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| Reflections of Manatee |
| Education ● Protection ● Preservation ● Conservation ● History |
| River History |
The First Inhabitants
The Manatee River was first inhabited several thousand years ago by Native
Americans who settled in villages along the river, creating enormous shell middens
and mounds. These people thrived on the abundant fish and shellfish gathered along
the river. These early Floridians had complex societies and left traces of their past in
the form of bone and shell tools, pottery, and food remains.
Contact and European Arrival
landed south of Espiritu De Santo (Tampa Bay), in the homeland of the Tocobaga
Indians. The mission was to "conquer, populate and pacify" La Florida. This was the In
May of 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and an army of over 600 soldiers
first large-scale, organized European exploration of the interior of today’s southern
United States. The expedition marched from one village to the next, taking food and
enslaving the native peoples to use as guides and porters. Hundreds of lives were
lost as a result of this calamitous journey.
The arrival of European explorers brought large-scale changes to native societies, and
spelled the beginning of the end for the native peoples in Florida. The complex
societies reported by the first chroniclers were soon depopulated and decimated by
enslavement, battles, and European diseases for which the natives had little immunity.
In 1765, Franciscan clerics reported to the crown on the status of the Indian nations:
“All of these provinces and peoples today have been destroyed, and none possess
settlements.”
Arrival of the “Seminoles”
Beginning in the early 1700s, Indian groups migrating from British Georgia began to
repopulate the Florida frontier. Some were escaping the dominance of other Indian
groups or the pressure of Anglo-American settlers encroaching on their traditional
homelands. By the 1770s these groups collectively became known as “Seminoles”.
Spanish Fishing Ranchos Established
As early as the mid-1600s, Spanish fishing ranchos first appeared along the Florida
coast. By 1770, there were at least thirty ships actively engaged in fishing operations
off the west coast of Florida. The Cubans settled in villages or ranchos during the
fishing season. The ranchos consisted of palmetto huts, where the fishermen slept
and ate. They served as processing areas where the fish were cleaned, salted, and
dried.
The early ranchos generally were not permanent settlements. After each fishing
season ended, the fishermen would return to Havana with fish prepared for the Cuban
market. The fishermen had frequent contact with the local Indians and often provided
them transport to Havana for trade or diplomatic missions.
By the 1790s, some fishermen established permanent year-round ranchos and
cultivated gardens and citrus groves. The ranchos became home to a diverse group of
Cubans, escaped slaves, Seminoles, Creeks, Mikasukis, and other Indians. Many
fishermen who settled permanently in the area married Seminole women.
Angola
A Haven for Escaped Slaves
Angola was a community of formerly enslaved Africans that was thought to have thrived
near the Manatee River from at least 1812 until 1821. Settled by Black warriors who, as
allies of the Spanish, British, and Seminoles had fought several battles against
American forces in northern Florida, Angola was not only a refuge of freedom, but a
focus for economic and diplomatic activities within the broader Atlantic world.
Two British filibusters, Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert C. Ambrister, may have
operated a trading post on the Manatee River in support of the Angolan community.
Both men were tried and executed as spies in 1818 by Andrew Jackson.
In 1821, Spain ceded Florida to the United States. Within three months the settlement
of Angola was destroyed, possibly at the behest of Andrew Jackson, by a Lower Creek
Indian war party. Over 300 men, women, and children were returned to slavery. Others
escaped to southeast Florida, and then by canoe to the Bahamas.
Document: Charleston City Gazette and Commercial Advertiser
re: Angola raid
Report of "AN EYEWITNESS" to the violent slave raid on Angola appeared on
December 3, 1821
"Towards the end of the month of April last, some men of influence and fortune,
residing somewhere in the western country, thought of making a speculation in order
to obtain Slaves for a trifle…"
"For this purpose, they hired Charles Miller, William Weatherford [and others], and
under these chiefs, were engaged about two hundred Cowetas Indians," the letter
continued. "They were ordered to proceed along the western coast of East Florida,
southerly, and there take, in the name of the United States, and make prisoners of all
the men of colour, including women and children, they would be able to find, and bring
them all, well secured, to a certain place, which has been kept a secret."
