Charles Tebeau said nature made Collier County a part of America’s last frontier, with settlements all along the fringe of the county. Each of these settlements had its own unique economic, political and legal connections, and they had little dealings among themselves — that is, until the Tamiami Trail and the railroads made connections possible.

Every year during March, thousands of events are held throughout the country to acknowledge and recognize the accomplishments of women. It began in 1980 as a weeklong celebration and by 1987 was expanded by Congressional resolution to an entire month, making March our National Women’s History Month.

In 1945, while in Everglades City to discuss the WWII Victory Gardens, Chicagoans Lester and Dellora Norris were invited to visit the Keewaydin Club on Key Island. When they learned about the financial plight of the club, the Norrises decided to buy it. Nearly 20 years later, their concerns for protecting sensitive waters near Key Island led to the establishment of what would become The Conservancy of Southwest Florida. ‘The Road to Nowhere’

Historian Maria Stone passed away on Valentine’s Day, befitting for a lady who so loved the folk history of Collier County and pursed its safeguarding with a passion to ensure our pioneers’ descendants would know how their homeland was settled. Ms. Stone was 86 when she died.