Our Ocean View...
How to get there…The Collins Bridge was the first road link to Miami Beach. Opened in 1913 it crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach. When it opened it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. Quaker farmer and developer John S. Collins (1837–1928) built the bridge with financial assistance from automotive parts and racing pioneer Carl G. Fisher. The 2.5-mile (4.0 km) wooden toll bridge opened on June 12, 1913, providing a critical link to newly established Miami Beach, formerly accessible only by ferry. (UM Archive)
Beach Beauty Contest
The proprietors of the Miami Beach bathhouses started organizing bathing beauty contests in the 1920s that “shamelessly” exposed women’s legs as a means of generating positive publicity for the fledgling winter resort. Wolfsonian FIU Library
1920s Bathing Beauties
In the early days of Miami Beach it was not common to actually swim, and the long flowing styles reflected that. By the 1920s suits showed bare legs, arms and backs better adapted to actually taking strokes.
1940s Bathing Beauties
Bathing suit styles became more casual in the early ’40s as women took over more male roles with the entry of the U.S. into WWII.
Beach Golden Years
Promoting Miami Beach as a retirement center started early. Golden years in the golden sunshine was a big draw that would later dominate the Beach. Wolfsonian FIU Library