The "EYE-WITNESS" then offered first-hand details of the raid and of Angola's
destruction. "They arrived at Sazazota [Sarasota and Manatee River are referred to as
in the general area], surprised and captured about 300 of them, plundered their
plantations, set on fire all their houses… But the terror thus spread along the Western
Coast of East Florida, broke all the establishments of both blacks and Indians, who
fled in great consternation…"
Document: John Lee Williams, excerpt from Territory of Florida (page 24)
"A stream that enters the bay joining the Oyster River, on the S.W. was ascended about
six miles. It was forty yards wide, and six feet deep, but full of islands…
The point between these two rivers is called Negro Point. The famous Arbuthnot and
Ambrister had at one time a plantation here cultivated by two hundred negroes. The
ruins of their cabins, and domestic utensils are still seen on the old fields."
One of Florida's earliest historians, John Lee Williams visited the lower Gulf coast in
1827. Williams reported that he had examined the bays of Tampa and Sarrazota with
care, and explored the Oyster River for twenty miles. Local historian Dewey Dye
compared the local topography with William’s descriptions and concluded that the
Oyster River is actually the Manatee River and that Negro Point lay at the confluence of
the Manatee and the Braden Rivers. - (John Lee Williams, Territory of Florida pages 49
& 300)
Armed Occupation Act
Federal Land Policy Encourages Settlement of the Frontier
President John Tyler signed the Florida land law on August 4, 1842. Its aim was to
send civilians to settle and protect the land the army had wrested from the Seminoles
after the long and bloody Second Seminole War. The Act provided each settler
applicant with a 160-acre plot of land a year's supply of food and provisions. To obtain
a "patent" or permanent title to the land, the settler had to erect a dwelling, cultivate a
minimum of five acres, and live on the land for at least five years.
Colonization of the Manatee River had actually preceded passage of this law by a
number of months. By the date of the Act’s passage, many of the original colonists had
not only staked their claim, but also brought their families out to join them.
Homesteaders in the Manatee River Settlement
Spanish Fishermen Miguel Gerrero, Manuel Olivella and Phillipi Bermudez, who had
lived and worked in the area for decades, brought the first permanent Anglo American
settlers to the Manatee Spring in 1841. The first settlers were Josiah Gates, Henry S.
Clark, their families and slaves. The Gates family had lived in Florida since 1828,
operating hotels at both Fort Harllee in Alachua County and more recently at Fort
Brooke in Tampa. They took up innkeeping again on the Manatee. Henry S. Clark was
the first merchant on the river.
Colonel Samuel Reid led a colonization effort in April 1842, supported by the loans of
arms and tents from Ft. Brooke. The party landed at the Manatee River with a group of
fifteen white males, ten black males, two back females over the age of fourteen, and
four black children. The list of settlers that were part of this group includes John
Addison, John Bowers, Daniel Buchanan, John Craig, E Follansher, Josiah Gates,
John Griseth, Michael Ledwith, (?) McDonald, Miles Price, Samuel Reid, (?) Retterline,
and William H. Wyatt.
The settlement’s most prominent citizens, Robert, William and John Gamble, Hector
and Joseph Braden, William Wyatt, William Whitaker and Hamlin Snell came to the
Manatee River from Tallahassee. Hamlin Snell served in the Florida State Senate and
was later Mayor of Tampa. The Gambles and Bradens transplanted large numbers of
slaves to carve out the plantations that dominated the economic life of the early
settlement.
The colony “is composed entirely of persons from Middle Florida [Tallahassee area].
The land is of Superior quality & from the character of the Gentlemen concerned, there
is certainty of success.” - Gen. William Worth
Frontier Society
The little settlement had no minister until 1848 and no doctor until 1849. Regular mail
service did not start until 1850. Neighbors were often miles away. A few paths were cut
to different homes, but for the first five or six years most travel was done by water. Hard
work was involved in clearing land and building houses, even with the assistance of
slaves. For the men of the community, everyday social interactions revolved around
Thomas Kenny’s blacksmith shop or Henry Clark’s store. Some women had slaves to
relieve them of the heavier tasks of housekeeping; these women had time to boat on
the river or go visiting. Others took up the same tasks as their husbands. The 1850
census records document settlers pursuing occupations such as merchant, hotelier,
baker, butcher, tailor, physician, midwife, minister, farmer, fisherman, artisan,
blacksmith, surveyor, and shipping merchant.
