Corset Island is a narrow, largely impenetrable strip of mangrove land located near Stuart, Florida, roughly 50 miles from the Bahamas along Florida's Treasure Coast. Dense mangrove thickets line most of its perimeter, making access difficult by boat and nearly impossible on foot — as Gates discovered firsthand when he and his companion had to search for a gap in the vegetation just to get ashore. The island is believed, based on at least one newspaper account from the 1920s, to have served as a base camp for the Ashley Gang, a notorious group of Florida bank robbers and bootleggers who reportedly ran moonshining and rum-running operations out of remote coastal hideouts during Prohibition. Today the island remains largely wild and undeveloped, with shallow sandy beaches fringing sections of the shoreline and no formal visitor infrastructure. Gates investigated Corset Island in Season 10 of Expedition Unknown, jet-skiing out from Stuart with author and treasure hunter Patrick Mesmer in search of evidence linking the island to the Ashley Gang's illicit liquor trade.
Prohibition begins in the United States, making the transport, sale, and purchase of alcohol illegal — and transforming remote coastal islands like Corset Island into potentially valuable smuggling staging grounds
According to a newspaper article cited by Patrick Mesmer, the Ashley Gang reportedly used Corset Island as a camp for moonshining and bootlegging operations
Prohibition ends, effectively eliminating the commercial incentive for rum-running operations along the Florida coast
Josh Gates and Patrick Mesmer investigate Corset Island in Expedition Unknown Season 10, Episode 10, "Chasing Everglades Treasure"
Patrick Mesmer, described in the episode as an author turned treasure hunter, provided the primary historical framing for Corset Island's alleged connection to the Ashley Gang. Mesmer told Gates he had found an old newspaper article from the 1920s stating that the gang's camp was on this island, and that he believed it served as a base for a large-scale moonshining and rum-running operation. He is not identified as a credentialed academic historian, so his claims should be understood as coming from an independent researcher and enthusiast rather than from a peer-reviewed source.
The broader historical context is well-established: Prohibition (1920–1933) made remote coastal Florida an attractive corridor for bootleggers. The state's maze of mangrove islands, shallow waterways, and proximity to the Bahamas — where alcohol remained legal and available — made it a natural smuggling corridor. The Ashley Gang, led by John Ashley, was a real and documented criminal outfit active in southeast Florida during this period, known for bank robbery and bootlegging. However, which specific islands or locations served as their operational bases is not a matter of confirmed historical record.
The copper pipe recovered during Gates and Mesmer's metal detecting session is intriguing circumstantial evidence — copper tubing was a standard component of moonshine stills — but a single artifact from a heavily trafficked coastal environment does not constitute proof of the Ashley Gang's presence. Pipes and scrap metal can wash ashore or be deposited for many reasons, and without professional archaeological excavation and provenance analysis, it would be premature to draw firm conclusions.
Gates' investigation treated the island as a genuinely promising lead rather than a confirmed discovery, which is honest given the evidence in hand. The episode raised the question of whether the island holds further material traces of Prohibition-era bootlegging, but that question remains open. A systematic archaeological survey by professional researchers would be required to move beyond intriguing hints toward documented history.
Patrick Mesmer's lead on Corset Island came from a newspaper article published in the 1920s — roughly a century before Gates arrived to investigate it by jet ski.
The Bahamas, a readily accessible source of legal liquor during Prohibition, lies approximately 50 miles from this stretch of the Florida coast — making the region a natural corridor for rum-running operations.
Copper tubing was a standard component of moonshine stills, which is why the old copper pipe recovered during the episode's metal detecting session was considered potentially significant — though not conclusive — by Mesmer and Gates.
The Ashley Gang, the criminal outfit allegedly linked to Corset Island, was active in southeast Florida during Prohibition and was known for both bank robbery and large-scale bootlegging operations.
Corset Island is a wild, undeveloped mangrove island with no formal visitor facilities, trails, or public access infrastructure. Access is generally by small watercraft from Stuart, but dense mangrove coverage makes landing difficult — visitors should be prepared for challenging conditions and should check current local advisories and waterway regulations before attempting a visit. Bull sharks have been reported in the surrounding waters, as noted in the episode itself.
Stuart, Florida, approximately 5–10 miles by water.
Florida's winter and early spring months (November through April) generally offer the most comfortable conditions for coastal exploration, with lower humidity, reduced risk of afternoon thunderstorms, and smaller mosquito populations than the summer wet season.
Florida Coast
The Florida Coast broadly encompasses the Prohibition-era smuggling corridors and remote waterways that Gates investigated in the same region.
South Carolina swamps
South Carolina swamps represent a similarly remote, water-laced American landscape historically used by outlaws and smugglers operating outside the reach of law enforcement.
Coastal Louisiana
Coastal Louisiana shares the same character of dense, hard-to-access wetland terrain that made places like Corset Island attractive to bootleggers during Prohibition.