The History of Cape Coral

Postcard of Cape Coral (Courtesy of Linda Mulch)

Once a rural area dotted with cattle farms, gladiolus fields with an abundance of wildlife and birds, Cape Coral has transformed over the years into a vibrant city well-known for its family-friendly atmosphere with an extensive canal system perfect for boating, numerous parks and beautiful beaches. You will also find many things to keep you busy at the Cape Coral Yacht and Raquet Club, SunSplash Waterpark, and Coral Oaks Golf Course.

The following pages take you on a trip through time showing the growth of our City. The photos and documents posted have been stored in City vaults or provided by citizens through our historical outreach program. You will find fun facts and important dates as well as links to other pages of the City website to view current information. We in the City Clerk's office are proud to share this history and hope you enjoy this walk through time!

Click on the links below to start your tour.

Calling all Cape Coral History Buffs!

We need your help! Do you have old photographs, yearbooks, banners, brochures, postcards or newspapers of Cape Coral? Do you have memorabilia from days gone by to donate to the historical archives of our City?

The Cape Coral City Clerk’s Office is working on a new project to document historical resources by compiling images and historical items for an online historical gallery of Cape Coral. Although we are still a relatively young city, our history is something we need to document now for future generations. We can house these documents in a secure fashion before they are lost due to old age or natural disaster.

If you wish to keep your items, but would like to have them included in the gallery we can scan pictures, brochures, postcards, etc and return them to you; objects can be photographed and returned as well.

You can contact the City Clerk’s Office by email ctyclk@capecoral.net with a description of the items or any questions you may have and we will contact you.

Historical Pages

History - Main Page

Early Cape Coral

Cape Coral Gardens

Cape Coral in the News

City Hall Complex

Waterfront Wonderland

History of the City Clerk

The office of the City Clerk is one of the oldest in municipal government. The Clerk is responsible for editing, compiling and publishing agendas and minutes for official meetings. The City Clerk's office is also charged with maintaining all the records of the municipality. Storing documents and following records retention guidelines as set forth by the State of Florida are an important part of the Clerk's function. In modern times the evolution of electronic storage and scanning has become a vital part in working with less storage space and tighter budgets but continuing to maintain the documents appropriately. As the City has grown so has the amount of paperwork that is generated as well as our responsibility in taking proper care of the records.

Current City Clerk
	Rebecca van Deutekom City Clerk - 2010 - Present Phone: 239.574.0411 email: ctyclk@capecoral.net Appointed in April, 2010, Rebecca is only the 4th City Clerk for Cape Coral. She is preceded by Bonnie Potter, the longest seated Cape Coral City Clerk. Rebecca had served as Executive Assistant to the Cape Coral City Manager prior to her appointment and also served as Deputy Town Clerk of Estes, Colorado for 5 1/2 years.
Prior City Clerks
	Helen Peck City Clerk 1970 - 1978 Helen had originally run for Council District #6 and lost by a mere 17 votes. She was the founder of the New Resident's Greeting Service and the New Resident's Club along with being active with the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce. As first City Clerk, she was paid nothing! She was paid $2.00 an hour as the secretary.
	Eula Jorgensen City Clerk 1979 - 1994 Eula followed Helen as City Clerk in February 1979. She is the second longest running City Clerk. In 1994, she stepped down as City Clerk when the Deputy City Clerk position was eliminated so Bonnie Potter could take her position. Eula has the distinction of buying the first pair of high heeled shoes sold in Cape Coral.
	Bonnie Potter City Clerk 1994 - 2010 Bonnie started working with the City of Cape Coral in 1975 as a minutes secretary working up to Deputy City Clerk and finally City Clerk in 1994. Bonnie was the longest serving City Clerk and did many things to implement modern technology in City Clerk's office.

Contact the City Clerk

City Clerk
P.O. Box 150027
Cape Coral, FL 33915-0027

phone: 239-574-0411
fax: 239-574-0424
email: ctyclk@capecoral.net

Cape Coral Historical Society & Museum

You can also find more Cape Coral history by visiting the Cape Coral Historical Museum where you will see more photos of the City and find directions to the museum.

The Cape Coral Historical Museum is located at:

544 Cultural Park Blvd.
Cape Coral, FL
Phone: 239.772.7037

Did you know?

The building that houses the Cape Coral Historical Museum was the snack bar and pro shop at the Country Club originally and was moved to its current site in 1983.

Fun Facts

Land Development of Cape Coral Starts - November 4, 1957

Name of Original Developers - Leonard and Jack Rosen

First Family Moves to Cape Coral - June 14, 1958

Del Prado Expressway Dedicated - January 17, 1960

Yacht Club Built - 1962

First Miss Cape Coral - Roberta (Bobbi) Blackwell - 1962

Famous Visitors to Cape Coral - Connie Mack Sr., Hugh Downs, Bob Hope

First Airfield in Cape Coral - Del Prado North of Everest, south of SE 21st St.

In 1960 - First State in Number of Residents in Cape Coral - New York, second - Pennsylvania

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. visits Four Freedoms Park - 1964

First Professional Golf Pro at the Country Club - Ed Caldwell

Cape Coral Votes to Incorporate - August 18, 1970

First Mayor - Paul Fickinger

First City Council Meeting - December 3, 1970

City Motto - "City of Superlatives"

First Business - The Nautilus Inn

First Real Estate Agent - Wonderland Realty

First Motel - Ranch House Motel

First Privately Owned Restaurant - Leonard's Clock Restaurant

First School - Cape Coral Elementary (on Vincennes)

First High School - Cape Coral High School (1979)

Cape Coral Bridge Opens - March 14, 1964

First Movie Filmed Entirely in Cape Coral - The Fat Spy (1966)

Stars of the Fat Spy - Jackie Leonard, Phyllis Diller, Jayne Mansfield and Brian Dunlevy

Route 66 Cast & Crew Filmed an episode in Cape Coral - 1963

Stars of Route 66 - Marty Milner and George Maharis

"Santiva" - Cape Coral's Mail Boat from 1958 to 1963

The Cape Coral Bank - Cape Coral's First Bank Opened February 1964

Former President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn visited Cape Coral - 2004

Cape Coral Fire Department established in March of 1962

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