Page "Chokoloskee, Florida" Paragraph 12

In 1897 Ted Smallwood moved to Chokoloskee Island.

There were still just five other families on the island, including the Santini brothers.

In 1899, the Santinis left and sold their claims to Smallwood, who became the major landholder on the island.

Chokoloskee had acquired a post office in 1891, at first called Comfort, but changed to Chokoloskee within a year.

At first, mail for Chokoloskee came by boat from Key West, then as the railroads extended down the Florida peninsula, the mail came from Punta Gorda, and later from Fort Myers.

After the highway reached Everglades City, it came by boat from there until the causeway to Chokoloskee Island was completed in 1956.

Because of the uncertainty of the mail boat schedule, a conch shell would be blown to alert the islanders that the mail had arrived.