Thomas Edison first traveled to Fort Myers hoping to find an ideal Winter climate in 1885 and purchased 13 acres on the Caloosahatchee for $2,750. He would name his estate Seminole Lodge. Over the years many influential people visited Edison's home including Henry Ford (who built a home right next door), John Burroughs, and future President of the United States Herbert Hoover. Edison frequently bragged that the best Tarpon fishing was his own backyard.

Mina Edison would later gift their estate Seminole Lodge in 1947 to the City of Fort Myers for the public to enjoy in honor of her late husband.

Starting in 1907, the Steamboat “Thomas A. Edison” transported guests to Sanibel from Fort Myers frequently and on several occasions, Mr. Edison visited Sanibel. This steamboat was later destroyed in a fire in 1914.

On January 18th, 1911 Thomas Edison and his next door neighbor Henry Ford took the excursion steamboat the “Uneeda” to Sanibel. In Mr. Ford’s letter he stated, “there wasn’t much to do once we got to Sanibel, but the ride was pleasant.”

Sanibel and Captiva Islands have a rich history, one that we can share with you visually, thanks to David E. Carter for digitizing images into the Sanibel Public Library's Pfeifer Vintage Photo Collection. It was a community effort to bring many of these images to Pfeifer Realty Group to be scanned and returned to the families. Thanks also to DigitalFGCU, Florida Gulf Coast University Library.