The growing settlement also had interactions with the Seminoles who had been
assigned to reservation areas further inland. Some settlers were on very friendly terms
with the Seminoles and Billy Bowlegs dined in the Wyatt and Gates homes on many
occasions. Phillipi Bermudez, who worked as an Army guide and interpreter, was what
Major Morris called on “most friendly terms” with the Indians and would transmit
messages for them. Returning to his rancho one day, he found in his garden on a high
place a tall pole with a flag made of feathers with tobacco and white beads. These
were the well-known peace symbols used by Holata Micco (Billy Bowlegs.) Bermudez
took the peace offering to Indian Agent Captain Casey.
Commercial Industries in the Settlement
Sugar cane, tobacco and cotton operations were the early core industries in the
settlement. Along with these, Wyatt, Whitaker, and Snell were instrumental in founding
the cattle and citrus industries. Dr. Franklin Branch (see below) began harvesting
oaks, an early pioneer of the settlement’s timber industry.
Dr. Franklin Branch
Doctor Franklin Branch came from Fort Brooke (Tampa) to the village in 1849. He
purchased the Henry Clark property from Clark's widow Ellen, where he set up a sugar
cane operation and became the first doctor in the village. He had hoped to start a
sanitarium (hospital) and use the spring’s water for healing, but that dream was never
fulfilled. Accompanying Doctor Branch and his wife, Vashti, was a teacher from
England, a cook from Ireland, and a ditch-digger from Ireland who was employed to
drain ponds.
Branch Stockade – Camp Manatee 1856
The expansion of white settlement in Florida began to irritate the Seminole peoples as
even their reservation lands were encroached upon. With the fear of hostilities,
residents assisted Dr. Franklin Branch in securing a stockade around his apothecary
near the spring. A military detachment from Fort Brooke came to protect the citizens
and may have remained in and around the settlement for up to two years. Many
settlers put up chickees or shacks to reside in during this time. Conditions became
crowded and many went to the Braden Castle for refuge. This was attacked bringing
the fleeing residents back to the spring and under the care of the US army placed
there for their protection. Judge Gates and his family refused to come to the stockade
having no fear of the Indians.
Curry Settlement in Manatee
On December 05, 1859, Captain John Curry purchased 30 acres containing the
Manatee Mineral Spring from Dr. Franklin Branch, paid for in gold doubloons. The
Curry family had originally migrated to South Carolina from Scotland. As British
loyalists in the Revolutionary War they relocated to Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
where Captain John Curry was born. Learning the shipping trade from his father, he
soon became a sea captain, salvager, and ship builder, well known up and down the
East and West Coast of Florida. By the time lighthouses were placed around the
Florida Coast, Curry and his family had become wealthy. As shippers, the family had
access to fine goods such as ornate furnishings and an exclusive set of gold dishes
from Tiffany (the only other set went to the Queen of England). In 1860 Captain John
moved his extended family of 29 to the Manatee Settlement beginning a mercantile
business and continuing an extensive trade in cattle.
It is said that in Florida prior to the War Between the States, someone from everywhere
was related to a Curry. The large family was a boon to the expanding settlement,
providing many new eligible marriage partners. The Curry's helped found the Manatee
United Methodist Church and the Masonic Lodge #31, two influential community
institutions. Captain John Curry's nephew, Joseph Simon (John) Bartlum built the first
homes for this large family. Two of these original homes are under restoration on
their original sites by Reflections of Manatee, Inc., and will become museums.
Bartlum was also the builder of the two "Bahamas Houses" of Key West. When a
hurricane destroyed the family homes in Key West, Bartlum and his father in law-
Richard Roberts, brother-in-law to Captain John Curry, returned to the Bahamas and
took apart two family homes. Board by board they re-constructed the homes in Key
West where they remain today. The Curry mansion also still remains in Key West, and
is located on William Street.
Curry’s are known as the first Millionaires of the state, much of their belongings as
well as building supplies were the best that could be bought in there time. As
shippers, Curry’s had no problems in obtaining items like barometers from
Pennsylvania, machine cut nails or large panes of glass, ornate furnishings, and even
a complete set of gold dishes from Tiffany’s New York. These included place settings,
tea and coffee service, platter and the like of solid gold and were used daily by William
Curry(Captain John Curry's son, and his family in Key West.
The Manatee River was first inhabited several thousand years ago by Native
Americans who settled in villages along the river, creating enormous shell middens
and mounds. These people thrived on the abundant fish and shellfish gathered along
the river. These early Floridians had complex societies and left traces of their past in
the form of bone and shell tools, pottery, and food remains.
