Sunday Favorites: Early Social Life in Manatee County Part 2

They went fishing.

Fishing has always been a particularly popular pastime. Sandy shores and title pools along the river harbored a sustainable supply of sand fleas, fiddler crabs and shrimp which settlers used for bait. Rods were maid of cane and nets were crafted of cotton twine. Cast nets, also made of cotton, came in many different shapes and sizes depending on what they were created to catch. Because they were cotton, they needed to be dried after use. Up until the mid-1900s, net spreads – simple structures that allowed the nets to dry in the sun – were a common site along community docks.

People came from all over the country to winter in the area and charter fish. They mostly targeting game fish like tarpon but weren’t incredibly picky when it came to species. In 1907, several men caught a 14.5-foot sawfish weighing over 1,000 pounds off the city wharf in Palmetto, according to Manatee County Historical Society.

One species of fish that was targeted not only for its size but also for its roe, which made a luxurious caviar, was sturgeon. During the winters of 1886 and 1887, more than 2,500 sturgeon were harvested in Tampa Bay, which yielded over 10,000 pounds of caviar. The species never recovered and is now considered ”extinct“ from our area.

Not all fishing required a rod. The local bays and bayous held scallops, oysters, crabs and clams. It was common for families to camp on one of the many islands and roast their shellfish catches on screens over an open fire. They also enjoyed boating trips to several popular destinations such as Fort Hamer, Rye Bridge, Egmont Key, Bird Key or Anna Maria Island.

They huntedÉ.pretty much everything.

I remember going to the Manatee County Historical Records Library one day to do look up a document. One of the archivists was in the middle of scanning old articles dating back to the 1800s from local papers.

”Are you reading about anything interesting?“ I asked.

”Not really,“ she replied. ”Most everything is about someone killing something. I mean, they killed everything!“

She wasn’t wrong. Those same winter people that came down to fish also came to hunt. In 1884 a man named William Drysdale, special correspondent for the New York Sunday Times, traveled to Bradenton specifically to write about an alligator hunting trip.

He stayed at The Palma Sola Hotel, which was owned and operated by Warburton Warner. Warner took Drysdale, along with several other guests, several miles up the Manatee River aboard the steam launch ”Allice.“ The whole affair was reminiscent of ”The African Queen.“

Bears, cougars, snakes, bobcats, and deer were also popular hunting targets.

The started social clubs.

Early settlers also started many social clubs. The Masonic Lodge, Woman’s Club and Village Improvement Association were all started by settlers seeking the camaraderie of social life. These organizations put on plays, dances and potlucks for residents to attend.

For children, there was the Boy Scouts. The first Boy Scout troop started in Palmetto in 1910. Then known as the Southwest Florida Council (SFC), it spawned branches in the Village of Manatee and Arcadia. In 1929, The SFC purchased 140-acres of land on the southern bank of the Manatee River where it could conduct activities and camps. The property was known as Camp Flying Eagle. Today, it is considered the oldest Boy Scout Camp in the State of Florida.

That’s all for this week! Tune in next week as we explore some of the influential black residents and their legacies in honor of Black History Month.