When Maj. William Horton, the first English resident of Jekyll Island, arrived in Georgia in 1736, it is unlikely that he could have imagined what the future held for the untamed barrier island. By 1800, the island was fully owned by Christophe Poulain duBignon, whose family ran a cotton plantation on the island until 1886, when it was sold for $125,000 to a newly formed hunting and recreation club. The Jekyll Island Club would transform the island over the next half century into the idyllic vacation spot of today. Now a Georgia state park, Jekyll Island has managed to retain much of its unique ambience and continues to captivate those who cross through its iconic gates.