A Colorful History of BridgeWater Inn

The BridgeWater Inn is a landmark and an attraction in Matlacha. The Inn was patterned after the stilt fish houses that peppered with the waters of Pine Island Sound from the early-mid 1900s. The fish houses together were called fishing camps. Some housed the fishermen and their families, some were for storing the day’s catch and drying nets and some were used as ice houses. Walls were often filled with sand and shells to keep the heat out. Sadly, only a few of these unique structures still remain, and all are privately owned. Several are used as cottages – talk about getting away from it all!

In 1925, a rough road was built to link the Florida mainland with Pine Island by connecting through the islands of Matlacha. By the start of the Great Depression in 1929, folks eager for a break, came by boat and the new road to stake out a piece of shoreline or a spot in the water. Most lived in tents, cars and trucks. Though life was hard, the fishing was legendary and there was plenty to eat – more than what many had elsewhere. These settlers eventually built docks and shanties along what is now Pine Island Road, eventually earning them homestead rights. To get a feeling for this bit of Americana, read “Pioneer, Go Home!” by Fort Myers author, Richard Powell. The novel later became an Elvis Presley movie called “Follow That Dream” (1962).

Some earlier memories of BridgeWater Inn date back to 1960s, when it was known simply as “the hotel”. The way the story goes is that a local preacher built a dock and then rented a few boats, sometimes just for a share of the fresh fish brought back. Occasionally, hungry homesteaders would trade building materials for the use of a boat and then the dock would grow a little more, eventually sprouting a basic building – built in one weekend, we are told. How and when that building became “the hotel” is up to debate.