Peace River (Florida)

Last updated
Peaceflrivermap.png

The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula, in the U.S.A. [1] 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. [2] It appeared as Peas Creek or Pease Creek on later maps. The Creek (and later, Seminole) Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee, River of Long Peas. [3] Other cities along the Peace River include Fort Meade, Wauchula and Zolfo Springs. [4]

Contents

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. [5]

There were many Pleistocene and Miocene fossils found throughout the Peace River area, eventually leading to the discovery of phosphate deposits. Most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the Bone Valley. [6] [7]

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. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

List of crossings

CrossingCarriesImageLocationCoordinates
Headwaters (Juncture of Peace Creek and Saddle Creek)
Spessard L Holland Bridge Florida 60.svg SR-60 FL Bartow SR 60 Peace River Bridge west02.jpg Bartow 27°54′08″N81°49′03″W / 27.902242°N 81.817583°W / 27.902242; -81.817583
CR 640 jct.svg Homeland Garfield Road Homeland FL Peace River bridge01.jpg Homeland 27°49′16″N81°47′59″W / 27.821029°N 81.799746°W / 27.821029; -81.799746
John Singletary Bridge US 98.svg US-98 Fort Meade FL Broadway St bridge05.jpg Fort Meade 27°45′06″N81°46′55″W / 27.751658°N 81.781944°W / 27.751658; -81.781944
Mt Pisgah Road Fort Meade FL Mt Pisgah Rd bridge01.jpg Fort Meade 27°43′22″N81°47′24″W / 27.722731°N 81.790080°W / 27.722731; -81.790080
CSX transp logo.svg CSX Transportation CSXT Peace River trestle, Bowling Green FL.jpg Bowling Green 27°39′25″N81°48′09″W / 27.656907°N 81.802422°W / 27.656907; -81.802422
CR 664 jct.svg County Line Road FL Bowling Green CR 664 bridge01.jpg Bowling Green 27°38′46″N81°48′08″W / 27.646201°N 81.802127°W / 27.646201; -81.802127
CR 664A jct.svg Lake Branch Road FL Bowling Green CR 664 bridge under01.jpg Bowling Green 27°38′46″N81°48′08″W / 27.646201°N 81.802127°W / 27.646201; -81.802127
Heard BridgeHeard Bridge Road Wauchula FL Heard Bridge Rd bridge01.jpg Wauchula 27°34′33″N81°48′16″W / 27.575748°N 81.804507°W / 27.575748; -81.804507
Florida 636.svg SR-636 (East Main Street) FL Wauchula Main St Peace River bridge south01.jpg Wauchula 27°33′02″N81°47′37″W / 27.550552°N 81.793650°W / 27.550552; -81.793650
CR 652 jct.svg Griffin Road Wauchula FL Griffin Rd bridge01.jpg Wauchula 27°32′27″N81°47′31″W / 27.540773°N 81.791993°W / 27.540773; -81.791993
Doyle E. Carlton Bridge US 17.svg US 17 US-17 Bridge Over the Peace River.jpg Zolfo Springs 27°30′16″N81°48′01″W / 27.504464°N 81.800392°W / 27.504464; -81.800392
Florida 64.svg FL 64 Zolfo Springs FL SR 64 Peace River Bridge01.jpg Zolfo Springs 27°29′59″N81°48′38″W / 27.499605°N 81.810426°W / 27.499605; -81.810426
NE Brownville Street FL Brownville Peace River bridge east02.jpg Brownville 27°18′10″N81°50′46″W / 27.302668°N 81.846136°W / 27.302668; -81.846136
Seminole Gulf Railway Peace River FL 2016 3.JPG Arcadia 27°14′12″N81°53′10″W / 27.236562°N 81.886005°W / 27.236562; -81.886005
Footbridge (Old SR 70 bridge) Arcadia FL old Peace River Bridge01.JPG Arcadia 27°13′20″N81°52′34″W / 27.222132°N 81.876162°W / 27.222132; -81.876162
Florida 70.svg FL 70 Arcadia FL SR 70 Peace River Bridge 01.JPG Arcadia 27°13′16″N81°52′35″W / 27.221049°N 81.876462°W / 27.221049; -81.876462
CR 760 jct.svg CR 760 CR760Crossing.jpg Arcadia 27°09′45″N81°54′06″W / 27.162392°N 81.901656°W / 27.162392; -81.901656
CR 761 jct.svg CR 761 FL Fort Ogden Peace River bridge west02.jpg Fort Odgen 27°05′19″N81°59′38″W / 27.088557°N 81.993994°W / 27.088557; -81.993994
I-75.svg I-75 Peace River I-75.jpg Solana 26°57′37″N82°01′13″W / 26.960237°N 82.020220°W / 26.960237; -82.020220
Barron Collier Bridge and Gilchrist Bridge US 41.svg US 41 Barron Collier Bridge.jpg Punta Gorda 26°56′42″N82°03′29″W / 26.945115°N 82.057946°W / 26.945115; -82.057946
Mouth (Charlotte Harbor)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeSoto County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

