This island was known by various names, including Little Sarasota Key and Sarasota Key during the 1800s and early 1900s. Common use of the name Siesta, taken from a residential development on the island's north side, began shortly after 1907, but the name was not officially applied until 1952. Early access to the island was by boat, but construction of the first bridge in 1917 enabled automobiles to reach the Gulf beaches, which quickly became popular, and many Sarasotans built beach cottages. Between 1919 and 1930, I.G. Archibald, Frank Roberts, and Andrew McAnsh built bathing pavilions and a casino for the public. The sand on these shores is mostly mineral quartz, ultimately derived from the southern Appalachian Mountains and carried over millenniums by rivers into the Gulf and down the coast. Sarasota County purchased property here in 1954 for a public beach, later expanded the park to forty acres, and constructed a pavilion in 1959. In 1983, the county began restoring sand dunes that had been destroyed by carelessness over the years, with the long-range goal of preserving the beach in its natural state for future generations.