Charlotte Harbor - Port Charlotte, Florida, USA
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BoomersOTR
N 26° 57.003 W 082° 03.599
17R E 394783 N 2981343
The community of Charlotte Harbor was established as Charlotte Harbor Town in 1862. It was first known as Live Oak Point and later as Hickory Bluff. Today it is known as Port Charlotte.
Waymark Code: WM12EB1
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/09/2020
Views: 2
At the base of the Barron Collier Bridge is a small municipal park known as Live Oak Point Park. This is where the old US 41 crossed the Peace River connecting Charlotte Harbor (town) with Punta Gorda. Today the bridge has been replaced with a newer one, built in 1983, that replaced the original one built in 1931 and referenced in “The WPA Guide to Florida”. This newer bridge is for northbound traffic only and a second bridge for southbound traffic was built in 1976 and is known as the Albert W. Gilchrist Bridge.
Text from “The WPA Guide to Florida”
“CHARLOTTE HARBOR, 108.3 m. (225 pop.), is a fishing village near the mouth of Peace River, at the head of Charlotte Harbor Bay. The name Charlotte is probably a corruption of Carlos, one of the names used by the Spanish and French to denote the Calusa Tribe which inhabited this section. These Indians, according to early records, occupied a province of over 90 villages. In February 1566 Menendez, the Spanish conqueror, accepted an offer to dine with the chief of the Calusa. As they were eating, Menendez’ soldiers stood guard at the entrance, ready for any treachery. Instead, the Indian women began to sing for their distinguished guest, and the Spanish soldiers in turn responded with a tune. So delighted was the chief that he insisted on giving his sister to Menendez as a wife. The Spaniard was obliged to accept her, and as a result of this diplomacy, a temporary alliance was made with the Indians”.
Book: Florida
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 397
Year Originally Published: 1939
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