A Brief History of Jekyll Island
The Guale and Timucua peoples were the earliest inhabitants of Jekyll Island, occupying the land long before European settlers began arriving in the 16th century. Archaeological evidence supports the thought that there were not many permanent settlements established on Jekyll Island until around 1,000 B.C. At that point, small groups of hunter-gatherers began migrating on and off the Island less frequently, leading to slightly more established settlements along Jekyll Island’s shores.
Around the mid 1500s, Spanish explorers began their exploration of the land. In fact, Spanish settlers first called the Island, Isla de Ballenas or “Island of Whales.” Today, there are still active nesting grounds for the Atlantic Ocean’s right whale population off the southeastern Georgia coast.
In 1735, James Oglethorpe began settling the lands up and down the Georgia coast, aggravating the Spanish settlers located to the south in Florida. In an effort to defend the beautiful barrier islands of Georgia, Oglethorpe enlisted the service of William Horton. Through Horton’s enlistment, he was granted 500 acres of land as a trust and staked his claim on Jekyll Island. The remains of Horton’s home still stand today and are recognized as one of the oldest structures in Georgia.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Jekyll Island became one of the nation’s most exclusive destinations with the establishment of the Jekyll Island Club. Some of the Island’s regular visitors during those times were J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer and William K. Vanderbilt.
In 1950, the Jekyll Island Authority took over the land and created the Jekyll Island State Park. Since this time, the Island has become renowned for the preservation of its natural and historic resources. And as proud stewards of the environment, the developers of Canopy Bluff seek to continue that same legacy of preservation.
Reference information:
www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-928