Useppa Island News

Useppa Island Property Owners Association - Make sure you mark your calendars for December 27th. Members and guests only.

Lazy Flamingo: Part 5 in the Boat for Food Blog Series - A Culinary Adventure around Useppa Island!

Once again we set out in search of some good food for lunch. We don’t go north or south this time, but turn east to Bokeelia and Pine Island. Lazy Flamingo is located within the Four Winds Marina complex, at the head of Jug Creek, home port for most Useppans. Leaving our dock we head south then do a hairpin turn around the south end of Useppa and head north into the center of Pine Island Sound.

Small fishing boats dot the landscape, casting for sea trout and redfish in the grass flats. Views north open up to Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor, while Captiva Pass is visible just 3 miles to the south.  We pass the outer buoy of the Pineland Channel then veer to the northeast and head directly for Little Bokeelia Bay. This is the short cut that merges into the center of Jug Creek, and saves a mile of travel. Although impassable at extreme low tides there is plenty of water in a channel marked by private aids, but it is still a local knowledge route. 

We pass Little Bokeelia Island, with its gorgeous Spanish home, and high ground overlooking Boca Grande Pass. You can buy this paradise for just $24.5 million, and have 29 lots to sell to your best friends. The remnants of a Calusa temple mound appear on the left as you make the final turn into Jug Creek. In a couple more minutes you are docked in front of the Lazy Flamingo, 13 minutes from our dock.

A casual place for lunch or dinner, the Lazy is a local chain known for its fresh fish offerings, usually Mahi but frequently Grouper and sometimes a surprising and yummy Triple Tail. You can get it grilled, blackened or fried. Fresh oysters and scallops are usually available also. Naturally there are burgers and fries, steak sandwiches and always fresh salads-nice and crispy.

Mary departs from her usual lunch salad and goes for the grilled Mahi sandwich basket-but avoids devouring the fries. I had a giant, perfectly done blue cheeseburger basket with all the toppings-lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles-and ate every damn fry in the basket. This lunch just demanded an ice cold beer, so I gave in to the temptation and had two-they are small.

This experience was typical. Friendly and attentive wait staff, good but not fancy food, hot from the kitchen, and ice cold beer. It is hard to walk past the Lazy and not feel some hunger pangs-so go in and fix them!

FROM: THE USEPPA PEOPLE'S BACK PORCH

SOMETIMES WE SEE THE STRANGEST THINGS.....

Last week, we were sure we were being dive bombed!!  The house shook....we saw red wings just barely passing above the mangroves behind Gaspar Island and heard this scary sound   ...rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaahhhhHHHHAAAA

It happened a half dozen times....a small plane, doing touch'n'go's from behind Cabbage Key, across the ICW, lifting off just short Useppa's shore.  And, it was NOT apparent they would clear the homes on the western shore, a couple of times. 

We got the tail number but, with phone in hand and number dialed.....they stopped flying, started motoring and we saw the                                         craziest thing!!

We couldn't figure it out, at first.

But, looking closer.... 

They were switching pilot and crew!!

Then, they headed south, motoring until we could no longer see them.

Now, THAT will get your adrenalin going!!

Only one other thing has gotten that degree of attention

...but for totally different reasons.

Useppa Island Real Estate Market Report - Fall 2014

                 

Useppa real estate activity has been marked by unusual late summer closings, and early fall contracts. There was a late August closing of Grand View Cottage in the Village to a family from Iowa, and an October closing of North Point Cottage, to existing Useppa residents, who now have two Useppa homes; one for personal, and one for rental.

So far, 2014 has seen four single family closings, three of them to Useppa residents, and one to a club member who could not resist the rock bottom price of a bank-owned property near the Collier Inn. Major renovations followed that closing. Sales of attached villas (duplex) were the product most in demand, as potential buyers have snapped up seven since January 1, with one additional under contract. With demand only escalating from this point forward, near term increases in property values are inevitable.

A New View of Useppa

Better late than never - as the increased awareness of Useppa Island and all it has to offer has been accelerated by the marketing clout of Michael Saunders & Company and The Useppa People. With all the MSC listings found in two multiple listing services, from Orlando south to Naples, there is now a level of awareness in the community of Realtors that has never before existed.

