John S. Collins

John Stiles Collins (December 29, 1837 – February 11, 1928) was an American Quaker farmer from Moorestown Township, New Jersey who moved to South Florida at the turn of the 20th century.[1] He attempted to grow vegetables and coconuts on the swampy, bug-infested stretch of land between Miami and the ocean, a barrier island which became Miami Beach.

John S. Collins
Portrait of John S. Collins
Born(1837-12-29)December 29, 1837
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
DiedFebruary 11, 1928(1928-02-11) (aged 90)
Miami Beach, Florida U.S.

Although the farming venture was not successful, with involvement from his family, notably his sons and sons-in law, John S. Collins also became a land developer. He and his family formed the Miami Beach Improvement Company in 1911, instituted the first recorded use of the term "Miami Beach",[2] and built the Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay from the already-established City of Miami in 1913. They built a casino and an oceanfront hotel, and began residential development of the island.

The Collins Bridge project ran short of funds and the 2.5 mile (4 km) long wooden toll bridge was in danger of not being completed when 74-year-old Collins struck a deal with automotive pioneer and millionaire Carl G. Fisher (1874–1939) to loan him the needed funds in exchange for 200 acres (800,000 m2) of land. Fisher later described John Collins as "a bantam rooster, cocky and unafraid."

The Collins Bridge was located at the southern terminus of promoter Fisher's Dixie Highway project, which brought traffic from the mid-west as part of the National Auto Trail road system. Collins, his family, and Fisher all became very wealthy with the development of Miami Beach, which had a 400% increase in resident population between 1920 and 1925.

John S. Collins died in 1928 at the age of 90. Collins Avenue and the Collins Canal, both on Miami Beach, are named in his honor.

  • Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay, linking Miami with the island of Miami Beach, opened in 1913 as the longest wooden bridge in the world. (Photo from the Florida Photographic Collection.)
  • Miami Beach after the 1926 hurricane
  • Miami Beach in the 1960s. Belle Isle is visible on the former Collins Bridge path, now the Venetian Causeway
  • Collins Canal
  • Pine Tree Drive north of 41st Street (southbound view), originally planted as a windbreak by J. S. Collins

References
  1. John Collins Biography, Miami Beach History. Accessed March 13, 2008. "Born on December 29, 1837, in Moorestown, New Jersey, John Stiles Collins was the sixth generation of Collinses to farm the family's western New Jersey homestead since 1678."
  2. Great Floridians 2000 Program Archived 2006-05-19 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading
  • Kennedy, Patricia, Miami Beach, Arcadia Publishing, Images of America series, 2006
  • "The Hoosier Barnum: Carl G. Fisher". Indiana Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  • Lincoln Highway Association official website
  • American Experience series: Carl Fisher, "Mr. Miami Beach"
  • Miami Beach 411 website, John Collins biography
  • Collins Avenue history, Miami Beach
  • The Collins Avenue Story
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