Copeland is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

located in eastern Collier County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, United States. It lies at the junction of State Road 29 and

Janes Memorial Scenic Drive Janes is an English patronymic family name. Its root is believed to be from the possessive of the given name ''Jan'' (see ''Jayne''), ''John'' or ''Ian''. In England, the name appears to have its densest roots in Bedfordshire and Gloucestershire ...

(County Road 837). Copeland lies along the western border of the Big Cypress National Preserve, and wedged beside the

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve is a Florida State Park just west of Copeland, Florida. It is located in the Fakahatchee Strand, a thread of forested strand (swamp) in Big Cypress, a section of the Florida Everglades off SR 29. Flora Plant ...

to the east. The hamlet of

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

is a few miles to the north, while Carnestown lies a few miles to the south at the intersection of State Road 29 and U.S. Route 41.

Logging era: 1943-1957

Copeland was founded in 1932 and named in honor of David Graham Copeland, a U.S. Navy engineer who helped plan the Tamiami Trail and began a family-owned farming business at this location. During the Second World War, the demand for cypress brought the timber industry to southwest Florida. The newly established Lee Cypress Lumber Company began operations in 1943 and made Copeland a company town. The operation was overseen by superintendent J.R. Terill, and Copeland served as the base camp for over three hundred sawyers, railroad workers, and their families. Homes were made of cypress and built on-site as the population increased. Most of the people living at Copeland were black and the community was segregated with separate facilities for white and black workers. The town boasted a commissary and a few "jukes" for entertainment. Almost all functions including entertainment were overseen by the Lee Cypress Company. A large railroad depot handled the logs that were brought out of the Fakahatchee Strand and other parts of the Big Cypress Swamp, the current Jane's Scenic Drive following the route of the main railroad line through Fakahatchee. The logs were sent to the massive sawmill complex in Perry, Florida, four hundred miles north. The last steam locomotive used to carry timber is on display at the Collier County Museum in Naples. Copeland's population dwindled quickly in the late Fifties as the timber industry concluded its operations in 1957. The population was estimated at 275 people in 2006. Copeland also lies within a

Florida panther The Florida panther is a North American cougar (''P. c. couguar'') population in South Florida. It lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks, and mixed freshwater swamp forests. It is known under a number of common names including Costa ...

habitat. Copeland is part of the

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

– Marco Island

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Copeland was also the location of the low-budget, 1976 horror movie, ''Blood Stalkers''.

References

Unincorporated communities in Collier County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida {{CollierCountyFL-geo-stub