Current Inventory & Activity

Current inventory of attached villas totals seven, and at the recent rate of absorption they will all be gone by March or April. Pricing is from $465,000 to $1.3 Million. All but one has dockage; one of the premier homes on the island is the attached villa Coquina Cottage, which has an 80 foot dock with deep water.

Single family homes on the market include 11, priced from $799,000 to $3 Million. All have private docks or deeded boat slips. This represents a 2.8 year inventory, based on sales year-to-date, and just a little over two years based on trailing 12 months.

Recent activity included sales at $1,550,000 and $2,750,000, and we believe that these transactions position Useppa Island to be seen as the most compellingly priced waterfront property on the SW coast of Florida.

Market Overview

Let’s check and see how our overall market is doing. As usual, I use the zip codes 33921-Boca Grande, and 33924 which includes Captiva, N Captiva and Useppa. Comparatively, we see that the average sale price has clustered just south and north of the $1 million mark, but ranging from a low of $500,000 to a high of $3 Million, similar to Useppa’s value range. The inventory of available homes has held pretty steady at about 24 months. Comparatively, Useppa is moving along with the market.

Localized Real Estate Snapshot November 2013 – October 2014

Source - Sunshine MLS

Captain John C. Casey - Useppa Island History

For our Useppa Island History Enthusiasts - 

Once upon a time there was a US Army/Navy installation on Useppa named Fort Casey -- the remains buried deep beneath the Collier Inn (we think). Here is story of the man behind the name, Captain John C. Casey…..

Captain John C. Casey - Seminole Emigration Agent

By Spessard Stone

Egmont Key

John Charles Casey was born in 1809 in England, and as a child emigrated with his parents to the United States where they settled in Paterson, New Jersey. On July 1, 1825, he was enrolled at the Military Academy and, subsequently, graduated eleventh in his class of forty-six on July 1, 1829. Classmates included Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston.

Commissioned as Brevet Second Lieutenant in the Second Regiment of Artillery, Lt. Casey first served in the garrison at Fort Pike, Louisiana. On January 21, 1831 he was assigned to the Military Academy as Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Geology where he taught until December 19, 1833. Thereafter, he was reposted to Fort Pike until early 1835.

He next commenced the start of a long tenure in Florida. On March 24, 1835, they arrived at Fort Brooke

(Tampa), and, soon after, on April 30, 1835, was promoted to First Lieutenant From the fort, bound for Fort King, Major Francis L. Dade marched his command where in the Wahoo Swamp, near present-day Bushnell, on December 28, 1835, Seminoles ambushed them and thus precipitated the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).

Lt. Casey engaged in skirmishes at Camp Izard on February 27-29 and March 5, 1836 and saw action at Oloklikaha on March 31, 1836. He was Acting Agent in transferring Seminoles beyond the Mississippi from 1836-39, in which capacity, he traveled several times to the new Indian Territory in the west and was further involved in various staff duties, including the Commissary General at Fort Brooke at the recommendation of General Thomas S. Jesup in January 1838.

Casey was, thereafter, stationed away from Florida for over nine years. From March 1839 to late 1841, he was Purchasing Commissary at New York City. He was variously Assistant to the Commissary-General at Washington, D.C., 1841-47, except in 1843 when he was a Member of the Board of Visitors to the Military Academy. On January 4, 1842, he was promoted to Captain, 2nd Artillery. On May 15, 1844, Capt. Casey was transferred to the 3rd Infantry. In the War with Mexico, he served from August 15, 1847 to May 13, 1848 as Chief of Commissariat of the Army, commanded by Major General Zachary Taylor.

Ill with tuberculosis and believing the climate of Florida would be beneficial to his health, Capt. Casey requested duty at Fort Brooke, which was granted. When he arrived at Tampa to assume his duties as Commissary of Subsistence, he was so emaciated from hermorrhages, he was carried in the arms of his servant. Subjected to frequent attacks of bleeding of the lungs, he, nevertheless, courageously pursued his duties. By August 1848, he was already traveling as far as Lake Istokpoga. On September 1, 1849, he was named also Commissioner for the Removal of the Seminole Indians from Florida.

