In the 1500s, Bonita Springs was inhabited by the Calusa Indians. Many Calusa inhabited the land where Shangri-la currently stands, believing that the spring on the property had natural healing powers. Eventually, the Spanish landed in Florida, and within a few hundred years, the Calusa tribe was decimated by disease and slave trading.

In the 1870’s, government surveyors pitched camp along the waterway now known as the Imperial River. After the crew left, the site became known as Survey.

Braxton B. Comer bought 6000 acres of land around Survey and imported 50 indentured servant families from Alabama with mules and equipment to work his large plantation. This led to the citrus grove boom which brought more homesteaders to the area. Soon, the town of scattered homesteaders turned into a community.

The town’s first school, post office, and hotel were built. Tourism began as people flocked to the area for the untapped fishing and hunting.

1912

For a more in-depth history of Bonita Springs, check out the Bonita Springs Historical Society’s wonderfully written synopsis!

Harvie Heitman and J.H. Ragsdale and a few other  investors from Fort Myers purchased 2400 acres around town. Harvie and associate, Dan Farnsworth, changed the town’s name to Bonita Springs and laid out a small town with streets and avenues named after the investors.

Baron Collier, a wealthy land owner, expanded his Fort Myers Southern railway to include Bonita Springs. Tamiami trail was also expanded to the area around the same time. The new accessibility lead to another boom. 

Shangri-la Hotel was built and the Banyan Tree on Old 41 was planted.

Local attractions began to pop-up which created a tourism boom. The piper family opened a roadside attraction called the Everglades Reptile Gardens, which would later become the Everglades Wonder Gardens. 

A Canadian named Harold Crant, saw the millions of shells lying on the beach, free for the taking, and opened the Shell Factory in 1938. Crant also built the Dome and Seminole Village.

Bonita remained a quiet town for another few decades. Eventually, air-conditioning became more widely available  and I-75 opened which lead to a major housing boom. The increase in population lead to shopping malls and golf courses.

Bonita continued to grow, much like the surrounding area, until 2017. 

In 2017, the city invested millions of dollars into Downtown Bonita Springs, adding the beautiful pavered sections of Old 41, renovating the landscaping and making Downtown more attractive all-around. 

The new-and-improved downtown attracted business owners. Soon, Downtown Coffee and Ceremony brewing opened. Entrada was built and a dozen new businesses opened their doors. Rooftop at Riverside opened and plans for Sugarshack Downtown were announced. 

Now, Bonita Springs is growing faster than ever with tons of new projects on the horizon, including Midtown Bonita , Imperial 41, Project Telephone, Burn Pine Center and so much more.

We’ve kept you up to date on every new development since 2017 and will continue to bring you latest news every week with our 8-year-running newsletter!