Found some old postcards

[slvrlng]

I am from Atlanta but because of a condition my younger brother had when he was little my second home is Treasure Island FL. He was allergic to oak tree pollen and every spring for about 4 months our mother would take us down to Florida to get away from the pollen. In going through some of her stuff the other day I found some postcards that anyone from this area or familiar with it should be interested in. These are from the early 50s to early 60s.

John's Pass right after all the islands were pumped up out of Boca Ciega bay, Madeira beach in the foreground.



John's Pass bridge (the old one) this is the way I remember it!



Treasure Island beach looking south (it looks like they had just pumped up all of Marina Terrace as well)



Crazy palm!



The Vinoy hotel



We also stayed at Fort Myers beach for a couple of years.

Fort Myers beach

[fitz73222]

Hey Lewis,

That palm tree is still there at Silver Springs! I drove by it about 6 months ago in the boat.

[RickK]

cool pics

[John Jones]

good stuff
The Vinoy looks the same.
John's Pass got a new bridge last year.


The massive John’s pass bridge project, linking Treasure Island to Madeira Beach, is finally complete. And what a bridge it is! Costing about $77 million the double draw bridge, or bascule bridge, increases the horizontal clearance for boat traffic from 60 feet to 100 feet, and the vertical clearance over the channel to 27 feet. There are two lanes in each direction, 8-foot sidewalks and 10-foot outside and 4-foot inside shoulders. Also new is the ability to pass under the bridge from John’s Pass Plaza to the beach access without having to cross through busy traffic

[seabob4]

JJ,
Oh, no, my friend, in the post card of the Vinoy, to the right where the trees are, is now a 6 story addition, probably about 150 rooms.  We used to stay there during our dealer meetings when I was with Proline.

Talked to Lewis today, he told me about these old postcards, got me talking about the "new" Ringling Causeway bridge from downtown Sarasota out to Bird Key and St. Armands...like a mini-Sunshine Skyway!!  WAY different than my days as a kid, fishing from the center span, the bridge tender warning us when a sailboat approached...

Progress is not always good...

[Skoot]

WOW, too cool Lewis, thanks for posting. That is my home turf, but I must say I've never seen it like that.

THANKS AGAIN

[Capt Matt]

cool picture of the ft myers beach pier, Must have been some serious snook under there.
Capt Matt

[Treefish]

There are some serious tarpon under the John's Pass bridge.  I did some work (with GMF out of Lakeland)  inside the bridge last summer replacing the bushings.  We'd go out on the fenders at night and watch the poons slurp up the crabs that passed by.  They're very selective.  They'd only eat the small ones.