In compliance with an order from the War Department to select a site for a new port at Charlotte Harbor, a board of officers, which included Fort Brooke commander Major W. W. Morris and Capt. Casey, from November 15-22, 1848 examined the area, and then on January 20, 1849 recommended as the most suitable site for a new post the Island of Guiseppe (Useppa Island). The post on Useppa Island was established on January 3, 1850 and named Fort Casey.

Capt. Casey was instrumental in selecting a site for a new trading post for Kennedy & Darling to replace their Indian store at Charlotte Harbor, which was destroyed in the hurricane of 1848. On February 23, 1849, John Darling of the Tampa firm recommended a point in the fork of Hatse Lotka and Peas Creek, fifty-one miles east southeast from the Tampa route, now Paynes Creek. On March 21, Capt. Casey visited the site of the new store.

Capt. Casey, as Seminole emigration agent, dealt fairly with the Indians and soon earned their trust for his honesty and integrity. A fellow officer commented: "He was known to have great influence with the Indians...he never deceived them; never told them a lie; and never made a promise he did not fulfill....By this simple means he gained the confidence of the whole nation."

That good will was tested when war threatened in the summer of 1849. At the Indian River settlement near Fort Pierce on July 12, four Indians killed James Barker and wounded William Russell. Then on July 17 at the Kennedy-Darling trading post at now Paynes Creek, four Indians attacked and killed Capt. George Payne, the manager, and Dempsey Whidden, a clerk, and wounded William McCullough, another clerk, who with his wife, Nancy, fled, and, though pursued and shot, managed to escape. The Indians, before leaving, burned the store.

Upon learning of the murderers, Capt. Casey, to establish contact with Billy Bowlegs, the Seminole chief, and others, sailed in a small sloop from Sarasota Bay to Charlotte Harbor. On September 4 at Sarasota, he learned from three Indians, sent by Billy Bowlegs, that the murders, without sanction or knowledge of any chief, were committed by five young Indians who resided on the Kissimmee River, and that Assinwah had been sent to arrest them. Further, Sam Jones, leader of the Mikasukis, had to Bowlegs sent word to urge active measures to preserve the peace, and that Bowlegs sought a council at Charlotte Harbor on September 18.

On the appointed date, Billy Bowlegs and 37 of his sub-chiefs and warriors met with Capt. Casey, then the chief went aboard the steamboat of Major General David E. Twiggs and promised to give up the murders for justice. The next day he returned with a sub-chief of Sam Jones, and they set October 19 at Charlotte Harbor for the surrender of the five.

On October 17, General Twiggs arrived at Charlotte Harbor to learn from Billy Bowlegs that Sam Jones and some 60 warriors had been waiting nine days, three of the murders were in confinement, one had been killed in an attempt to escape, and the fifth had effected his escape. The next day the chief again came on board and brought with him three prisoners, and a hand as proof of death of the fourth.

The crisis had ended to the complete satisfaction of General Twiggs, who earlier had commended Capt. Casey: "His efforts have been crowned with great success...It is a simple act of justice to acknowledge the important service Captain Casey has rendered in re-establishing, at no slight personal risk, a communication between these people and ourselves at a time when it was believed impossible by every man in this community, and thus probably averting a war otherwise inevitable."

Capt. Casey and others engaged in prolonged negotiations with the various tribes to secure their emigration. At Fort Chokonikla on January 21, 1850, Major General David E. Twiggs and Capt. Casey met in council with Billy Bowlegs, six subchiefs of the Seminoles and Mikasukis, and a delegate from the Tallahassees, who expressed their willingness to emigrate. On February 28, 1850, 74 Seminoles, including the three prisoners surrendered in the July 1849 murders, sailed on the steamer Fashion at Fort Hamer on the Manatee River for New Orleans.

Further talks were broken off by Billy Bowlegs in April 1850 as he feared he and his warriors would have been seized after he learned that among the exiles were two young men who’d come into trade. Bowlegs stated that he desired peace and could not make war, but he would not leave his country, nor induce his people to go.

