel and Captiva are particularly colorful in their fascinating histories,
their natural beauty and their present-day balance of old and new. Jeri Magg’s
new book provides a wide array of insights and anecdotes about what makes
these places special. Its 50 black-and-white images help engage our
imaginations.
The author’s plan is traveler-friendly. After a concise, general overview of the region’s history, Ms. Magg pins her exploration to two maps, one for each island. The maps number and name almost 50 places of interest (sometimes merely crossroads or
historic buildings),and the names and numbers then head her larger and smaller narrative treatments.These sections and sub-sections are in themselves organized chronologically.
With this book in hand, one can make one’s way around the islands and
soak up information about colorful
personalities and changing times.
The
history stretches back hundreds of years to a time when the Calusa Indians
built shell mounds on the islands, when Spaniards and later Cubans wrestled
for influence and dominance. Later, enterprising individuals from around the colonies (and then the states) struck out for opportunities to enjoy and exploit the natural beauties, the fertile soil and the bountiful marine life.
Those of us who live in Southwest Florida — and other
desirable, once-obscure locations — know the story of the constant struggle
between the forces of conservation and so-called progress, between privacy and
exclusivity on the one hand and population growth/development on the other.
Ms. Magg presents versions of this paradigmatic story
in many of her vignettes. Indeed, the famous lighthouse on Sanibel (that has
undergone so many technological changes) can be said to stand for the tension
between a place being marked out — being put on the map for safety and
convenience — and a place screaming “Notice me!” and being overrun.The detailed stories Ms. Magg tells of transportation to and from the islands— from private
commercial piers to ferry boats to the causeway — are filled with this kind
of tension. Make it easy to get there and people will come, and then more
people will come, and then… you’re stuck in traffic and surrounded by noises
that drown out the ripple of surf and the sea breezes. Stories of postal
service, eateries, schools and churches, important homesteads(like that of
George W. Carter), agricultural enterprises and resorts come
laden with their casts of characters.
We learn about Jake Summerlin, lighthouse
keepers Dudley Richardson and Henry Shanahan, the Kinzie family’s steamship
line and postmistress Laetitia Nutt. We enjoy tales of the pioneer families
like the Bryants and somewhat more recent families like the Lindgrens, the
Matthews and the Baileys.
We witness the slow march of technology as it modernizes life on the
islands.
Nothing will bring back the Algiers paddleboat,
perched on land by the Brown family and turned into their unique mansion.
Though the paddle-boat and the land were later purchased by the city of
Sanibel, the boat-mansion was bulldozed in 1982. Although it was considered too
expensive to restore and save, Ms. Magg’s descriptions make it live again.
So with many other structures of the past that have
been torn down and replaced.
Fortunately, many others have continued to live on,
often modified and enlarged over the years.
The story of the Sanibel Historical
Museum and Village is a model of good collective citizenship and stewardship of
the past.
Every reader will find his or her own favorite
passages in this delightful book. I, for one, would have enjoyed more in the
way of documented, fresh oral history. However, I am very thankful for what is
provided.
In her epilogue and bibliography, Ms. Magg affords the
curious reader sources for further travels into the history of Sanibel and
Captiva islands. ■
Jeri Magg is one of the founding members of the Gulf Coast Writers Association
Jeri Magg fell in love with Sanibel Island a long time ago.
In 1977, she and her husband, Karl, and their two daughters,
Carolyn and Kathy, spent spring break on a trip to
Disney World from their home in New York. After enjoying
the new amusement park, they drove to several Florida cities
for an extended vacation. Arriving on Sanibel Island, they
surprisingly ran into an acquaintance from their home town
at church that Easter Sunday. The friend invited them over to
her home for coffee. Taken by the beauty and serenity of the
island, they felt it may be time to think about buying a piece
of this paradise as an investment for the future. Their friend
suggested a realtor and soon they stepped inside a particularly
beautiful Gulf front condo, put a down payment on it,
and continued to vacation there for the next three years!
