New book tells story of Lehigh Acres’ growth
Carla Ulakovic loves history, especially the history of her own hometown of Lehigh Acres. So much that she has been working behind the scenes to write a book titled “Images of America: Lehigh Acres.” It’s a 127-page book with a personal narrative by Ulakovic with photographs mixed in between.
The book went on sale this past Monday, published by Arcadia Publishing, at a price of $21.99. It is available at local retailers, online bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or you can call 888-313-2665.
Ulakovic is a community program specialist at the East County Water Control District in Lehigh and is responsible for several projects and one of them is helping to keep the public informed about the business of the ECWD. She is an accomplished writer and in her off time, for the past few years, she has spent time researching information for her book.
“This project was sparked by a curiosity for the town I grew up in and fueled by a desire to preserve its past,” Ulakovic said, in the acknowledgments part in the front part of the book.
“It would have been a near impossible feat to complete this story … if not for the diligent historical preservation done by many of this community’s members as historical preservation was not at the forefront of early developers’ minds.”
Ulakovic said she truly appreciated the many people and organizations that shared their personal knowledge of this “corner of Southwest Florida” as it transformed from farm and scrubland into the Lehigh Acres community we know today.
“I’d like to extend a special thanks to Gerald Gould, Ruth Anglickis, Harry C. Powell Jr., Bea Flint, and Fay Richmond for sharing their photographs, remembrances and support,” she said.
She noted that Gerald Gould, one of the early founders who passed away this year on March 12 at the age of 89.
She noted her appreciation for several more people for their help and special thanks, she said, that should go to the citizens of Lehigh Acres, who continue to contribute to the community’s unique history.
Her story of Lehigh Acres starts back in the days when much of the state was still predominantly untouched wood swamp.
As more people were attracted to Southwest Florida, communities and cultures began to go through a metamorphosis and by the mid-1900s, Southwest Florida’s emerging communities were the products of an entrepreneurial spirit rather than a historical settlement.
Today Lehigh Acres has a population of at least 80,000. The community now spans some 60,000 acres in the unincorporated area of eastern Lee County.
In the introduction to the book, Ulakovic noted that originally, Lehigh was conceptualized as a business venture to sell land but the founders soon realized a need to develop more than buildings and infrastructure and focused on cultivating a community.
She noted the Flint family that comes from a long line of pioneers who were some of the early residents. She said not only can their ancestry by traced back to the landing at Plymouth Rock, but members of the Flint family settled in the area that is now Lehigh Acres and Buckingham long before the town itself was even born.
And it all began with a Chicago native who soared to success in early life with the development and eventual sale of a rat or rodent poison known a D-Con, which brought Lee Ratner millions of dollars when he sold his business. A chance encounter with Gerald Gould, who was an advertising account executive, and opportunities came with the expansion of the Lucky Lee Ranch, as it was first called by Ratner, to a community named Lehigh Acres.
Ulakovic takes the reader from those early days to the present. Reading her book on Lehigh Acres is like sitting down with someone and listening to an interesting story with the passing around of an abundance of photographs. In her book, there are more than 200.
Today, Ulakovic said that Lehigh Acres has grown to one of the biggest suburban communities in the country. She reveals the community’s growth and prosperity.
It may be the largest community of its size in the nation that is not incorporated although attempts to turn it into a city have been rejected by the residents.
“The increase in population has led to the addition of new schools, and new businesses have been built, and community clubs, organizations and agencies continue to promote community pride through festivals and cultural events,” she said.
Readers will first notice the many photographs in the book, lent to her for publication from some of the early people in Lehigh and their descendants. Her unique ability to tell a story will capture readers’ attention throughout the book.
Aarcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the U.S. Its mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. You can discover more than 8,500 small towns and downtowns at arcadiapublishing.com.
Ulakovic is a member of the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce and an honorary member of the Lehigh Acres Rotary Club.
She has called on the community’s residents, reviewed personal photographic collections of long-standing local families, and conducted numerous interviews to narrate this visual voyage through the history of Lehigh Acres, from birth of a corporation to the cultivation of true community.