When, on August 6, 1850, eight-year-old Daniel Hubbard was killed by Indians in Marion County, Capt. Casey again was called to settle the case. After a lengthy investigation, he tentatively concluded that three Indians of Echo Emathla Chopko band's had slain the boy in retaliation for the theft of three ponies by Jacob Summerlin. On May 17, 1851, three were arrested at Fort Myers and on May 19 sent to Tampa where Capt. Casey, after separately examining them, learned they blamed others, and, though he feared they were scapegoats, delivered them for trial to Justice Simon Turman. Justice was thwarted though when on May 23, after an attempted jail break, the three Indians were found hanging by the bars of the windows.

From 1848 to 1851 the western coast of Florida was charted by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, with Capt. Casey assisting. In his honor the inlet at the southernmost end of Little Sarasota Bay, just south of Chaise’s Key, was named Casey’s Pass. In April 1856, a map of Florida by Lt. J. C. Ives, in which he gave much credit to Casey, was published. Chaise’s Key was then charted as Casey’s Key.

In Washington, D. C., custodianship of the Indian tribes had been transferred from the War Department to the Interior Department, and it was concluded that a new special agent should be tried to induce the Florida Seminoles to emigration Accordingly, Capt. Casey was replaced by Luther Blake, who had achieved success with Creek removal in Georgia. Arriving in Fort Myers in May 1851, Blake soon engaged in various junkets, including a trip to Indian territory in the west from which he returned with a delegation in March 1852, and a jaunt with Billy Bowlegs and others to Washington, D. C. and New York in the fall of 1852, all with little success.

After Capt. Casey expressed his fear Blake would swindle the Indians, bad blood developed between the two. Blake retaliated by reporting Casey for interfering with the arrangements for emigrating the Indians of Florida. On November 1, 1852, the War Department reacted by ordering Casey to leave Florida as soon as practicable, but he so ably defended himself that he was reinstated in July 1853.

In May 1854, Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War, resolved that only coercive measures would henceforth be used to induce the Florida Indians to emigrate and ordered Capt. Casey to end talks and trade with them. Lands, previously withheld, were to be opened for settlement. In 1855 the Army began to erect a new cordon of forts and roads and intensified patrols into the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamps.

Finding no alternative left but emigration or hostilities, Billy Bowlegs led a Seminole war party, which on December 20, 1855 attacked Lt. George L. Hartsuff’s surveying patrol in the Big Cypress and thus began the Third Seminole War.

Capt. John C. Casey died of pulmonary consumption on December 25, 1856. Major Morris eulogized, "His moral character was unimpeachable, his self denial and courage admired by all who knew him."

The war ended with the Seminoles’ agreement on March 27, 1858 to exile to the Seminole Nation reservation in the west. On May 4, 1858 at Fort Myers, a Seminole party which included Billy Bowlegs, embarked on the steamer Grey Cloud and on May 7 at Egmont Key more boarded. Coincidentally, the Grey Cloud carried also the remains of Billy Bowlegs’ friend, the late Capt. Casey to his final resting place.

References: Fred W. Wallace, "The Story Of Captain John C. Casey," Florida Historical Quarterly 41 (October 1962); Cullum’s Biographical Register; Casey Papers, U. S. Military Academy; Senate Executive Document No. 49; miscel. National Archives records.

This article was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, FL) as "History: The Seminole Emigration Agent" on Feb. 17, 2005, 10C.

Addtional article about Captain John C. Casey

MORE ABOUT SUMMER PAST

YES!!!! SUMMER IS OVER BUT THE STORIES LIVE ON!!

We've told you about the Useppa Mooch March...Useppans visiting other Useppans at their summer abodes.  And, we've told you about the Swigerts who drove almost 10,000 miles to see their many friends.  While taking all prizes for time, tenure and distance, we did have other travelers.

The Trinos visited us in Maine where we were joined by the Beisswengers for some hiking in Acadia National Park.   
                  We did eat some Lobster!!

And climbed to the top of Great Head!! 

 

And, "marched" through the woods on our way to the beach.  In August....we could hear the screams when they hit the water!! COLD!