In 1980, Jeri and her family made the decision to
move to Sanibel permanently. “Our friends and relatives
thought we were crazy, but we felt the move would allow
our girls an extension of their childhood,” Jeri explains.
These new surroundings allowed the girls to ride bikes and
explore the islands with no fear for their safety. Carolyn and
Kathy soon joined the swim team and made friends.
This move also permitted Jeri to return to her other ‘first
love’ – writing.
After a stint as a social worker, she started
taking
writing classes at night at Edison Community College.
One of her teachers encouraged her to submit an article
about the Oregon Trail to National Cowboymagazine
and to
her surprise the article was published. Thus began her almost
25 year career as a freelance writer. She is one of the founding
members of the Gulf Coast Writers Association.
A History major in college, Jeri
became a docent at the Sanibel
Historical Museum & Village in 1999.
She found the history of the island so
fascinating that she began to publish
local newspaper articles about those
early days when natives roamed the
islands.
As publicity chairperson for the
museum, she was able to interview
many of the descendants of the early
pioneers. Though books had been written
about the islands, Jeri saw an
opportunity to do things a little differently.
“I wanted a book that told stories
about the historical sites,” says Jeri.
She spent many months selecting which sites to
include and asked a friend who is a photographer to take
some photos. “I ended up having to scan more than 100 old
pictures at the Sanibel Library,” Jeri notes. When the project
was finally completed Jeri submitted a query to the publisher,
Historic Press in Charleston, South Carolina. “I
received an email from the publisher only a week later with
the subject line ‘Manuscript Accepted.’ I was thrilled.”
She
spent last summer editing and rewriting the book, which
was published last November. Jeri admits, “It was a great
experience. One I hope will happen again.”
Historic Sanibel and Captiva Islands: Tales of
Paradise is a
wonderful journey into the area’s past. Tales of
the earliest pioneers resonate in the grave-sites
and historic structures still dotting the landscape.
One can hear the toot of a whistle
announcing the arrival of the ferry, visualize
the snap of a farmer’s whip urging his mules
to plow, or imagine life for a genteel civil war
widow fighting mosquitoes and snakes to till
the soil.
Life was enjoyed to the fullest for
most of these homesteaders who reveled in
the wild, remote and oftentimes, chaotic existence
of calling these islands home.
Jeri recalls stories about how the famous
and infamous sought seclusion on the islands.
Anne Lindbergh wrote Gifts from the Sea here,
Teddy Roosevelt anchored offshore to catch
sharks and devil-fish, J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling constructed a home
in the bay with a drawbridge for privacy, and
at least one criminal got away with murder.
There are also amusing stories of ghosts
haunting a fishing cottage or rearranging
items in a clothing store. There is a story
about a lighthouse keeper’s wife being
bowed to by Cuban fishermen while using a
privy.
And there are the stories about the
great hurricanes of 1921 and 1926 wiping
out the farming on the islands.
Readers can follow the maps to these
sites and almost hear the voices from the
past, whether it’s ferry boat Captain Leon
Crumpler laughing about the driver who
shot backwards off the ferry or John Oster
and Clarence Chadwick arguing about a
public road in Wulfert. And who dug up
Oliver Bowen’s body from his well? This book
provides the answers.
So it turned out that the Easter vacation
Jeri Magg and her family took over 31 years
ago was the beginning of many years of happiness
on Sanibel Island. Not only was paradise found, but Jeri
had the chance to write about it for others to find. ••
Historic Sanibel & Captiva Islands: Tales of
Paradise available
at bookstores on Sanibel and throughout Southwest
Florida as well as online.
MARCH-APRIL
2012 15 www.ftmyersmagazine.com
Teddy Roosevelt anchored his barge in the bay off Captiva to study sharks and devil fish.
CAPTIVA CURRENT - 2/24/12
Local history columnist, freelancer to make appearance at Library
by Ann Bradley
On February 29 at 4:30 p.m., Captiva Memorial Library's Cultural Fest will present an author talk and book signing with Jeri Magg, local history columnist and freelance writer. Jeri discussed her new book: Historic Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Tales of Paradise.
