Bokeelia
is the northern end of Pine Island Florida. Bokeelia has views of Charlotte
Harbor, Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande. Tropical fruit farms and palm tree
groves exist in abundance. The area is home to marinas, restaurants and an art
gallery. Access to Cayo Costa State Park via a small ferry is available Many
farmers and commercial fishermen live in Bokeelia.
Pineland is
an area of Bokeelia on the west side of the Pine Island. A combination of homes,
agriculture, historical sites along with a marina and restaurant are present
here. The Calusa Indians built a complex system of canals and today; some canals
can still be seen at Pineland.
In the early 20th century, settlers built their homes on Calusa
Indian mounds, and today some of those Calusa mounds are still present. Homes
built on the mounds have wonderful views of Pine Island Sound and its outer
barrier islands.
Research facilities such as the Mote Marine Laboratory and the University of
Florida’s Randell Research Center are located here.
Alden
Pines, Pine Island’s only golf course community, is located in Bokeelia. Also
present is a Calusa Land Trust trail and several parks. The local garden club
has developed a garden at the Center. Wildflowers and benches make it a perfect
place to have lunch.
A
playground, lighted baseball fields, tennis courts and a swimming pool are
present at Phillips Park, near the 4 way stop. The pool has lap lanes and a
diving board. The library and museum are adjacent to the park. Matlacha has a
Community Park at the center of Matlacha that offers a playground, arts
building, pier and boat ramp. Parking for cars is free. Pier fishing is also
free.
Bokeelia has a romantic past with pirates
dashing in and out of Charlotte Harbor with their booty. As early as 1765,
Spanish fishing camps were known to exist in this area, supplying Spanish
settlements in the Florida Keys and Cuba.
In the early 1900's settlers began arriving in
Bokeelia and made a living raising tropical fruit. Drawn to the tranquility at
the end of the island with Charlotte Harbor spread out before it, Harry Poe
Johnson took advantage of this lovely view by building a southern style mansion
about 1914. In 1916, Captain Peter Haines built a house patterned after houses
the government built for its troops in the tropics. A native of Maryland and an
Annapolis graduate, Captain Haines was forced by tragic circumstances to leave
his successful navy career and look for a place to start a new life, and decided
to settle in Bokeelia.
 
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