Contact and European Arrival
landed south of Espiritu De Santo (Tampa Bay), in the homeland of the Tocobaga
Indians. The mission was to "conquer, populate and pacify" La Florida. This was the In
May of 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and an army of over 600 soldiers
first large-scale, organized European exploration of the interior of today’s southern
United States. The expedition marched from one village to the next, taking food and
enslaving the native peoples to use as guides and porters. Hundreds of lives were
lost as a result of this calamitous journey.
The arrival of European explorers brought large-scale changes to native societies, and
spelled the beginning of the end for the native peoples in Florida. The complex
societies reported by the first chroniclers were soon depopulated and decimated by
enslavement, battles, and European diseases for which the natives had little immunity.
In 1765, Franciscan clerics reported to the crown on the status of the Indian nations:
“All of these provinces and peoples today have been destroyed, and none possess
settlements.”
Arrival of the “Seminoles”
Beginning in the early 1700s, Indian groups migrating from British Georgia began to
repopulate the Florida frontier. Some were escaping the dominance of other Indian
groups or the pressure of Anglo-American settlers encroaching on their traditional
homelands. By the 1770s these groups collectively became known as “Seminoles”.
Spanish Fishing Ranchos Established
As early as the mid-1600s, Spanish fishing ranchos first appeared along the Florida
coast. By 1770, there were at least thirty ships actively engaged in fishing operations
off the west coast of Florida. The Cubans settled in villages or ranchos during the
fishing season. The ranchos consisted of palmetto huts, where the fishermen slept
and ate. They served as processing areas where the fish were cleaned, salted, and
dried.
The early ranchos generally were not permanent settlements. After each fishing
season ended, the fishermen would return to Havana with fish prepared for the Cuban
market. The fishermen had frequent contact with the local Indians and often provided
them transport to Havana for trade or diplomatic missions.
By the 1790s, some fishermen established permanent year-round ranchos and
cultivated gardens and citrus groves. The ranchos became home to a diverse group of
Cubans, escaped slaves, Seminoles, Creeks, Mikasukis, and other Indians. Many
fishermen who settled permanently in the area married Seminole women.
Angola
A Haven for Escaped Slaves
Angola was a community of formerly enslaved Africans that was thought to have thrived
near the Manatee River from at least 1812 until 1821. Settled by Black warriors who, as
allies of the Spanish, British, and Seminoles had fought several battles against
American forces in northern Florida, Angola was not only a refuge of freedom, but a
focus for economic and diplomatic activities within the broader Atlantic world.
Two British filibusters, Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert C. Ambrister, may have
operated a trading post on the Manatee River in support of the Angolan community.
Both men were tried and executed as spies in 1818 by Andrew Jackson.
In 1821, Spain ceded Florida to the United States. Within three months the settlement
of Angola was destroyed, possibly at the behest of Andrew Jackson, by a Lower Creek
Indian war party. Over 300 men, women, and children were returned to slavery. Others
escaped to southeast Florida, and then by canoe to the Bahamas.
Document: Charleston City Gazette and Commercial Advertiser
re: Angola raid
Report of "AN EYEWITNESS" to the violent slave raid on Angola appeared on
December 3, 1821
"Towards the end of the month of April last, some men of influence and fortune,
residing somewhere in the western country, thought of making a speculation in order
to obtain Slaves for a trifle…"
"For this purpose, they hired Charles Miller, William Weatherford [and others], and
under these chiefs, were engaged about two hundred Cowetas Indians," the letter
continued. "They were ordered to proceed along the western coast of East Florida,
southerly, and there take, in the name of the United States, and make prisoners of all
the men of colour, including women and children, they would be able to find, and bring
them all, well secured, to a certain place, which has been kept a secret."
The "EYE-WITNESS" then offered first-hand details of the raid and of Angola's
destruction. "They arrived at Sazazota [Sarasota and Manatee River are referred to as
in the general area], surprised and captured about 300 of them, plundered their
plantations, set on fire all their houses… But the terror thus spread along the Western
Coast of East Florida, broke all the establishments of both blacks and Indians, who
fled in great consternation…"
Document: John Lee Williams, excerpt from Territory of Florida (page 24)
"A stream that enters the bay joining the Oyster River, on the S.W. was ascended about
six miles. It was forty yards wide, and six feet deep, but full of islands…
The point between these two rivers is called Negro Point. The famous Arbuthnot and
Ambrister had at one time a plantation here cultivated by two hundred negroes. The
ruins of their cabins, and domestic utensils are still seen on the old fields."