 

          And, we did some boating in Somes Sound

And, then there's Ligibel, who left Useppa a year or so ago, but keeps showing up. 

Once a Useppan, always a Useppan.

And, he just can't stay away from those sailors...or they, him!

                                    ....visiting with the Bacons
                                                      Did you notice the pig....on the wall??

And, then again with the sailors'n crew    

                                            

AN ORIGINAL USEPPAN

Here's Gretchen with Chessie, one of the first people we met when coming to Useppa in the early 80s.  Guess what Gretchen is holding??!?! 

Our ad in Croquet News!!  Complete with a full page story!!

Check it out!!

The Summer was good for us all... and there are many more stories to share.  To be quick...

The VanVeldhuizen family, new neighbors in The Village,  

              married off one of his 11 kids....

Who then flew off into the sunset?  Just a couple more daughters to go.

Another new neighbor, Dave Thomas and wife, Julie Lachman, had some suggestions for Useppa after being up in Cedar Key for a long weekend.

....thought Useppa should think about having a "real bar"... to go with the Grotto theme?!?

Speaking of the Grotto....

it  has continued to collect collectibles with varying messages, from young and old...

....the artistic

...the demented

...and the WINNERS!!!    38 TO 20 !!!!!!

GO GATORS!!!!

Kim and Aimee Lockhart went out west, where Kim caught tons of fish 

And Aimee took GORGEOUS photos

   And, Kim caught more fish...and more fish

and then, more fish....

 I have another couple dozen photos. 

LET'S JUST SAY...it was a good "fishing summer!!"

Last of all...

Brian and I joined Vic and Suzy Trino in Lerici, Italy

Their apartment is at the top of the hill, to the left of the old fort.  GORGEOUS VIEW and a fantastic little town.

Brian learned the most important Italian phrases

And, Suzy and Vic saw to his every gastronomic need in the most gorgeous places.  This takes "Boating for Food" to a whole new level.

The Hosts with the Most

We boated La Spezia Bay on the Ligurian coast and climbed mountains in the Italian Riviera on the way to the highest of the Cinque Terra towns, climbing above the town, then down, into Corniglia, the only town in the Cinque Terras that is not on the water,  residing on a bluff near the top of a mountain.

  

 using the same trail used by those picking grapes.

 2500' ASL and straight up!

                  And, that was our SECOND day
                          with the Trinos!!! 
The rest of our stay in Italy was fantastic but the Trinos are an impossible act to follow!!
                          Ciao, for now!!

            FALL IS HERE!!!  IT IS COOL!!
            BRING YOUR STORIES TO US!!
What do Useppans do when they're not doing
                       "Useppa Stuff"???

Croquet on Useppa Island: Play On!

Croquet took root, sprouted, evolved and exploded on Useppa Island over 30 years ago! In 1978, Bob Sumwalt, our “Father of Croquet” dedicated himself to teaching all that would come, to learn, play and love Croquet. And, we did!!

Our first Nine-Wicket Tournament was in 1978, followed by the introduction of Six-Wicket in 1984, when we built “the perfect” Six-Wicket court overlooking Pine Island Sound. Women jumped in and competition really ramped up!

In 1989, we had our first Six-Wicket Tournament and subsequently, co-hosted several Invitational Tournaments with Boca Grande Croquet Club. Over the next several years, Useppa spawned more than a dozen nationally-ranked players. Our court and the resident level of play, in concert with the sheer beauty of the Island and many activities, drew members and attracted new home owners.

The REAL fun, however, began in 2003 with the emergence of Golf Croquet. Passersby saw the fun – the tailgating, laughter, incredible shots and pure exhilaration…an unbelievable esprit de corps that was not only on the playing field, but permeated the entire Island. It was contagious!

And, since you can’t play Croquet every hour of every day, croquet players participated in other island activities, joining The Useppa Yacht Club (No Dues! No Rules!) with a fleet of 15 ft. Marshal Cat Boats that race every Saturday, through April. All of the spirited competition on the water is followed by cookouts on the beach, moonlight and destination sails. Players also enjoy the fishing, boating and beaches, especially during the holidays with family and friends, young and old.

