Editing Fort Myers Beach, Florida (section)

== History ==

=== Early history ===
The [[Calusa]] Indians first inhabited [[Estero Island]], the island that Fort Myers Beach occupies, 2,000 years ago. The Calusa Indians resisted Spanish colonization attempts successfully including those by [[Juan Ponce de León|Ponce de León]] in 1513 and 1521. The Calusa met their demise 150 years later due to disease, hostilities, and political and economic upheaval. In the mid to late 1700s, Cuban [[Fisherman|fishermen]] then began to settle a small fishing village known as a Ranchero. This effectively displaced the remaining Calusa. In 1845, [[Florida]] became the 27th state.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/60/Island-History|title=Island History {{!}} Town of Fort Myers Beach, FL - Official Website|website=www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov|language=en|access-date=April 15, 2017}}</ref>

=== American settlement ===
The [[Homestead Acts#Homestead Act of 1862|Homestead Act of 1862]] initiated American settlements on Estero Island. In 1862, Robert Gilbert received a homestead grant at the end of Connecticut Street, the highest point on Fort Myers Beach. In 1911, William Case developed the first subdivision and cottage rental industry. By 1914, all the property on the island was homesteaded with little industry beyond a hotel, fishing, gardening, and a sawmill operated by the [[Koreshan Unity]] (a [[communal society]] based on mainland Estero). At this point, Estero Island was named Crescent Beach.<ref name=":0" />

Development on Crescent Beach was slow until the 1920s when Florida gained national attention as a vacation destination. In 1921, a toll bridge was opened connecting the beach to the mainland, followed closely by the construction of two casinos, hotels, a pier and the island's first canal. The land boom ended with the hurricanes of 1921 and 1926 that challenged the paradise appeal of southwest Florida. Despite entering a depression, Crescent Beach continued to gain small businesses, restaurants, subdivisions, and a school. In the 1950s, Crescent Beach continued to modernize. Many hotels were built including the Rancho del Mar, which boasted the first swimming pool. Additionally, the swing bridge was electrified to facilitate traffic. During this time, "pink gold" or pink [[shrimp]] were discovered igniting the shrimping industry and ancillary businesses to support it as the population increased by 50 percent. During this second land boom, numerous civic organizations, churches, local newspapers, weather and [[United States Coast Guard|US Coast Guard]] stations, and the Beach Library were added to the island.<ref name=":0" /> The library became the first free public library in Lee County and opened in 1955 in a one-room cottage with a single librarian.<ref name=":0"/>

On December 31, 1995, legislation was passed to incorporate the town of Fort Myers Beach. The island has year-round and seasonal residents, and a tourism industry.<ref name=":0" />