One of Florida's earliest historians, John Lee Williams visited the lower Gulf coast in
1827. Williams reported that he had examined the bays of Tampa and Sarrazota with
care, and explored the Oyster River for twenty miles. Local historian Dewey Dye
compared the local topography with William’s descriptions and concluded that the
Oyster River is actually the Manatee River and that Negro Point lay at the confluence of
the Manatee and the Braden Rivers. - (John Lee Williams, Territory of Florida pages 49
& 300)
Armed Occupation Act
Federal Land Policy Encourages Settlement of the Frontier
President John Tyler signed the Florida land law on August 4, 1842. Its aim was to
send civilians to settle and protect the land the army had wrested from the Seminoles
after the long and bloody Second Seminole War. The Act provided each settler
applicant with a 160-acre plot of land a year's supply of food and provisions. To obtain
a "patent" or permanent title to the land, the settler had to erect a dwelling, cultivate a
minimum of five acres, and live on the land for at least five years.
Colonization of the Manatee River had actually preceded passage of this law by a
number of months. By the date of the Act’s passage, many of the original colonists had
not only staked their claim, but also brought their families out to join them.
Homesteaders in the Manatee River Settlement
Spanish Fishermen Miguel Gerrero, Manuel Olivella and Phillipi Bermudez, who had
lived and worked in the area for decades, brought the first permanent Anglo American
settlers to the Manatee Spring in 1841. The first settlers were Josiah Gates, Henry S.
Clark, their families and slaves. The Gates family had lived in Florida since 1828,
operating hotels at both Fort Harllee in Alachua County and more recently at Fort
Brooke in Tampa. They took up innkeeping again on the Manatee. Henry S. Clark was
the first merchant on the river.
Colonel Samuel Reid led a colonization effort in April 1842, supported by the loans of
arms and tents from Ft. Brooke. The party landed at the Manatee River with a group of
fifteen white males, ten black males, two back females over the age of fourteen, and
four black children. The list of settlers that were part of this group includes John
Addison, John Bowers, Daniel Buchanan, John Craig, E Follansher, Josiah Gates,
John Griseth, Michael Ledwith, (?) McDonald, Miles Price, Samuel Reid, (?) Retterline,
and William H. Wyatt.
The settlement’s most prominent citizens, Robert, William and John Gamble, Hector
and Joseph Braden, William Wyatt, William Whitaker and Hamlin Snell came to the
Manatee River from Tallahassee. Hamlin Snell served in the Florida State Senate and
was later Mayor of Tampa. The Gambles and Bradens transplanted large numbers of
slaves to carve out the plantations that dominated the economic life of the early
settlement.
The colony “is composed entirely of persons from Middle Florida [Tallahassee area].
The land is of Superior quality & from the character of the Gentlemen concerned, there
is certainty of success.” - Gen. William Worth
Frontier Society
The little settlement had no minister until 1848 and no doctor until 1849. Regular mail
service did not start until 1850. Neighbors were often miles away. A few paths were cut
to different homes, but for the first five or six years most travel was done by water. Hard
work was involved in clearing land and building houses, even with the assistance of
slaves. For the men of the community, everyday social interactions revolved around
Thomas Kenny’s blacksmith shop or Henry Clark’s store. Some women had slaves to
relieve them of the heavier tasks of housekeeping; these women had time to boat on
the river or go visiting. Others took up the same tasks as their husbands. The 1850
census records document settlers pursuing occupations such as merchant, hotelier,
baker, butcher, tailor, physician, midwife, minister, farmer, fisherman, artisan,
blacksmith, surveyor, and shipping merchant.
The growing settlement also had interactions with the Seminoles who had been
assigned to reservation areas further inland. Some settlers were on very friendly terms
with the Seminoles and Billy Bowlegs dined in the Wyatt and Gates homes on many
occasions. Phillipi Bermudez, who worked as an Army guide and interpreter, was what
Major Morris called on “most friendly terms” with the Indians and would transmit
messages for them. Returning to his rancho one day, he found in his garden on a high
place a tall pole with a flag made of feathers with tobacco and white beads. These
were the well-known peace symbols used by Holata Micco (Billy Bowlegs.) Bermudez
took the peace offering to Indian Agent Captain Casey.
