Edited by Spessard Stone from a letter, dated October 13, 1874, by John F. Bartholf, who was clerk of the circuit court of Manatee County, which then included present-day Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Glades, and Charlotte counties. The letter was written to Dennis Eagan, Commissioner of Lands and Immigration, Tallahassee.
Manatee County, situated in the southwestern portion of the state, embraces within its limits about 4,000 square miles, scarcely one twentieth of which is fit for cultivation, being mostly of a low, flat, swampy nature, subject to overflow in the wet season.
It is impossible to state positively what amount of land is under cultivation, as there is but little owned, and consequently the assessor’s returns do not furnish the information, but three thousand acres is a fair estimate.
There are almost 15,000 acres of land owned by actual settlers, and there is no doubt but that there would be more were it not that thereby additional tax would be required.
There are several fine streams of water, well adapted to water power, but only one mill in operation, on what is known as Horse Creek.
The principal water course in the county is Peace Creek, extending from Fort Meade in Polk County to Charlotte Harbor. The stream could be very easily be made navigable to vessels of light draught; the principal labor being in removing the obstructions occasioned by fallen timber.
The mineral resources of Manatee County are very limited. In places evidences of iron are found, but no one feels sufficient interest in the matter to “bother their heads about it.”
This is the huntsman’s paradise as the whole country abounds with game. Many men support their families by the sale of venison and deer skins. It is not uncommon for a man too kill a half a dozen deer in a single short hunt. In fact, deer are so numerous they are troublesome, frequently destroying whole crops of sweet potatoes.
The water courses all abound in fish, and on the coast particularly mullet, sheephead, redfish, etc. are caught in great quantities. The finest of oysters are also found.
The principal pursuit in this country is stock raising, some men owning 10,000 head of cattle. Cuba and Key West afford a ready market at good prices.
Hogs are also raised to some extent and some horses. There are but few sheep in the country.
Farming is not carried on to any greater extent than what is necessary for home consumption s there is no market convenient. Corn, cane, rice, sweet potatoes, and vegetables grow well on cow-penned land.
What is wanted here is a railroad extending from Charlotte Harbor to the St. Johns. Then agriculture and fruit raising would receive the attention they deserve, and northern markets in mid-winter would be supplied with fresh vegetables and fruit.
For this reason but little attention is paid to fruit raising with the exception of a few groves on the Manatee River, from which point connection is had by steam to Cedar Keys and Key West. A large number of settlers, attracted by this advantage, have recently settled in this locality, and turned their attention to fruit raising, some of them being northern men of intelligence and means.
Sarasota, a point on the west coast, selected as a site for a large sanitarium, is settling up very rapidly with men of this class, and there is not a particle of doubt that new facilities for transportation afforded, this country would soon be populated by a desirable class of settlers.
It is impossible to state positively the population of the county, but 2,000 is a fair estimate. There are but few Negroes here, making labor scarce and wages very high.
Well water is good, although not so cool as is desirable, the water being so near the level of the earth in the summer when it rains a great deal. The wet seasons sets in about June and lasts until October when the whole country may be said to be “swimming.”
The climate from March to October is quite uniform, hot and sultry. The balance of the year is variable and characterized by great and sudden changes, frost being occasionally seen at daylight, and by noon the heat quite oppressive. These sudden changes occasion what is known as bad colds, diarrhea, etc., which sometimes are very distressing.
During the summer months, fevers are quite common. The oldest settlers are not exempt from them, and the children particularly being the sufferers, but although very debilitating and frequently accompanied by the most alarming symptoms, such as convulsions, delirium, etc., they seldom prove fatal.
In fact, deaths are unusual here, notwithstanding the fact that all are more or less subject and do suffer from the diseases, as stated. Men, advanced in years, old and grey-headed, continue active in the position of their mental and bodily faculties and are capable of enduring great hardships and exposure.
This article was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Fla.) of July 12, 2001.
July 12, 2001 & link = October 18, 2001