DeSoto County is a county located in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,976. Its county seat is Arcadia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardee County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Hardee County is a county located in the Florida Heartland of the Central Florida region in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,327. Its county seat is Wauchula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcadia, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Arcadia is a city and county seat of DeSoto County, Florida, United States. Its population was 7,637 as of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 7,722 in 2014. Arcadia's Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zolfo Springs, Florida</span> Town in the state of Florida, United States

Zolfo Springs is a town in Hardee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,827 at the 2010 census, up from 1,641 at the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Meade, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Fort Meade is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. As of 2018, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,203. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was named for George Meade, at the time an Army lieutenant serving in Florida following the Second Seminole War. Fort Meade is home to Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School, several historic buildings, and Streamsong resort. The area is popular with kayakers and canoers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bone Valley</span>

The Bone Valley is a region of central Florida, encompassing portions of present-day Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Polk counties, in which phosphate is mined for use in the production of agricultural fertilizer. Florida currently contains the largest known deposits of phosphate in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Florida Water Management District</span> Regional governmental district in Florida, United States

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources. Established in 1961 the agency operates and maintains several large properties and flood protection projects, sometimes with other agencies. The District's responsibilities have expanded to include managing water supply and protecting water quality and the natural systems — rivers, lakes, wetlands and associated uplands.The District's stated mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks and ensure the public’s water needs are met.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myakka River</span> River in Florida, United States

The Myakka River is a river in southwestern Florida. It arises near the Hardee-Manatee county line and flows southwest and then southeast through Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties to Charlotte Harbor, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. The river is 72 miles (116 km) long and has a drainage basin of 602 square miles, of which 314.7 square miles (815 km2) lies in Sarasota county. The last 20 miles (32 km) of the river is tidal and brackish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Harbor (estuary)</span> Large bay on the southwest coast of Florida

Charlotte Harbor Estuary, the second largest bay in Florida, is located on the Gulf of Mexico coast of west Florida with two thirds lying in Charlotte County, Florida and one in Lee County. The harbor's mouth is located behind Gasparilla Island, one of the many coastal barrier islands on the southwest coast of Florida, with access from the Gulf of Mexico through the Boca Grande Pass between Gasparilla Island on the north and Lacosta Island on the south. Charlotte Harbor covers about 270 sq mi (700 km2)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 17 in Florida</span> Section of U.S. Highway in Florida, United States

U.S. Highway 17 (US 17) in Florida is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs 317 miles (510 km) from the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSRQ-FM</span> Radio station in Zolfo Springs, Florida

WSRQ-FM is a 5,000 watt radio station, located in the Florida Heartland. The station is licensed to the city of Zolfo Springs, in rural Hardee County. Its coverage area includes Hardee, DeSoto, and Highlands counties, serving the communities of Wauchula, Zolfo Springs, Arcadia, Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid. Its studio facilities are near downtown Sarasota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 64</span>

State Road 64 extends from City Road 789 near the Gulf of Mexico in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County to US 27/US 98 in Avon Park in Highlands County. State Road 64 travels from west to east through the counties of Manatee, Hardee and Highlands. It is a mostly rural two-lane highway going through only two cities, Bradenton and Zolfo Springs. It crosses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway as well as the Braden River, Lake Manatee, and the Myakka River. East of Avon Park, a bi-county extension runs northeast into Polk County which runs through Lake Wales Ridge State Forest and terminates at the Avon Park US Air Force Base. It is designated as the Florida Cracker Trail from Bradenton to the Hardee County Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Heartland</span> Region in Florida

