We met Marco Island’s ancient peoples, pioneering settlers, and trailblazers at the Marco Island Historical Museum Friday, May 31st. The enigmatic Key Marco Cat artifact has returned home to Marco Island, for the first time since its original discovery in 1896, from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. Since photography isn’t allowed, I was able to get a picture of the much larger version sculpture outside of the museum. We saw many other pre-Columbian Native American artifacts as well, from Marco Island and its surrounding areas. The award winning Pioneer exhibit chronicles the evolution of Marco Island’s pioneer villages and provided an in-depth look at the islands’ people and lifestyles during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with rare photographs, and video’s. We then learned about the 1960’s, when Marco Island was brought to the attention of the nation as a place to live, not just a vacation destination. We all chatted about how much we learned while enjoying lunch at Snook Inn, where we enjoyed waterfront dining before heading home. If you get a chance, visit the museum yourself, especially while the Key Marco Cat is there until April 2021.
