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A studio portrait of Ruth Rutland taken in 1930 by the Home Portrait Studios in Jacksonville, Fla.

The road to Captiva was threatened by erosion as it ran at water's edge along the Gulf of Mexico. Erosional forces increased in the 1920s and in the late 1980s, beach renourishment was initiated to slow the problem. Many other potential remedies were tried, such as the "dog-leg" groins running perpendicular to the shore in this photo.

Part of a scallop and Lion's paw display at the 1955 Sanibel Shell Fair.

A couple from Casa Ybel with a sheepshead caught in Tarpon Bay on Sanibel. The "Cut" in the mangrove wall forming Tarpon Bay is visible over the man's left shoulder.

Admiral Konrad and Clarence Rutland in front of Island Bouganvillea.

The Sanibel lighthouse complex at the eastern end of the island, looking north into San Carlos Bay. Twin water tanks are visible between the buildings. A cistern which collected rainwater from the roof can be seen beside the western quarters. A maintenance shed is beyond the western quarters, and the path to the boathouse/fishing pier is clearly visible. The submarine observation tower, used during World War II to search for enemy submarines, stands in the tidal zone on the island's Point Ybel, as erosion accelerated in the area during this period.

The site of the Algiers is now Gulfside Park.

A group of women show off their fashionable attire at the Sisters Hotel. From left to right: Alice Tayntor, Mrs. Blaisdell, Marie Shulye, Mary Tayntor.

A mule and wagon was the common method of transportation on Sanibel at the turn of the century, from the steamer docks on the north bayside of the island to the hotels, most on the Gulf beaches. The photo is possibly taken at the Matthews Hotel, later called the Island Inn.

One of the four auto ferries of the Kinzie Line in the 1950s moves toward the Sanibel docks on its run across San Carlos Bay from Punta Rassa to Sanibel Island.