Sanibel is not the only island in the area to figure prominently in the legends of Gaspar Captiva, Useppa, and Gasparilla are also connected. Like most of the lore surrounding Gasparilla, however, this story is apocryphal, as the above references to recognizable variants of the name predate the buccaneer's supposed reign. Another attributes the name to Roderigo Lopez, the first mate of José Gaspar (Gasparilla), after his beautiful lover Sanibel whom he had left behind in Spain. One story says it was named by Juan Ponce de León for Queen Isabella I of Castile the island may indeed be named for this queen or the saint whose name she shares, either by Ponce de León or someone later. How it would have gotten this name, however, is a matter of conjecture. Alternatively, the name may derive, as many believe, from '(Santa) Ybel', which survives in the old placename 'Point Ybel', where the Sanibel Island Light is located. Nibel (the 'v' and 'b' being interchangeable) thus, the name may have evolved from 'San Nibel'. In 1765, the first known appearance of a harbor on Sanibel is shown on a map as Puerto de S. Sanibel remained an important Calusa settlement until the collapse of their empire, soon after the arrival of the Europeans.ĭuring the 1700s, Cuban fishermen would seasonally travel from their homes and set up fishing camps along the Gulf Coast, called ranchos, including on Sanibel Island.

The Calusa were a powerful Indian nation who came to dominate most of Southwest Florida through trade via their elaborate system of canals and waterways. The first known humans in the area were the Calusa, who arrived about 2,500 years ago. Sanibel and Captiva formed as one island about 6,000 years ago. View of the Lighthouse at the southern tip of Sanibel Island The Island hosts the Sanibel Historical Village and a variety of other museums including the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. More than half of the island is made up of wildlife refuges, the largest being J. In September 2022, the causeway was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian.ĭue to easy causeway access, Sanibel is a popular tourist destination known for its shell beaches and wildlife refuges. After the Sanibel causeway was built to replace the ferry in May 1963, the city was incorporated in 1974 and the residents asserted control over development by establishing the Sanibel Comprehensive Land Use Plan, helping to maintain a balance between development and preservation of the island's ecology. Most of the city proper is at the east end of the island. It is a barrier island-a collection of sand on the leeward side of the more solid coral-rock of Pine Island. The island, also known as Sanibel Island, constitutes the entire city. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,382 at the 2020 census. Sanibel is an island and city in Lee County, Florida, United States.

Sanibel flats