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| Collins Bridge opens 1913 Florida State Archives/Florida Memory/(Dept. of Commerce) |
Miami and its barrier island were connected by the Collins Bridge in June 1913.
New Jersey farmer John S. Collins (1837-1928) came to Miami in 1894 before Flagler’s railroad reached the city in 1896. He had invested in a coconut-growing business that failed but he saw potential in Miami’s barrier island, today's Miami Beach, for other crops. Collins cleared a few acres near the ocean around Indian Creek to plant avocados and mangoes. He also planted Australian Pines trees that remain today on the street named for them.
As his enterprise grew, so did his expenses. Collins turned to his children and son-in-law Thomas Pancoast in New Jersey for assistance and invited them to see his “ranch.” They were not as impressed with the ranch as they were with the island’s potential as a resort destination. Collins and Pancoast formed the Miami Beach Improvement Company - probably the first time words Miami and beach were paired - in 1912.
The company borrowed money to construct a bridge to Miami. It was built of Florida pine, iron and cement and included a revolving drawbridge. The first section spanned to Bull’s Island, the only natural island in Biscayne Bay. Collins Bridge opened June 12, 1913. Pedestrians could cross for 5-cents, vehicles for 15-cents.
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| Miami Causeways 1925 Florida State Archives/ Florida Memory (postcard collection) |
Collins Bridge closed in 1925 and was replaced by the Venetian Causeway. The Miami Beach Improvement Company, along with developers Carl Fisher, J.N. Lummus and other visionaries, launched what soon became one of the most famous beach resorts in the world. Think avocados the next time you drive along Collins Avenue, now also known as A1A.
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For more about Carl Fisher, visit index.
Sources:
For more about Carl Fisher, visit index.
Sources:
Kleinberg, Howard. Miami Beach. Miami: Centennial Press (1996).
Miami News, April 9, 1913
Miami News, Jan. 29. 1913
Wikipedia
Tags: Miami Beach history, avocados in Miami Beach, John S. Collins, Thomas Pancoast, how Miami Beach began
