27
The street names at Collier's Reserve tell the history of the Collier family and associates.
Barcarmil Way: For the completion of the Tamiami Trail, company chief engineer, D. Graham Copeland, rigged a six-inch dredge to bring up fill from the bed of the Barron River (formerly Allen's River). The dredge indeep pumped...but a bigger one was needed to do the job. Built in the machine shop at Port Dupont, Everglades, a tiny industrial suburb, this new dredge had a 12-inch line and the ability to suck a channel out through the shallow bay for 4,500 feet (almost a mile). When the river was finally spent of feasible fill, the big dredges began scooping out a lake. From 1926 to 1929, the great dredge, known as "Barcarmil" for Barron Gift Collier's three
sons, Barron, Carnes and Miles, kept pumping and creating more townsite.
Remnants of the original dredges have been
found near Collier Seminole State Park, home
to the Barron Gift Collier Memorial.
Collier's Reserve Drive: The main road into and around Collier's Reserve. Collier's Reserve, a private residential country club on the Cocohatchee River, was established in 1992. The land was originally purchased by Barron Gift Collier in 1923 and has since been held in trust by the Collier family.
Throughout the community are scenic river outlooks and boardwalks created to enjoy the natural landscape preserves as a haven for Florida's delicate wildlife. Over 30% of the community, 130 acres, was and is dedicated to an area of conservation. In this conservation area there are approximately 50 acres of upland preserve which are being maintained as gopher tortoise habitats. Retention and enhancement of the natural vegetation on the golf course, as well as within the homesites, was and remains a goal. Strict design controls supported the development of homes in a manner consistent with the community's vision. Homes were supposed to be built with 8 featured builders. Work on the first homesit was started in July of 1993. The first home owners were Carol and Al Stocking from Toledo, Ohio. The house was built by Sunwest Homes, one of the featured builders. Their house on 844 Barcarmil Way is now owned by Barbara and Karl Todd.
Street Names with Some History