| William David "Captain Bill" Collier was born
September 20, 1852, a son of the first American settler on Marco Island. In
1883 He opened a mercantile store on Marco Island, when it was the only port between Punta Rassa and Key West. In 1895, he discovered one of the richest collections of ceremonial and utilitarian Calusa Indian artifacts in North America. This led to a major archaeological excavation, the 1895-96 Pepper Hearst Expedition. The excavation recovered 2,500 artifacts, all of which Collier donated to museums and institutions of higher learning. In 1910 Collier helped establish a clam factory on Marco Island. He invented a clam-dredging machine that allowed more rapid harvesting of clams at a greater depth. Collier also served two years on the Lee County Board of County Commissioners before Collier County was formed in 1923. William David Collier died April 23, 1934. His Great Floridian plaque is located at the Old Marco Island Inn & Suites, 100 Royal Palm Boulevard, Marco Island. |