My Wife's Uncle won the island in a poker game. This was not a high stakes poker game as it occurred prior to WW II. Back then, non-commercial motor boats were only owned by the wealthy. Nice mahogany Christ Crafts, Garwood's and such. Outboards existed but were rare, expensive, and EXTREMELY unreliable. How many people want an island they had to row to get to? Not many. Most islands, especially those far from the main land were almost valueless. After WW II thing changed. Good reliable and cheap outboards became available. Any one could put a Johnson or Evenrude 9.9 HP motor on the back of a row boat and they were good to go. Islands suddenly had value.