The Florida Heartland is a region of Florida located to the north and west of Lake Okeechobee, composed of six inland, non-metropolitan counties—DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee. In 2000, The US Census Bureau recorded the population of the region at 229,509. In 2010, The US Census Bureau recorded the population of the region at 253,399, a growth rate of 11.0%. The most populous county in the region is Highlands County, and the region's largest cities are Avon Park and Sebring, both with slightly more than 10,000 people. Unlike the coastal areas to the east and west, the rural nature of the Florida Heartland is culturally closer to the Deep South than the rest of South Florida and has traditionally been inhabited by Americans of predominantly English ancestry. While located in Palm Beach County, the nearby rural cities of South Bay, Belle Glade and Pahokee as well as the census-designated place of Lake Harbor, located on the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, are more associated with the Florida Heartland than the remainder of South Florida. The same could also apply to the Collier County communities of Immokalee, Ave Maria and Harker as well as to the Martin County community of Port Mayaca. Occasionally included are the southern Polk County communities of Fort Meade, Frostproof and River Ranch as well as Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 35</span> Highway in Florida

State Road 35 is a north–south state highway in the western counties of the U.S. state of Florida.

The Florida Southern Railway was a railroad that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railway when it was built along with the South Florida Railroad and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida Southern was originally chartered to run from Lake City south through central Florida to Charlotte Harbor. However, with the influence of Henry B. Plant, it operated with two discontinuous segments that would be part of the Plant System, which would later become part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

The indigenous peoples of Florida lived in what is now known as Florida for more than 12,000 years before the time of first contact with Europeans. However, the indigenous Floridians living east of the Apalachicola River had largely died out by the early 18th century. Some Apalachees migrated to Louisiana, where their descendants now live; some were taken to Cuba and Mexico by the Spanish in the 18th century, and a few may have been absorbed into the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety Harbor culture</span> Archaeological culture practiced by Native Americans living on the central Gulf coast Florida

The Safety Harbor culture was an archaeological culture practiced by Native Americans living on the central Gulf coast of the Florida peninsula, from about 900 CE until after 1700. The Safety Harbor culture is defined by the presence of Safety Harbor ceramics in burial mounds. The culture is named after the Safety Harbor site, which is close to the center of the culture area. The Safety Harbor site is the probable location of the chief town of the Tocobaga, the best known of the groups practicing the Safety Harbor culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okeechobean Sea</span>

The Okeechobean Sea was a Cenozoic eutropical subsea, which along with the Choctaw Sea, occupied the eastern Gulf of Mexico basin system bounding Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bartow, Florida</span>

The history of Bartow, Florida spans over 150 years, although humans have inhabited the area for close to 12,000 years. Established in 1851 by Redding Blount, the city has gone from being a small frontier outpost vulnerable to Seminole Indian attack to being the county seat of Polk County, a county with more than half a million people.

References

  1. Kevin M. McCarthy The Book Lover's Guide to Florida 1992 p304 "The Peace River begins at Lake Hamilton in Polk County and runs through Arcadia southwesterly to Charlotte Harbor. For a description of the river, read Rivers of Florida (Atlanta: Southern Press, 1974) by Henry Marks and Gene Britt Riggs ..."
  2. O'Donnell
  3. Brown, Canter, Jr. (1991) Florida's Peace River Frontier. Orlando, Florida: University of Central Florida Press. ISBN   0-8130-1037-3 P. xiv (Preface)
  4. O'Donnell
  5. O'Donnell
  6. "Peace River 3A". Florida Museum. 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  7. "Peace River Paleo Project (PRiPP)". Florida Museum. 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  8. Duns, Rob (May 10, 2021). "Buried beneath the Peace River: fossil hunting in DeSoto Count". NBC 2. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  9. Galbraith, Alex. "Central Florida divers find mammoth leg bone in Peace River". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  10. Ledger, MARK CAVITTThe. "Beneath the surface: Fossil hunting uncovers Peace River treasures". The Ledger. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  11. Sentinel, Linda Florea Orlando. "SEARCH FOR FISHING HOLE UNCOVERS A MAMMOTH FIND". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  12. Company, Tampa Publishing. "Paddling through prehistory on the Peace River". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  13. "FOSSILS … FLORIDA'S PAST UNEARTHED – ONE FIND AT A TIME | Naples Florida Weekly". naples.floridaweekly.com. Retrieved 2021-06-21.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Peace River (Florida) at Wikimedia Commons

26°55′02″N82°08′33″W / 26.9172844°N 82.1425909°W / 26.9172844; -82.1425909