Historic Tales of Gasparilla Island
Hop aboard the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway for a trip across the trestle to Gasparilla Island.

Natural beauty and the sportfishing life brought the Cabots, Vanderbilts and Du Ponts to this island paradise, where local fishing families danced, ate and drank with the rich and famous at their castles on the beach. As the wealthy played, they relied on locals for everything from fishing charters to literally laundering and ironing their money. These are tales of 1920s rum smugglers whose offspring smuggled marijuana in the 1970s, a woman who caught 236 tarpon in one season and a bar owner whose Pink Elephant restaurant fed American presidents. James Bond's Goldfinger even has a part as an island player. From Placida to Boca Grande Pass to Cabbage Key, fourth-generation Gasparilla Islander David Futch offers a wild ride with Bull Bay hermits and billionaires.

1140542361
Historic Tales of Gasparilla Island
Hop aboard the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway for a trip across the trestle to Gasparilla Island.

Natural beauty and the sportfishing life brought the Cabots, Vanderbilts and Du Ponts to this island paradise, where local fishing families danced, ate and drank with the rich and famous at their castles on the beach. As the wealthy played, they relied on locals for everything from fishing charters to literally laundering and ironing their money. These are tales of 1920s rum smugglers whose offspring smuggled marijuana in the 1970s, a woman who caught 236 tarpon in one season and a bar owner whose Pink Elephant restaurant fed American presidents. James Bond's Goldfinger even has a part as an island player. From Placida to Boca Grande Pass to Cabbage Key, fourth-generation Gasparilla Islander David Futch offers a wild ride with Bull Bay hermits and billionaires.

21.99 In Stock
Historic Tales of Gasparilla Island

Historic Tales of Gasparilla Island

by David Futch
Historic Tales of Gasparilla Island

Historic Tales of Gasparilla Island

by David Futch

Paperback

$21.99 
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Overview

Hop aboard the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway for a trip across the trestle to Gasparilla Island.

Natural beauty and the sportfishing life brought the Cabots, Vanderbilts and Du Ponts to this island paradise, where local fishing families danced, ate and drank with the rich and famous at their castles on the beach. As the wealthy played, they relied on locals for everything from fishing charters to literally laundering and ironing their money. These are tales of 1920s rum smugglers whose offspring smuggled marijuana in the 1970s, a woman who caught 236 tarpon in one season and a bar owner whose Pink Elephant restaurant fed American presidents. James Bond's Goldfinger even has a part as an island player. From Placida to Boca Grande Pass to Cabbage Key, fourth-generation Gasparilla Islander David Futch offers a wild ride with Bull Bay hermits and billionaires.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781467151702
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date: 02/14/2022
Series: American Chronicles
Pages: 160
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

David Futch is a fourth-generation Gasparilla Islander. After graduating from the University of Florida, Futch covered government and politics in Florida, Alaska and California. He lives in Santa Monica, California, with his adored wife, Sally Stewart.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

Chapter 1 A Pirate in the Straits 15

Chapter 2 Square Grouper 22

Chapter 3 Sister Islands 30

Chapter 4 The Netters 40

Chapter 5 The Other Side of the Tracks 51

Chapter 6 Tarpon 63

Chapter 7 Big Money Tarpon Tournaments 72

Chapter 8 Before and After the Bridge 82

Chapter 9 Goldfinger 96

Chapter 10 Gasparilla Inn 104

Chapter 11 Hotel Hell 116

Chapter 12 A Town Built on Phosphate 124

Chapter 13 Watering Holes 132

Chapter 14 Futch Facts 145

Chapter 15 Split Personality, Beacons and Those Dam Streets 151

About the Author 157

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