Welcome to The History of Shelling on Sanibel Island
Visitors
who come to this balmy and breezy little island that shares its size
with Manhattan, NY are immediately swept up by its untamed natural beauty.
Passing over the bridge that connects the island with the mainland,
the fast-paced world is transformed into a place of 
quiet
solitude. Sanibel is a place visitors of all ages do not soon forget.
The island is situated at a special place in the Gulf of Mexico - it has an east/west alignment. From the south comes a prevailing wind and strong currents that cause this eleven mile-long, 3 mile-wide island to become a scoop for seashells (Scherman, 159). It is one of the top places in the world to observe, collect and admire these natural treasures.
Interestingly, modern day islanders and visitors are not the only ones who have benefited from the island's abundant natural resources. Through archaeological studies, it is known that indigenous peoples, the Calusa Indians, lived on Sanibel Island long before the arrival of the first Europeon explorers. The Calusa inhabited the Southwest Gulf Coast of FL within a diverse ecosystem, abundant with many species of animals and fish. The politically dominant people of the middle-late archaic period in Florida, they thrived for thousands of years and lived in a highly-stratified society, complete with extensive navigable canals that linked towns together. The abundant nature of shells on the island was incorporated into the Calusa culture and had both utilitarian and aesthetic purposes.
An Island For All Senses - Tropical Sun in The Day, Starry Sky in the Nights
If
sunset walks like this one captured by award-winning Sanibel photographer,
David Meardon, is your idea of slipping into a calm, relaxing tropical
evening, Sanibel is the place to be. Even after dark, take a good look
upward into the dark sky - it will be absent of bright city lights.
The Sanibel sky is strewn with a palette of thousands of bright stars.
The Milky Way announces itself as the real thing - not a projected image
from a seat at the planetarium or the fruitless search for the first
star to come out at dusk in the city. Gathering your senses, you hear
an invisible chorus of crickets in the seagrapes, singing the same songs
their ancestors had before them, the way they were heard by the Calusa
thousands of years ago.
Standing at the water's edge on this island situated ten miles out into
the Gulf of Mexico, the white sand is soft as powder under foot. The
only sound you can hear is the gentle lull of the waves and the windchime
of thousands of seashells being coaxed back into the Gulf.
Sanibel Inside Scoop: Filter The Outside World
If you are one of the many people who
prefer to park their car and travel to their destinations by bicycle,
you will enjoy peddling along bike paths nestled by seagrapes and other
island vegetation. One main path runs parallel along Periwinkle Way,
the main street, that runs the length of the island. Efforts to filter
the outside world are apparent - streets are named after shells (e.g.
Donax, Pen Shell, Paper Fig) and complimenting the theme, there are
no street lights. Many visitors make a point to visit the island's lighthouse,
which began as a government project when the island was first inhabited
by settlers in the 1880's. Many years later, the lighthouse is still
in operation, but the former keeper's quarters are leased to the City
of Sanibel from the U.S. Coast Guard and serve as private dwellings.
The Economy of Seashells
Seashells have created an economy for
Sanibel's residents since the time of the Calusa Indians and are highly
integrated into the culture and the economy of Sanibel. As many as
an average of 25,0000 visitors come to Sanibel and its neighbor island
Captiva each week at peak season, drawn by the desire to walk Sanibel's
beaches and its shells. Nearly 15,000 seasonal visitors travel to Sanibel
in escape of the cold winter weather in the northern regions, including
Canada.
No matter where they come from, tourists of all ages spend their time learning about the island's history at the Sanibel Historical Museum, learning about the diverse wildlife that inhabits the island at the J.N. Ding Jarling Wildlife Refuge, or the ecology of the most famous island inhabitants, mollusks, during their visit to the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. Visitors also enjoy the art of local artists in many cozy little boutiques and shops that sell wind chimes, jewelry, lamps, paperweights, decorative boxes and ornaments. And of course, conversations in these shops are usually centered around shelling. They provide a good stopping point between a day's activities, and a good place to catch up on island news and the tide report!
Website Mission
This
website has been developed as a source of information about Gulf coast
seashells and their vital role in the lives of past and present people
who have inhabited the island and its diverse ecosystem.
Of the many expeditions that sailed to The New World,
shells were among were among the items brought back to Europe. The pages
ahead address the significanct uses and meanings of shells in societies
in addition to the Calusa Indians of southwest Florida.
The mass production of material goods during the Industrial Revolution
made available countless products, including shells. These treasures
of the sea became immortalized. Since that time, they have been advertised,
bagged, boxed, cast, collected, etched, glued, molded, mounted, painted,
photographed, sealed, sculpted, stamped, studied - in other words -
incorporated into everyday life.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the individuals who have contributed materials and suggestions for this website. Please visit the acknowledgements for a complete list of contributors. A full list of source materials can be viewed on the sources link.
