Local History
History of DeSoto and Hardee Counties
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, what is now DeSoto County was within the territory of the Native American Calusa tribe.
In 1513, Ponce De Leon sailed into present-day Charlotte Harbor near the mouth of the Peace River to put in for repairs and maintenance on his ships. While there the Spanish encountered Calusa and soon after an argument broke out and several died on both sides. Then the Spanish kidnapped several Calusa and departed Charlotte Harbor and sailed S.W. away from the west coast of Florida. This occurred within the original boundaries of DeSoto County.
In 1521, Ponce De Leon attempted to establish a colony at or near Charlotte Harbor but again was turned away by the Calusa who wounded him. Shortly after, he died and was buried in Puerto Rico.
In 1528 the Spanish Conquistadors Panfilo De Narvaez and Cabeza De Vaca came to present-day Arcadia where they captured several Calusa Indians who told them of great quantities of gold located to the north and offered to guide them there.
In 1539 the Spanish Explorer Hernando DeSoto, for whom the county is named, anchored in Charlotte Harbor and set about to explore the region with mixed results. Eventually, he made his way up the coast to present-day Manatee County and went inland from there.
While Florida was claimed by Spain the moment it was discovered, the territory of La Florida was not formalized until 1565 with the founding of St. Augustine. At that point, what is now DeSoto County became part of La Florida. In 1763, the region became part of East Florida under British Rule. In 1783, East Florida was returned to Spain at which point today's DeSoto county was once again Spanish territory. In 1821 it became U.S. Territory.
In 1841 Camp Ogden, later Fort Ogden was built as a staging area for the U.S. Army during the 2nd Seminole War, in the southwestern part of present-day DeSoto County.
In 1870, the Joshua Creek Church and neighboring cemetery was founded.
In the 1870s John W. Whidden, a Confederate veteran and former Manatee county clerk, settled along the Joshua Creek where he founded a cattle ranch raising thousands of head of cattle. Also in the 1870s, Union veteran Robert C. Hendry took up cattle ranching on the Joshua Creek in the now-defunct settlement of Davidson.
In 1876 the Fort Ogden Post Office was founded and remains the oldest post office in the county.
DeSoto County was created in 1887 from Manatee County. It was named for Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, whose name was also honored in Hernando County.
DeSoto County originally included several other present-day counties until 1921, when the Florida legislature created the following new counties: Charlotte, Glades, Hardee and Highlands.
During WWII, DeSoto County operated the Carlstrom Field Air Base, which provided training for both American and British pilots. Twenty-three British pilots were killed while training at the base and are honored at DeSoto County's Oak Ridge Cemetery, which is located in the town of Arcadia. In 1945, the base turned out its last cadets and was decommissioned. (WIKIPEDIA)
Peace River History
The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula, in the U.S.A. It originates at the juncture of Saddle Creek and Peace Creek northeast of Bartow in Polk County and flows south through Fort Meade (Polk County) Hardee County to Arcadia in DeSoto County and then southwest into the Charlotte Harbor estuary at Punta Gorda in Charlotte County. It is 106 miles (171 km) long and has a drainage basin of 1,367 square miles (3,540 km2). U.S. Highway 17 runs near and somewhat parallel to the river for much of its course. The river was called Rio de la Paz (River of Peace) on 16th century Spanish charts. It appeared as Peas Creek or Pease Creek on later maps. The Creek (and later, Seminole) Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee, River of Long Peas. Other cities along the Peace River include Fort Meade, Wauchula and Zolfo Springs.
Fresh water from the Peace River is vital to maintain the delicate salinity of Charlotte Harbor that hosts several endangered species, as well as commercial and recreational harvests of shrimp, crabs, and fish. The river has always been a vital resource to the people in its watershed. Historically, the abundant fishery and wildlife of Charlotte Harbor supported large populations of people of the Caloosahatchee culture (in early historic times, the Calusa). Today, the Peace River supplies over six million gallons per day of drinking water to the people in the region. The river is also popular for canoeing.
There were many Pleistocene and Miocene fossils found throughout the Peace River area, eventually leading to the discovery and dredging of phosphate deposits, of which much of the region flourished industrially from in the early 20th century. Most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the Bone Valley.
The Peace River is a popular destination for fossil hunters who dig and sift the river gravel for fossilized shark teeth and prehistoric mammal bones. Several campgrounds and canoe rental operations cater to fossil hunters, with Wauchula, Zolfo Springs, and Arcadia being the main points of entry. (WIKIPEDIA)
Fossil History
The fossil history of the Peace River region is absolutely fascinating, and dates back millions of years. In the Cretaceous (around 50 million years ago), high sea levels caused Florida to be submerged as a shallow sea. Florida stayed submerged for many millions of years, and during this time at the bottom of the ocean, layers of limestone accumulated on the sea floor, which is now the base stone for the Peace River formation.
About 30 million years ago, the global climate cooled and sea levels began to drop. The island of limestone emerged in north central Florida, known as Orange Island, the first appearance of today's Florida.
During the Miocene, about 20 million years ago, sediments coming from the Appalachian mountains of the north accumulated around Florida and built up around Orange Island. Although the sea levels were in constant flux during the Miocene, Florida started to take its familiar shape. During this time land animals roamed central Florida, while a very shallow sea covered the coastal areas. Appalachian sediments sank to the bottom of this sea entombing dead marine animals, endless amounts of teeth from sharks, and land animals when the sea levels would rise. This continued until about 5 million years ago. Today the sediments form the phosphate rich layers, forming what is now known as the Peace River Formation. This formation is mostly underground, but rivers, such as the Peace River and even the shallows near current day Venice Beach, expose this formation.
From 2.5 million until about 11,000 years ago the sea levels dropped, and Florida's land doubled in size. This began the great appearance of the megafauna, including mammoths, dire wolves, glyptodons, horses, giant ground sloths, and more.
During interglacial periods, the sea levels would rise, covering much of Florida. Sediments would bury and preserve the remains of these Ice Age animals. Today, these fossils erode out of the layers of sands and gravel and settle into rivers. They commingled with the earlier marine fossils and ...BOOM...the Peace River foasil zone...one of the most concentrated areas in all of Florida with fossils spanning millions of years!