Between 1516 and 1558, the area was inhabited seasonally by the Chatot and Yuchi Native American tribes when the Spanish passed through. Shortly after contact, the Chatot became extinct, as did more than 90% of Florida native peoples, while the Yuchi escaped that fate by dispersing to the north and west. The first European-American settlement in the St. Andrews Bay area was along Beach Drive between Frankford Avenue and Lake Caroline, where retired Georgia Governor John built a large log home and lived from 1827 until his death in 1832. Only a few people lived year round in St. Andrews, supporting themselves by making salt, fishing, and boarding vacationers drawn by healthy sea baths and fishing. St. Andrews flourished beginning in the later 1800s largely through the efforts of brothers Lambert and Francis Ware, who arrived around 1879 and established a mercantile and wharf where St. Andrews Marina is located today. Ships including the SS Tarpon traveled between Mobile, Alabama, and Apalachicola, Florida, delivering cargo such as beer, flour, building supplies, and furniture and carrying passengers; the Tarpon sank in 1937 off the coast of Panama City Beach and is now an underwater archaeological preserve. The Historic St. Andrew Church, built in 1887, is the oldest church building in the area. George M. West came from Escanaba, Michigan, bought a home there in 1887, and befriended local pioneer Narcisco "Hawk" Massalina, who taught him to fish, hunt, and navigate the St. Andrews Bay area. After the United States took over construction of the Panama Canal in 1904, West envisioned St. Andrews Bay as the southern gateway for shipping to and from the United States through the canal. He left his railroad career and moved there permanently in 1906, established the Gulf Coast Development Company, and acquired the land in today's downtown Panama City. West recruited A. B. Steele of Georgia to construct the last 64 miles of railroad from Cottondale, Florida, into the place they named Panama City. Through the Gulf Coast Development Company, West provided land for parks, churches, a cemetery, and the courthouse, and he built the first city dock, first Panama City School, first Panama City Bank, and more, leading to his being considered the Founding Father of Panama City. St. Andrews was incorporated in 1908 and annexed into Panama City along with Millville in 1927. The area continued to grow into a popular vacation destination and busy Gulf Coast port, with charter boats, restaurants, and shops bustling in the mid-1900s, including Mattie's Tavern, Windham's Fish and Ice, and the Shrimp Boat Restaurant.