![]() Existing side by side through good water management, sport fishing and a thriving agricultural industry are each closely tied to Lake Okeechobee. With a history as rich as its soil, Belle Glade continues to be diverse and unique. was formed to add stability to the Glades’ agricultural industry. At the same time, beef cattle sales increased and in 1960 the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida Inc. Celery and sweet corn became popular crops that turned into moneymakers. Over time, farmers began to look at other crops for diversification and as a way to stabilize the economy. Local farmers had to be persuaded to hire the men for just 80 cents a day. The war prisoners worked in a bean-canning factory or in the sugar cane fields. In 1945 amidst World War II, German prisoners of war (POWs) were sent to a camp east of Belle Glade and next to the Everglades Experiment Station. In the 1930s beans were the money crop, with excess beans being able to be frozen and canned. Market demands and production played a major role in changes in crops. Packinghouses were created by farmers as a way to easily and efficiently pack truckload after truckload into crates to be placed in railroad cars for shipment to the market. He eventually became known as the Cracker Historian writing several books on the history of the Glades.įarming lands were slowly extended and roads paved. Will continued to play an instrumental role as a member of the town council and part-time fire chief for 30 years. ![]() He later settled in Belle Glade and opened an automobile dealership with a service and parts store. He became a licensed boat operator and helped provide transportation between the Glades settlements. Will, along with four others, started the settlement of Okeelanta where he cleared sawgrass for farming. One pioneer in particular had an active role in the development of the Glades prior to and after the storm. The dike proved worthy surviving the severe storm of 1947, assuring people that the lake waters no longer posed a threat to residents nearby.įollowing the hurricane of 1928, the true pioneers picked up and started over planting new crops. The high death toll gained national attention, which eventually resulted in the construction of the Hoover Dike to control Lake Okeechobee flooding. It is estimated that 2,500 people died as a result of the hurricane and a statue today commemorates those who perished. Houses were ripped off their foundation and torn apart by the surging water and raging winds. In some places, water reached as high as 25 feet above sea level. Water rose four to eight feet in just an hour. The fierce winds pushed all the water from the northern part of the lake down south drenching the Glades. On September 16, 1928, a hurricane more devastating than any storm before came through and almost wiped Belle Glade off the map. Between the mail boat and the railroad, crowds began to come to the small developments. After the closing of the Torry Island post office, Belle Glade applied and was permitted an official post office in 1921. The neighboring communities continued to grow but it wasn’t until the railroad arrived that any real permanent structures were built. To the north of South Bay, Belle Glade, which was originally called Hillsboro, and Pahokee, first known as East Beach and then Ridgeway Beach, began to become settled. In 1917 only 12 families lived in South Bay. The Torry Island general store opened and soon after a post office was added inside where mail was brought from Ft. Small settlements popped up at the junction between the North New River Canal and the Hillsboro Canal, now referred to as South Bay. Boat transportation was the only means available at the time. ![]() Along with canal construction workers, the first real settlers began to arrive and establish communities where drainage was easier. In 1913, three major canals were completed: the Hillsboro Canal, the North New River Canal and the Miami Canal. In 1912, construction began in an effort to control Lake Okeechobee’s flood waters. It was the Seminole who gave the lake region the name of "Okeechobee land," meaning Land of Big Water. The Seminole Indians generally associated with this part of Florida are descendants of tribes from Georgia and Alabama who moved further and further south as state and federal governments pushed for expansion and development of new lands. Their prehistoric habitation and burial mounds are located just west of Belle Glade in Chosen which is known by many as the "Indian Mound." These sites were excavated by the Smithsonian Institution during the early 1930's and later by archeologists from the Florida State Museum in Gainesville. The earliest known inhabitants of the Belle Glade area were the Calusa Indians. ( Article C ourtesy of Belle Glade Chamber of Commerce )
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