Commercial Industries in the Settlement
Sugar cane, tobacco and cotton operations were the early core industries in the
settlement. Along with these, Wyatt, Whitaker, and Snell were instrumental in founding
the cattle and citrus industries. Dr. Franklin Branch (see below) began harvesting
oaks, an early pioneer of the settlement’s timber industry.
Dr. Franklin Branch
Doctor Franklin Branch came from Fort Brooke (Tampa) to the village in 1849. He
purchased the Henry Clark property from Clark's widow Ellen, where he set up a sugar
cane operation and became the first doctor in the village. He had hoped to start a
sanitarium (hospital) and use the spring’s water for healing, but that dream was never
fulfilled. Accompanying Doctor Branch and his wife, Vashti, was a teacher from
England, a cook from Ireland, and a ditch-digger from Ireland who was employed to
drain ponds.
Branch Stockade – Camp Manatee 1856
The expansion of white settlement in Florida began to irritate the Seminole peoples as
even their reservation lands were encroached upon. With the fear of hostilities,
residents assisted Dr. Franklin Branch in securing a stockade around his apothecary
near the spring. A military detachment from Fort Brooke came to protect the citizens
and may have remained in and around the settlement for up to two years. Many
settlers put up chickees or shacks to reside in during this time. Conditions became
crowded and many went to the Braden Castle for refuge. This was attacked bringing
the fleeing residents back to the spring and under the care of the US army placed
there for their protection. Judge Gates and his family refused to come to the stockade
having no fear of the Indians.
Curry Settlement in Manatee
On December 05, 1859, Captain John Curry purchased 30 acres containing the
Manatee Mineral Spring from Dr. Franklin Branch, paid for in gold doubloons. The
Curry family had originally migrated to South Carolina from Scotland. As British
loyalists in the Revolutionary War they relocated to Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
where Captain John Curry was born. Learning the shipping trade from his father, he
soon became a sea captain, salvager, and ship builder, well known up and down the
East and West Coast of Florida. By the time lighthouses were placed around the
Florida Coast, Curry and his family had become wealthy. As shippers, the family had
access to fine goods such as ornate furnishings and an exclusive set of gold dishes
from Tiffany (the only other set went to the Queen of England). In 1860 Captain John
moved his extended family of 29 to the Manatee Settlement beginning a mercantile
business and continuing an extensive trade in cattle.
It is said that in Florida prior to the War Between the States, someone from everywhere
was related to a Curry. The large family was a boon to the expanding settlement,
providing many new eligible marriage partners. The Curry's helped found the Manatee
United Methodist Church and the Masonic Lodge #31, two influential community
institutions. Captain John Curry's nephew, Joseph Simon (John) Bartlum built the first
homes for this large family. Two of these original homes are under restoration on
their original sites by Reflections of Manatee, Inc., and will become museums.
Bartlum was also the builder of the two "Bahamas Houses" of Key West. When a
hurricane destroyed the family homes in Key West, Bartlum and his father in law-
Richard Roberts, brother-in-law to Captain John Curry, returned to the Bahamas and
took apart two family homes. Board by board they re-constructed the homes in Key
West where they remain today. The Curry mansion also still remains in Key West, and
is located on William Street.
Curry’s are known as the first Millionaires of the state, much of their belongings as
well as building supplies were the best that could be bought in there time. As
shippers, Curry’s had no problems in obtaining items like barometers from
Pennsylvania, machine cut nails or large panes of glass, ornate furnishings, and even
a complete set of gold dishes from Tiffany’s New York. These included place settings,
tea and coffee service, platter and the like of solid gold and were used daily by William
Curry(Captain John Curry's son, and his family in Key West.
| 1539 |
1650-1800
1812-1821
| 900-1600s |
| Hernando de Soto |
| 1564, sketch Jaques LeMoyne |
| 1842 - 1859 |
| 1859 |
| Osceola |
| 1700s |
| Chickee Camp |
| John Horse aka Gopher John Fort Brooke in Tampa Bay, as it appeared in John Horse's youth. Engraving from 1838. Florida Photographic Collection. |
| Curry family properties 1860 census |
| 1857 map portion |
| Hamlin V. Snell |
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