Almost every major city in the world has that one visionary who’s responsible from turning it from an unimportant place to a center of culture and economic activity. To the Naples, Florida area Barron Gift Collier was such a person. Without him, Everglades City, Marco Island and Naples city would have taken longer to develop, if at all. This article was written to celebrate the man’s legacy; a legacy that is evident even to this day making Baron Gift Collier a true ‘gift’ to the Southwest Florida region.
Barron Gift Collier was born of a wealthy family in Memphis, Tennessee in 1873 but his family met some rough times during the Reconstruction period. Fortunately Collier had a keen eye for business even at such an early age and sold advertising card franchises to the railway, trolley and subway industry which was a very active and profitable industry during his time. This made him save a substantial amount of money and was able to help his parents financially through this effort.
He also got into the street lighting business which helped the city of Memphis install gas lights for their citizens to navigate better and safely at night. He soon purchased a printing plant, and expanding his entrepreneurship skills around the country, building trust among his peers and making the necessary connections. The wealth he amassed only grew over time through constant travel and meeting the right people. And at the very young age of just 26 years old, ten years after he started in the business arena, he acquired his first million dollars.
Collier was a man who loved to travel a lot and in 1911, he found himself wandering around Useppa Island in the coast of Fort Myers. Needless to say, he instantly fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the place. Over the next decade, he travelled further into the region of southwest Florida and went into Marco Island and the Everglades and his love for the place grew only deeper. This is why Collier, already an established multi-millionaire by this time, invested millions of dollars in infrastructure to develop the untamed wilderness so that the rest of it can be enjoyed by many and so he would have shared his fondness for the place to everyone.
By the 1920’s, most of southwest Florida is still a relatively accessible place and even the way into Naples was through a boat. This caused mobility issues that can stifle a growing economy. Collier saw this challenge and that was why he helped in the financing of the construction of the Tamiami highway which connected 275 miles of concrete that connected the cities of southwest Florida to the rest of Miami. By 1928, this long awaited highway was finally complete. The highway is still in use today and is a key element to maintaining the economic vitality of the Naples, Florida area.
Barron Collier died in New York City on March 13, 1939, at the age of 66, leaving with him a legacy of progress and development throughout the region of southwest Florida. By this time, the region as seen many positive changes and he has cemented himself as a founder of the Naples, Florida area.
