Marco History Lesson

An annual highlight of Leadership Marco is when respected Marco Island attorney and historian Craig Woodward loads the class onto a bus and takes them on a narrated tour of every historic nook and cranny of the island. 

Leadership Marco is a Chamber of Commerce program that teaches participants about Marco Island through a series of mandatory full-day sessions that includes the history of the island, media, law enforcement, hospitality and economics, education, government (including transportation and infrastructure) and agriculture and the environment.

Woodward is one of the island’s precious resources. As a longtime attorney, Woodward’s firsthand knowledge of the development of the island is second to none. He moved to the island with his parents in 1968 and crossed the only bridge to the island at the time, the Goodland swing bridge, on his way to Naples High School, where he was a member of the National Honor Society. But the best thing about Woodward might be the history lessons he imparts to modern day Marco Islanders.

Woodward’s history tour started at 7:30 AM in Rose History Auditorium on the campus to the Marco Island History Museum on S. Heathwood Drive.

Undoubtedly using skills learned from his mother, who taught school in Everglades City, Woodward lets the Leadership Marco Class of 2023 know that there will be a test at the end of his presentation. He hands each participant an inch-thick binder with an 89-point outline of the deep dive into Marco Island history they’re about to plunge into.

Before boarding the bus, Woodward gives the group a primer on the island’s history. He implores the group to resist moving ahead in their books. He announces when it’s time to turn each page. Woodward has the participants carry their notebooks on the bus, through Otter Mound Preserve, the Marco Cemetery, and beyond.

The bus tour took the Class of 2023 to the top of Indian Hill, the highest elevation in Southwest Florida, found in the estates area of the island. They learn that Indian Hill was first known as Johnson Station.

Woodward told the group about a local restaurant that served wink fish. Wink fish was a code for snook, the renowned game fish that cannot be sold in restaurants.

 “You’d go in there,” Woodward said, "and you would order. 'I'll have the grouper.’” Woodward then winks his eye. “Okay,” he said, "With me? And then they would serve you the stuff which you can't serve commercially. And so that was known as wink fish. You had to know what you were doing to get it.”

Woodward also educated the Leadership Marco group on the famous golf tournament that was held for several years at the Marco Island Country Club. 

"Richard Nixon teed off at the first Tony Lema tournament,” Woodward said, "which was named after the golf pro who passed away. For many years this was a huge thing on Marco Island. You had all these celebrities. So these people were here all the time, like Johnny Unitas, Perry Como and Jackie Gleason. Over the years, you had many, many celebrities who came to Marco and partied and had a blast. And it really made the island popular.”

Woodward told the group that the opening of the Marco Island Bridge was an especially celebratory occasion for him as a Naples High School student.

"The Marco Bridge opened in December 1969,” Woodward said. "I climbed up to the top of the bridge and I was thrilled.”

Woodward was happy because the new bridge meant more sleep for him.

"Five in the morning my mom would send my brother and I out to the bus stop,” Woodward said. "She'd go back to bed and sleep before she had to drive. With the new bridge, I could sleep an extra hour. I was thrilled with that."

As he passes the J.W. Marriott on S. Collier Boulevard, Woodward tells the class about the early days of modern Marco when the resort was known as the Marco Beach Hotel.

 “They ended up finishing the Marco Beach Hotel in 1971,” Woodward said, "370 rooms and it was the largest hotel on the West Coast of Florida."

 Woodward then showed the class where the old missile tracking station once stood on South Beach. He said the installation of the missile tracking station had a side benefit for the island.

“The tracking station was built by the US Air Force,” Woodward said. "The Air Force built it to track missiles being shot from Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle. They shot missiles down the coast of Florida and the tracking station tracked these missiles as they went by, the speed and trajectory and everything else. Imagine if you were fishing out there and a missile goes over your head and plops in the water. They tested a lot of missiles. And the installation of the missile tracking station is what brought electric to Marco. Why? Because before this, there was no electric on Marco."  

Woodward also told the class about the opening day of modern Marco Island. 

“A full opening day was set for January 1, 1965,” Woodward said. "You go to Chestnut Court to see waterfront models, you go to the golf club or the Marco Inn and have lunch. You can take the Islander, this Marco Islander pontoon boat, or you could go to the Voyager, to the beach. So those are the kind of activities that were available that first day.”

Woodward raised a few eyebrows when he told the class how commercial air flights used to land on Marco Island on what is now Landmark Street, that runs parallel to Collier Boulevard.

 “They basically flew the planes in,” Woodward said. "So if you were driving down the road you had to watch out for airplanes coming."

Woodward also told of how the Mackle Brothers, founders of the Deltona Corporation, developed modern Marco Island. He said if the Mackle Brothers were able to execute their original plan things would look a lot different around here.

“It would have made our lives a whole lot different than they are now,” Woodward said, "had they proceeded with the development.” 

Woodward told of a huge hearing held at the then new Lely High School.

"Lely High School opened in 1975,” Woodward said, “their auditorium was the biggest place in the county to have a hearing. And they had a hearing and everybody showed up. You had all these officials from the Corps of Engineers up here taking testimony from everybody, and you had all these speakers and you have environmental people who are against it. You have Marco people who are for it. You have labor union people who are for it because of their jobs. And it's just this big thing going on. So the Mackles were trying to give their case on why they should be able to proceed with development.”

After lunch at the Sand Bar, Woodward brought the class back to Rose Auditorium for some more classroom learning. Before he could administer the test to the class, Woodward had to leave to check on his wife, who was convalescing at their home in Everglades City.

“The test is still going to happen,” Woodward promised. "I'm going to leave because I need to go back there to see how she's faring. So I'm going to be leaving. But I'm leaving the test."

Mrs. Woodward would have been so proud.