One of our favorite places to experience “Old Florida” is found south on 41, deep in the heart of the 10,000 islands. Chokoloskee has been called “one of Florida’s last frontiers.” No trip to Chok is complete without a visit to the Historic Smallwood Store. No matter how many times I have visited this unusual museum, I never tire of spending an hour or more marveling at how little his building has changed over the past 100 years.
Let’s begin, however, with a brief look at the history of this island. Humans have inhabited Chokoloskee Island since the Calusa Indians ruled these islands over 2,000 years ago. This tribe of hunters and gatherers began to build mounds and canals on the island. These canals were about 15 feet wide and 3-6 feet deep. The canals were used by the Calusa for traveling in their canoes until the mid 16th century when the tribe disappeared from Florida.
Near the end of the 19th century, white settlers made their way into the Chokoloskee Bay Area. Hunters were the first to visit hunting plume and fur. They were followed by families who hunted, fished, and farmed the land to make a living.
As more and more settlers came to this area, they needed a place to purchase goods and communicate with the outside world. To fill this need, in 1906 Ted Smallwood opened his store to provide a venue for settlers to purchase hides, furs, produce and other goods needed to survive.
The store remained open until 1982. In 1990, Ted’s granddaughter reopened the store as a museum and today it serves as a “time capsule of Florida Pioneer history.”
