The Old Ferry Landing
It was in 1906 that the Charlotte Harbor Northern Railroad starting carrying passengers to Boca
Grande, heralding the true beginning of our tourist season. In 1927 generational-islander Capt. William
Sprott started his own ferry service for the common man, allowing passengers and freight aboard.
The first person to own a car on the island was
Capt. Kingsmore Johnson Sr., who in (approximately)
1913 bought a brand-new Model T Ford in Punta
Gorda and had it brought here by a fishing “run” boat.
The cost even back then was $25 to move a car that
way, so you can imagine it didn’t happen very often.
By the early 1920s there were up to 20 automobiles
here, with more and more people buying them every
day.
The first dock Sprott used was at the “Guide
Docks” across from the Pink Elephant, and he had a
single-car-carrying barge. In 1930 a new dock was
built for a new ferry named “Catherine” that carried
multiple cars. The location of that dock was across from 35th Street on the bay side, and it carried its load
to the spot where The Fishery used to be in Placida. The cost, according to brochures and word-of-mouth
from the time period, “ran less for islanders and a little more for tourists and seasonal visitors.” The trip
took about 45 minutes. A few years after that Sprott sent Capt. Gene Sprott, Roy Pouncey and Brad
Bylaska to New York, and they came back with a 65-foot diesel barge called “Saugerties.” She could carry
up to 11 cars per load.
While the Catherine was eventually retired, Saugerties went back and forth until 1958 when the Boca
Grande Causeway was built.
You can see a plaque that is embedded at the site, right near 35th Street on the bike path, that says,
"Site of the Boca Grande Ferry Company, 1927-1958.”
19th Street Launch
Tucked in on the last public street north off Railroad Avenue, just past the Gasparilla Island Water
Association on the same side of the road, is 19th Street. It’s a tree-lined little place of respite right on the
harbor side of the island, with a small kayak/canoe launch spot and parking for a few cars.
The sign at the little gravel ramp says “Access to Great Calusa Blueway.” This street is a jumping off
point for the 190-mile trail that allows you to explore Lee County’s coastal waters and inland tributaries.
If you take it from start to finish you’ll find everything from tidal flats to deep water passes, from salt to
fresh to brackish water.
A “blueway” is an official designation by our government that describes protected waters, used only for
exploration by canoe, paddleboards and kayaks. This one was named for the indigenous people who once
lived on our local shores, the Calusa.
19th Street is the very most northernmost point in the trail, which ends up on Sanibel.
Whether you use the launch point for its actual purpose or just stop by there to take in a glimpse of
the harbor and enjoy the shade for a moment, 19th Street
is a sweet
little spot
to take
pause.
May/June 2019 GASPARILLA ISLAND 51