Sapelo remains isolated and primative because it is a private island which does not allow visitors outside the offered state tours, or when visiting a resident by appointment. Very little has changed on the island since the first Spanish settlement in 1526, believed to be on Sapelo Island was the site of San Miguel de Gualdape, though short-lived, the first European settlement in the present-day United States. Long before Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth, or Saint Augustine, Franciscan missionaries were well established on “Zapala” beginning in 1557.  More than 150 years later, pirates hid out amongst the Golden Isles and the infamous Blackbeard, Edward Teach, had a lair on the northern part of Sapelo which has been called Blackbeard Island ever since. For many, the 12 mile stretch of deserted beach with its abundance of seashells is especially alluring, regardless of the season. For the outdoorsman, hunting on Sapelo is very good; second only to inlet and surf fishing. Tarpon, reds, trout, flounder and many other species are bountiful, as the island and its shore are federally protected. Right whales give birth to their young off of the shores of Sapelo, and loggerhead turtles lay their eggs on the beaches at night, which in turn brings the apex predators rarely seen elsewhere in the Atlantic. Mink and otter are not uncommon to see, birdwatchers come to Sapelo from all around the world as the island has over 250 permanent or migratory species, many of which are rare and endangered. On the north end of the island are the Shell Rings, built during the late archaic period, some more than 300 feet across. Constructed by primitive Indians over 5,000 years ago, their ritual purpose is still an enigma to archeologists today.