Caloosahatchee River

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Caloosahatchee River

The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately 75 mi (121 km long). It drains rural area on the northern edge of the Everglades northwest of Miami. An important link in the inland waterway system of southern Florida, the river forms a tidal estuary along most of its course and has recently become the subject of efforts to restore and preserve the Everglades.

[edit] Description

The river issues from Lake Hicpochee, in southeastern Glades County, approximately 10 mi (16 km) WNW of Clewiston. It flows WSW past La Belle, where it becomes tidal, forming an estuary along its lower 25 mi (40 km). It broadens as it nears the ocean, passing Fort Myers and Cape Coral. It enters the Gulf of Mexico 10 mi (16 km) southwest of Fort Myers in San Carlos Bay protected by Sanibel Island.

The 5 mi (8 km) Caloosahatchee Canal connecting Lake Hicpochee to Lake Okeechobee allows continuous navigation from the Caloosahatchee to the Okeechobee Waterway system. Since the late 19th century, dredging and channelization of the river, as well as the artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee and its use as a water supply for urban and agricultural uses, have substantially altered the hydrology of the river. As a result, both the magnitude and timing of water delivery to the estuary has been substantially altered. Recent programs by the state government have attempted to establish minimum flow levels in the river, in part to help restore the water supply to the Everglades. A federal wildlife refuge for manatees has been established at the mouth of the river on San Carlos Bay near Fort Myers.

[edit] External links

• South Florida Water Management District: Caloosahatchee River and Estuary
• GulfBase.org: Caloosahatchee River
• USFWS: Caloosahatchee River-San Carlos Bay Federal Manatee Refuge
• Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association (Riverwatch)

Hiistory on the River -

Hamilton Disston, a prominent manufacturer, entered into an agreement in 1881, with the State of Florida to purchase four million acres of "swamp and overflowed land" for one million dollars. In exchange, he promised to drain and improve the land. This transaction became known as the Disston Purchase. Hamilton Disston formed three companies to purchase and dredge the swamp lands: Kissimmee Land Company, Florida Land and Improvement Company, and Atlantic, Gulf Coast and Okeechobee Land Company (Hawkins n.d.; Menge n.d.). On February 3, 1883, the Florida Land and Improvement Company purchased Lot 1, of Section 34 in Township 43 South, Range 25 East, which includes the project area (State of Florida n.d.:110).

At this time, John Frederick Menge or J. Fred was hired as a civil engineer for the Disston Dredging Company, a part of the Atlantic, Gulf Coast and Okeechobee Land Company (Hawkins 1969; Menge n.d.). The first dredge on the project was constructed ca. 1882, by Menge using the Menge Patented Dredge, developed by his father in Louisiana. Eventually his skills promoted him to Captain, placing him in charge of dredging at Lake Okeechobee, at the age of 22 (Hawkins n.d.). Menge's work on this project eventually brought him to the Caloosahatchee River area in what is now Lee County.

After the Lake Okeechobee waterways were dredged, the project moved on to the Caloosahatchee River so it could be dredged and straightened to provide direct access to the lake (Hawkins 1969). Soon after work commenced on the project, Conrad Menge joined his brother J. Fred on the dredge in 1886 ( Hawkins 1969).

After the dredging was complete in 1888, Conrad and J. Fred decided to establish a business together on the Caloosahatchee. They received two boats from Hamilton Disston, the Gopher and the Mamie (Stahl 1991:13; Board 1990:79) and then created a boat line to service citrus groves along the river. In 1888, they purchased their first steamboat, the Anah C. and in 1890, they purchased their first steamliner, City of Athens (Hawkins n.d.; Hawkins 1969). That same year, the Menge Brothers Steamboat Line was formed. Located on the western banks of the Orange River (then known as Twelve Mile Creek), a branch of the Caloosahatchee, the Menge brothers constructed a boat way and blacksmith shop to service their vessels (Godown 1975:37). They provided freight and passenger service to Punta Gorda on the Caloosahatchee, and at the pinnacle of the business, they owned eight ships (Hawkins n.d.). It was during this period of prosperity, around 1890, that the steamboats were becoming the preferred means of transportation on the Caloosahatchee, replacing the sail (News-Press 1937). The Menge Brothers Steamboat Line was the largest line from 1890 to 1915. The steamboats generally transported citrus, furniture, supplies, mail, livestock, and passengers (Board 1990:79).