Happy Birthday, Collier County! You look great at 95 years old

Daily News staff

Naples Daily News

Collier was established as a county 95 years ago today. Back then, we were known for swamp land and mosquitoes buzzing around. Today, it's more like cars buzzing up and down busy thoroughfares of U.S. 41, Immokalee Road and Collier Blvd.

Collier County was established on May 8, 1923. Barron Collier is third from the left.

Florida Governor Cary A. Hardee signed Senate Bill 149, Chapter 9362, on May 8, 1923, officially creating the state’s 62nd county. (Read more about the founding of the county from the Collier County Musuems network).

Collier has come a long way from a sleep fishing village to the home of six billionaires and two Ritz-Carlton resorts. As the county nears its centennial in five years, celebrate the past with some of these photos from yesteryear.

From 2017:Photos from the Old Florida Festival

Collier today:Positive outlook at annual Collier State of Tourism presentation

Time Stamp:Gator tales abound in Collier County history

Lighthouse Project: The visionary Barron Gift Collier

Lighthouse Project:A history of Collier County's hamlets