My Trip to the Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve





While I am a native to Fort Myers, Florida, I have never experienced the Matanzas Pass Preserve. I actually got lost on my way there and drove all the way past Lover's Key despite having checked the directions before I left. It's quite tucked away off the main road with no signs indicating that there's a preserve there. After getting lost and driving at a snails pace through all the beach traffic I was to say the least in an unpleasant mood.


However, after walking on the boardwalk through the mangroves my mood seemed to change rather quickly and I began to relax. The trail is very narrow with the brush encroaching on the boardwalk. There are mangroves on both sides in various states of growth. The sign on the path indicated that the area had been planted in 1996 in which all the exotic vegetation was removed. It stated that the exotic vegetation was harmful to the native wildlife.

The trail seemed endless as it looped and forked in several directions. It's amazing that something so serene could be seconds away from the busy main road. It was really beautiful and provided a glimpse as to how this land use to look. I don't think I've ever seen a region located on the beach that was untouched.

My favorite part of the whole trip was sitting by the dock watching the water flow through the mangroves. I must have been there for at least an hour. It was nice hearing the gentle waves hitting the mangroves. It was relatively quiet except when a load boat would pass by. The weather was especially beautiful today and there was a nice gentle breeze. After spending quite a bit of time there I headed back to check out the cottages.

What struck me most about the cottages was the plaque they had containing the names and dates of the original Homesteaders of Estero Island. I couldn't imagine what it was like to only have 8 families on the entire beach.

The above is a picture of an 18th Century Anchor that was donated to the preserve.

The above is a picture of a rain barrel that was used during the 1920's through the 1940's as the island residents primary source of collecting fresh water.

This beach cottage was built in 1921 and was the fourth house that was built on the island. It's really amazing to get a glimpse of how people use to live on Fort Myers Beach. This trip was very informative and allowed me to see a different perspective of the area. I wished today it had retained some of that quaintness that it once was.