My brother, Todd Thurlow, created a new “Time Capsule Flight” to give us historic perspective into my last blog post asking a question about an aerial photograph on page 3 of a 1937 Stuart Daily News, special edition, featuring Jupiter Island’s Golf Course.
“Fill or not fill?”
This was my question!
I had written: “When I first saw this photograph, it struck me that I did not recognize the area with exposed white sand on the east side of the island. I wondered if that was a remnant fan-like formation from an ancient inlet. Then it struck me that perhaps it was fill dredged from the Indian River lagoon for the golf course – or a combination of both.”
Todd’s video flight, using historic maps from 1883, 1885, and 1940 as well as today’s Google Earth technology, answered this question.
Jacqui: “Todd so after watching your time capsule flight it appears that the Jupiter Island Golf course was a natural wetland or mangrove something? It is sticking out into Indian River Lagoon on your oldest 1800s map- so it’s not entirely dredge and filled? Right?”
Todd: “Yep. Probably was swampy like Indian River Plantation (Marriott) and filled in with dredge from the ponds or Hobe Sound but more than likely before the channel/canal was dredged by the Feds in 1935. The Jupiter Island web-site says the Golf Course was built in 1922.”
Watch Todd’s video below and see for yourself the fascinating changes over time. Good for the golfers, not so good for the birds! Mystery solved by a Time Capsule Flight! Thanks Todd!
Todd’s video Jupiter Inlet 1883, 1885, & 1940 Lake Worth to South Jupiter Narrows: (https://youtu.be/VwoAXOrtRu4)
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Former blog post on this subject: https://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/2018/03/30/jupiter-island-is-show-place-of-martin-county-1937-stuart-daily-news/
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SEE ALL OF TODD’S TIME CAPSULE FLIGHTS & CONTACT INFO HERE: https://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/todd-thurlows-time-capsule-flights/
Jacqui, another great new blog posting.
it wouldn’t be surprising if some of today’s land in the Town of Jupiter Island was created from dredged fill–a now-banned practice–because that practice was once universal in Florida ad thought to be perfectly acceptable.
One of the most beautiful and admired “natural” neighborhoods of our own Sewall’s Point–the Archipelago collection of islands and bridges–was totally created in the early 1960s by filling bulkheaded concrete shapes with sand dredge from the Indian River lagoon.
Valuable homesites were created from scratch. (Good photos of the bright white sand fill are seen in your mother’s wonderful history of Sewall’s Point.) Over the last half-century, vegetation, planted and natural, grew up around the houses, and today it looks very natural indeed. The so-called Island Addition, on Island Road in High Point, was created the same way…all new land from fill.
Today, for good reasons, we may not alter the natural shoreline of the coastal U.S. in any way, especially not with bulkheads of concrete, steel or even wood.
Yes, we live and learn…
Best. — Knight
Hi Knight. Thanks to commenting on Jacqui’s blog! I remember you telling me how the dredging company would offer your father and others extra fill if they wanted it while they were dredging their way down the Indian River. No permit required back then. Just drop it off. Here is a link to my very first “time capsule” video on the spoil islands of Martin County. It was my first attempt recording, complete with the “Trial Version” watermark.
https://youtu.be/sODqzQ8EW9o
Todd I rennet this awesome video! One of my very favorite. Those little white piles of sand. Like ants we build our kingdom!
Dear Mr. Kiplinger, “Knight,” Thank you so much for writing ✍️ ! Yes! Absolutely some of our most exquisite neighborhoods in Sewall’s Point were created from dredge and fill projects. What too for me is interesting is that many, if not all of them, are not in V-Flood Zones as one would expect….the sand was piled so high that even though they often sit in the river proper, they are not in the most dangerous flood zone —sometimes not even in one at all! I guess this dredge and fill is still happening in places like Dubai (sp?) I am very interested too in Living Shorelines as opposed to traditional seawalls as you mention. Harbor Ridge on the border of Martin and St Lucie Counties has done a remarkable job with this. I do believe nature and development can be achieved in harmony—or close! 🇺🇸😁
Great story and video. Very informative way to see change. Thanks Jacqui and Todd.
Thank you Mike!😊
So close and yet so far—most likely this white sand is calcium. If you pour white viniger on it you can tell. The problem is our prevailing winds are out of the southeast so the calcium shell needs to be on the west shore. I have no doubt that the west shore is very acidic because everything is dead as hell there. In my struggle here there is something you need to know to bring back the life there. In the dry season all the fresh water runoff levels are very low leaving the underwater plants dead and dieing. The bacteria feeding on these plants suck all the oxygen out at a very critical time. This also leaves the water very acidic. I am working on putting fine calcium sand upstream to bring the underwater plants to life and put desolved oxygen into the lagoon. I always enjoy the work and info you have in your blog