Te Calusa culture eventually died out,


as common European illnesses such as small- pox and measles decimated the sheltered tribes. By 1700, their population, once more than 20,000 strong, had been reduced to a few thousand. Bands of Native Americans from the Southeastern United States began moving into Florida and became known col- lectively as the Seminole.


Estero’s Early Pioneers Estero’s first reported homesteaders were


Gustave and Alma Damkoehler, who arrived from Germany in 1882 to raise honeybees and silkworms along the Estero River. No roads connected Estero to the outside world, so Damkoehler used the river to ship his har- vests north through the Gulf of Mexico. Estero’s most noted pioneer was Cyrus


R. Teed, the leader of the Utopian group known as the Koreshan Unity. Teed and some of his followers began settling along the Estero River in 1894, and Damkoehler donated 320 acres of land to them. During the early 1900s, the Kore- shans opened a post office, a store, and a blacksmith shop and saw mill. Tey also established a school, built an art hall for their symphony orchestra and theater group, and planted exotic vegetation gathered from around the world. By 1904, the Koreshans were able to incorporate 110 square miles into the Town of Estero, with boundaries extending from south Fort Myers to Bonita Beach Road, in Bonita Springs, and encompassing Lovers Key State Park and the town of Fort Myers Beach. Te Town of Estero was later dis- solved by the State of Florida in 1907. Today, 11 structures from that time


period are maintained at the Koreshan State Historic Site. Te land was given to the State of Florida in 1961 by the remaining four Koreshans.


In 1904, Estero’s second public school,


the one-room Estero Creek School, opened on land deeded by Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Hen- dry. Te school operated until 1927 and the building is now part of the Estero Historical Society’s headquarters at Estero Community Park. It sits next to a restored 1906 house originally owned by Frank Hall, a trustee of the school. Te Broadway Estero School, a four-


room, Mediterranean Revival style school with indoor plumbing, was built in 1927 to accommodate 100 students. It was in use until 1949 and still sits next to the old post office on Broadway Avenue East.


An Evolving Community Troughout the first half of the 20th


century, Estero was a quiet, sleepy citrus community that harbored small retirement neighborhoods. Te area’s first major de- velopment, Estero River Heights, was built along the river during the late 1960s. New neighborhoods and businesses


were sparked by the opening of Southwest Florida International Airport in 1983. Lo- cal educational and career opportunities expanded when Florida Gulf Coast Uni- versity admitted its first students in 1997. Germain Arena and Miromar Outlets arrived in 1998, increasing Estero’s year- round population and real estate values. Te nearby Miromar Design Center, a high-end resource of designer showrooms, also draws attention to the area. In 2006, the open air Coconut Point Mall was com- pleted in Estero, featuring more than 140 shops, stores and restaurants. Estero continues to evolve. In 2013, after conducting a nationwide search, Hertz Global Holdings opted to move its head- quarters to Estero. By the end of 2015, some 650 employees moved into the modern, LEED-certified building.


EARLY ESTERO EDUCATION Tis building housed the Estero


Elementary School from 1925 to 1949, when it closed and many of its students ended up in schools in Fort Myers. Edu- cating 65 students ranging in grades one through eight was challenging, as many of the students' families came from places as far away as Ireland and Spain. Since the school had no lunchroom, stu- dents either went home for lunch or ate in a small building behind the school. Te building is now a private residence. Estero's first school, the Estero


Creek School, was open from 1896 to 1904, at which time it closed and the


Te restored Estero Creek School now and then. 14 www.EsteroChamber.org


students attended a larger school. You can see the school and a restored cottage at the Estero Historical Society, located in the Estero Community Park. Docents


are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers and furnishings from the time period are welcomed.


Planning for the Future During the early 2000s, a group of


local residents, including Don Eslick and Neal Noethlich, decided to form the Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) to address resident concerns and suggestions about how Estero should grow and evolve.


Te ECCL, the Estero Commu-


nity Planning Panel and Estero Design Review Committee established the ar- chitectural and landscaping guidelines that now define Estero. Today, attractive buildings such as Lowe’s, Walmart and those at the Coconut Point Mall exem- plify Estero’s high aesthetic and develop- ment standards. In July 2013, the ECCL initiated incorporation efforts with a successful re- sult, and Estero officially became the Vil- lage of Estero on December 31, 2014. A seven-member village council was elected on March 3, 2015, and Nick Batos was elected mayor at the first Estero Village Council meeting, on March 17, 2015. Tanks to the ECCL, dedicated Vil- lage personnel and the local Chamber, our community enjoys a culture of active involvement, with residents, businesses, and local government working together for the good of the Estero community. Toughtful development guidelines es- tablished by these visionary community leaders will help protect Estero’s natural beauty for future generations. Today, the recently incorporated


Village of Estero—the “Village with a Vi- sion”— continues to welcome individuals, families and businesses with attractive wages, a low cost of living, a healthy out- door lifestyle, and friendly neighborhoods with hometown values. One visit to our community often turns into the decision to stay a lifetime!


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