Editing Santa Rosa Island

[[Image:Santarosaislanddunes.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Santa Rosa Island, looking east.]]

'''Santa Rosa Island''' is a 40-mile barrier island on which the communities of [[Pensacola Beach]], [[Navarre Beach]], and [[Okaloosa Island]] are located. It shields the mainland from the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. On its northern lee side are [[Pensacola Bay]] to the west and [[Choctawhatchee Bay]] to the east, connected by [[Santa Rosa Sound]]. Parts of the island are in the [[Gulf Islands National Seashore]].

[[Image:Santarosaislandshore.jpg|right|thumb|350px|The Gulf of Mexico The shining light in the back is from the sun's light being reflected on the white sand.]]

== History ==
Santa Rosa Island was inhabited by Native Americans as early as 2,000 years ago (contemporary with the [[Deptford]] culture at [[Hawkshaw]]).

The island was settled by Spain on [[November 25]], [[1722]]. This colony, [[Presidio Isla de Santa Rosa]], was battered by a [[1741 hurricane|hurricane]] in [[1741]] and [[1754 hurricane|again]] in [[1754]], forcing the settlers to relocate to the mainland. The remnants on the island were wiped out by a [[1762 hurricane]]. 

On [[October 9]], [[1861]], it was the site of the [[Battle of Santa Rosa Island]].

In [[1929]], Santa Rosa Island was sold by the U.S. War Department to [[Escambia County, Florida]], for $10,000. Ten years later, the county returned the island to the federal government in the expectation that it would be developed into a U.S. National Monument preserving the remnants of [[Fort Pickens]], the only fort in the South to be held by the Union throughout the duration of the [[Civil War]].

The [[Santa Rosa Island Authority]] was created by the Florida legislature in [[1947]] to administer [[Pensacola Beach]].

The island's sugar white quartz sands have made it a popular destination for beachgoers since the latter half of the twentieth century. In recent years all the island's communities have seen rapid development.

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==References==
*[http://www.navarrebeach.org/History/History%20in%20Acrobat.PDF Santa Rosa Island - a History (Part 1)] - Jane Johnson, ''NavarreBeach.org''.
*[http://www.uwf.edu/anthropology/research/SantaRosa.cfm Presidio Isla de Santa Rosa - Overview and History]

[[Category:Santa Rosa Island| ]]