1928 – The Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), linking Miami and Naples through the Everglades, officially opened to travelers on this date. Construction on the east-west section of the road lasted for 12 years. Once completed, cars could travel east from Naples to Miami for the first time. Before the completion of the Tamiami Trail, wetlands, alligators, mosquitoes and cypress swamps made traveling across southern Florida extremely difficult, and few travelers were able to complete the 108 mile journey. Collier County was created as result of Baron Collier's financial involvement in the road construction. Although considered a feat of engineering at the time, the road has had major impacts on the environmentally fragile Everglades ecosystem, disrupting the natural flow of water south.