Trade Relations Between Southwestern Florida and Cuba, 1600-1840

When Cuba had been settled by the Spanish, heavy inroads were made into the nearby supply of edible fish, and the Havana fishing interests were forced to look elsewhere for a ready source. Southwestern Florida with its almost inexhaustible schools of drum, redfish, mullet, pompano, and grouper was situated only a short distance away and easily fitted into the Havana market situation. The combination of the excellent Cuban market and the nearby available supply of edible fish proved to be a business opportunity which would be profitable for many years for the inhabitants of both the island of Cuba and the peninsula of Florida

Life at Fort Brooke, 1824-1836

In January, 1824 the military post known as Cantonment Brooke and later as Fort Brooke * was established at the juncture of Hillsborough River and the bay bearing the same name. There were many sites more suitable or a fort which could be found along the shores and islands of Tampa Bay; but the land at the chosen location had already been cleared and a house and wharf erected by Robert Hackley, a gentleman from New York who believed that his father held title to the land. Incidently, Hackley had left the property in charge of an overseer so that he could go to Pensacola for supplies and he was dumbfounded upon returning to find the troops reposing on his plantation. The Hackley claim was based upon a Spanish grant nullified in the Adams-Onis Treaty and the family never received compensation for the work done in clearing the land

Cuban Bloodhounds and the Seminoles

Throughout history man has made use of animals in his warfare. During the Middle Ages the “Man on horseback” gained many victories against those on foot who opposed him and it was not until the effective use of the long bow and gun powder that the foot soldier could hold his own in combat. The first animal that European man domesticated was the dog. Even as late as World War II canines of several breeds were used by both sides to guard against surprise attack and to track down fleeing foes and prisoners

Book Review: The Unconquered Seminole Indians

Review of by Irvin M. Peithmann (St. Petersburg, Fla., The Great Outdoors Association, 1956. 96 pp. Illustrations, $1.00.

The Establishment of Fort Brooke

The military post known as Fort Brooke which was located at the mouth of the Hillsborough River is one that played a most important role in the settlement of Florida’s west coast. It served as a base of operations during the Seminole wars, and many famous military figures were stationed there during the middle third of the Nineteenth Century

Apalachee Indians, 1704-1763

One of Florida’s most tragic incidents occurred when Governor James Moore of South Carolina and his small army composed of 1,000 Indians and fifty whites moved into the Apalachee area of North Florida and laid waste to what had been the center of the Franciscan missions. Accounts of this raid describe the gallant defense made at Ayubale mission by Father Miranda and his neophytes, the defeat of the relief column from San Luis under command of Captain Ruiz Mexia, the torture of captives, the destruction of the Apalachee villages, and the removal of 3,000 or more Apalachees for resettlement in Georgia or South Carolina or for a life of slavery in New England or the West Indies. After Moore and his raiders had completed their destruction, the region was virtually deserted and contributed little to the welfare of Spanish Florida

Federal Relations with the Apalachicola Indians, 1823-1838

In Grant Foreman\u27s outstanding book Indian Removal, the classic account of the Five Civilized Tribes’ movement from the southeastern United States into Indian Territory, the author introduces the Seminole section with the following words: In the dishonorable record of our dealings with the Indians there is perhaps no blacker chapter than that relating to the Seminole people. l Certainly when we think of the Seminoles we recall broken treaties, dogs tracking Indians through the swamps and the capture of Osceola while protected by a flag of truce. One rather shady phase of the Seminole removal which has been somewhat neglected by the historians is the story of the Seminole group in northwestern Florida which was known as the Apalachicola band

Billy Bowlegs, Sam Jones, and the Crisis of 1849

One of the most unusual events that took place during the removal of some 4,000 Indians and blacks from Florida to Indian Territory during the 1836-1859 period, occurred during the so-called Outbreak of 1849 when the Seminoles delivered three alleged murderers to the whites for trial and possible execution. This outbreak blazed forth in July 1849 when a group of young Seminoles went on a rampage along both coasts of Florida. In the first attack, the Seminoles killed one man and vandalized a small settlement along the Indian River. Then they crossed the peninsula, killed two other persons, and burned the Kennedy and Darling store located on a tributary of the Peace River. Since the majority of the Seminoles did not want to endure another war, they arranged meetings with the whites at Charlotte Harbor and delivered three of the alleged culprits and the severed hand of a fourth to Major General David E. Twiggs and white justice. Both whites and Indians considered the three to be murderers, and there should have been a trial, but none took place. Then in February 1850, they were placed on a boat with other Indians and shipped west

Migration into Florida of the Seminoles, 1700-1820

The Seminole Indians were relatively late arrivals to the Florida peninsula; the Apalachees, Calusas, Timucuans, and smaller tribes had settled the area much earlier. The Seminole migrations into Florida came in three distinct phases: in the period between 1702-1750, they made raids against the Spainards and their Indian allies, and although the Seminoles acquired much knowledge of the Florida terrain, no significant settlements were made. In the period 1750-1812, six or more villages were established in the northern part of Florida, and small parties explored the entire peninsula in search of deer, bear, and other game, and to make contact with Cuban fishermen. The third phase came between the years of 1812-1820, when pressures in Alabama and Georgia forced the Upper and Lower Creeks to move south into Florida