Treasure Island Florida History

Treasure Island, Florida was first settled by the Timucan Indians around 300 A.D. The Timucan established small communities and traded with other Indian Nations until the arrival of Spaniard Panfilio de Narvaez in 1528. After failing to find the gold he was seeking, de Narvaez left after two weeks leaving behind countless dead and tortured Timucans.

The area slowly became populated by Europeans and their descendantswho primarily lived in beach shacks and eeked out a living by fishing and harvesting turtles.

The "Great Gale" of 1848 created John's Pass on the Island's north end and split off two smaller islands which are now the Isle of Palms and Capri Isle. Treasure Island

Around 1900, St. Petersburg experienced a land boom which brought weekend tourist to the beaches. No bridges existed so travelers had to rely on mostly unreliable ferry service.

The State began selling the Island at a cost of $1.25 an acre. The first hotel was built on Treasure Island in 1915 and was named the "Coney Island."

To generate interest in the properties being developed a couple of enterprising property owners buried and then "discovered" a couple of wooden chests on the beach. Claiming the chests were filled with "treasure" the news of the discovery spread quickly and people began calling the area Treasure Island. The name stuck.

Planning began on the Treasure Island Causeway Bridge in 1923 but legal and financial disagreements delayed the start of construction until 1938. The bridge was called "the best constructed bridge in Florida" when completed in 1939.

Treasure Island Historic Causeway Bridge Monument
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After World War Two more hotels and homes began to be constructed and in 1955 the City of Treasure Island was incorporated. The 50's also saw the creation of several waterfront neighborhoods by using material dredged from the bay.

Proud of it's heritage, today's Treasure Island is a unique blend of a small town laid back beach community and an internationally known family vacation destination.

(Information used on this page is from "The Treasure Island Story" by Bonnie Williams and is available at the
Treasure Island City Hall .