Jeri Magg, local history columnist and a freelance writer for the past fifteen years, has written interview, health, travel, history and art pieces for local, regional and national magazines and newspapers. Recent articles have appeared in The National Cowboy Hall of Fame Magazine, Persimmon Hill, Transitions Abroad, Mature Lifestyles, Ft. Myers NewsPress, Sanibel Island Sun, Sanibel Islander and the Ft. Myers Magazine.
Jeri is a resident of Sanibel Island, Florida, for the past 26 years, and a founding member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association(GCWA). She has produced newsletters and designed and maintained the GCWA website, and the Sanibel Historical Village and Museum websites. Her nonfiction book "Historic Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Tales of Paradise was realesed in November of 2011.
The story of the Sanibel and Captiva Islands stretches back over three hundred years, to a time when natives roamed the islands and Spanish exporer Ponce de Leon first met and tried to subdue the Calusa Indians in San Carlos Bay in 1513.
The next few centuries were flooded with pioneers, fishermen and clergymen in their quest to tame the wilderness in search of a better life.
Discover how anthropologist Frank Cushing visited pioneer Sam Ellis in 1895 after the farmer discovered bones on his homestead and how President Theodore Roosevelt's men saved a little girl from downing when he lived on a houseboat in Captiva to study local marine life.
HISTORIC SANIBEL & CAPTIVA ISLANDS, TALES OF PARADISE
ISLAND SUN - NOVEMBER 18, 2011 Sanibel Author Captures Tales Of Paradise
by Di Saggau
There is a great deal of history surrounding Sanibel and Captiva islands. It stretches far beyond the warm beaches, back over 300 years, to a time when natives roamed the islands. After 30 years of listening to innumerable tales, Jeri Magg has captured the fascinating details in a new book Historic Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Tales of Paradise.
Magg spent a couple of years, on and off, putting the book together, scanning the photos and deciding on sites to include. She told me why she wrote the book. “I was a volunteer at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village for the past 10 years, so my historical curiosity was peeked. After reading the books written by Elinore Dormer and Betty Anholt, and listening to the questions from visitors to the museum, I decided that a map of the historical sites accompanied by pictures and stories might be an easy way for people to learn about the islands. If the book were soft-covered and light, it could be stuffed in a glove box in the car.”
The book is a treasure chest of information. You’ll learn about how Ponce de Leon first met the Calusa Indians in 1513 and how the Spaniards killed 80 warriors. Eight years later, he foolishly returned to the area and the Calusa exacted their revenge, killing 80 Spaniards. Ponce de Leon received an Indian arrow in the thigh, a wound that proved fatal. The next few centuries were flooded with pioneers, fishermen and clergymen in their quest to tame the wilderness in search of a better life.
By 1889, there were 21 houses and 40 families living on Sanibel, bringing the total population to 100. By that time Sanibel, Captiva and Buck Key were flourishing agricultural communities.
Magg covers everything from the construction of the causeway and bridge, to the early inhabitants who paved the way for what is enjoyed today on the islands. You’ll discover how anthropologist Frank Cushing visited pioneer Sam Ellis in 1895 after the farmer discovered bones on his homestead and how President Theodore Roosevelt’s men saved a little girl from drowning when he lived on a houseboat in Captiva to study local marine life.
I asked about any surprising facts she discovered during her research.
Magg said, “I didn’t realize how many pioneers lived at Wulfert, and that there was an unsolved murder that took place there. The Island Store on Captiva was the hurricane shelter for the residents.
“Sometimes, while waiting for the storm to hit, they held the ultimate ‘hurricane party’.”
This is a book that will delight and intrigue you from start to finish.
Right now, Historic Sanibel & Captiva Islands, Tales of Paradise is available at MacIntosh Books, and Sanibel Island Book Shop. Keep your eyes peeled, as it will soon be popping up at other locations.
PARADISE FOUND - by Pat Janda
Teddy Roosevelt anchored his barge in the bay off Captiva to study sharks and devil fish.
