The Islands of Sanibel and Captiva were formed by the prevailing currents in the Gulf of Mexico about 6,000 years ago. This makes them infants geologically: Egyptian civilization was well underway before the islands even existed let alone were habitable. By the early 1900′s Sanibel was on its way to being a prime destination for vacationers. In 1928 a ferry service began to and from the mainland. Jay Norwood, “Ding” Darling, a Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist with an eye toward conservation, made nearby Captiva Island a regular winter retreat spot. He campaigned for the protection of the islands’ fragile wetlands and his efforts blocked the sale of a parcel of environmentally valuable Sanibel land to developers. At Darling’s urging, President Harry S. Truman signed an Executive Order creating the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945: a refuge that occupies more than half of Sanibel Island. In May 1963 a causeway linking Sanibel and Captiva to the mainland was opened. And here we are…