Regardless of the activity, everyone falls in love with the communal feel that permeates Useppa Island – the melding of compatible souls. The joy is fueled by an innate sense of adventure and love of nature, being with friends and enjoying an environment and atmosphere that evokes fond memories of a simpler time. No matter where people hail from, the common sentiment is that Useppa is “their neighborhood.”

 

Membership continues to grow with tournaments scheduled often. You can count on Nine-Wicket Beach Croquet, where everyone plays each December 30th (a 30-year tradition), along with three-day tournaments for Six-Wicket, Golf Croquet and Nine-Wicket in the Spring and Fall. There are always pick-up games in the afternoons.

And practice games! And those re-match games that go on…forever.

USEPPANS ON THE MOVE!!

USEPPA'S MOOCH MARCH CONTINUES!!

It's summer so it must be Mooch March Time!! And, Useppans do it so well.  And, there is one couple who has surpassed all prior efforts... even their own, which have been pretty amazing.

For those that don't know what the Useppa Mooch March is...it is when Useppans take to the highways and sea-ways and visit their Useppa neighbors, wherever they may be....US or abroad.  We all do it, at least once.  Some of us do it, annually....because there are some Useppans that play host, every year.  And there are some Useppans that accept every invitation given, every year. In general, invitations are plentiful and appreciated!!  And, there are awards, in categories.  The awards are:

         "The Couple Most Oft' Invited"  

         

                  

                "The Most Oft' Hosted"
                           
              "The Most Miles Driven "
                           
"The Most Travel Stories Told...Over'n'Over"
                           
"The Funniest Guests to Have Visit...and Visit"
                                

      The couple that wins all awards for 2014
                                   IS
                        THE SWIGS!!!
                  Paul and Shane Swigert

This could take all week so, to be quick, they drove 9,600 miles...12 "Happy" weeks on the road, visiting 12 Hampton Inns...family and more than 12 Useppans.

Colorado was for family where Shane entered and placed in the Boulder Bolder...a 10K run for charity. She ran it with her four grand kids and daughter and finished 13th in her Class, in which 75 competed. Paul took this photo from his seat at Moe's Bagels as she shot by, resisting his calls to join him - just for a few

They went to Minneapolis and Lake Wipigaki                to visit Mary and Carter Bacon.

Then on to Long Beach Island, NJ.  They really hit pay dirt, there!  LBI is almost a "Useppan Haven"...home to many of our neighbors.  So... they got to visit and stay with the Coyles, Colgans, Stevens, Torgs and the Ligibels who were renting and visiting.  All these Useppans           ...to stay with, play with, boat with!!

               Such a deal!!  And, such fun!!
I think they maxed out this stay for weeks!!

Then on to NY and New Hampshire, where they have a home but not one they could use.  So...they visited the Millers on Squam Lake!!

Those of us that have visited the Millers (we all mooch) know just how special that is.  The beauty of the place is one thing but, the most wonderful thing about it is...the Millers!! Themselves!!  Very special!  And, I think the Swigs stayed there about three months. They wish!
                                                   
         Then it was on to see the Symonds on                                        Cuttyhunk!

It was here they crossed paths with another "mooching" Useppa couple, the Trinos.

They are not done yet!!!  More to do!!  More people to see!  To the mainland to see the                                         Chapins! 
                     (Uh Oh...no photo??!)  

         On to Annapolis to see the Ligibels                      (remember...they were in LBI).

 They all hooked up with the Dohertys but, based on the color of these leaves and Craig's hair, this is not this year's photo.

Here, we see Craig in a race with a power boat...winning, as he would want us to know.

And, somewhere in this convoluted itinerary, they attended what Paul called a "Comedic Event"  I'd have to agree!!

Looks like Paul is a hit with the Super Heroes!!

That's it, folks!!  They decided they'd had enough...wanted their own bed and pillows and potty.  What a summer!  If any of you want to knock them out of first place and take home the trophies....let  me know!  We'll talk...

To another 9,600-Mile Happy Road Trip

Photography: credit Paul Swigert.   Was that "credit"????