Tag Archives: 1937 Stuart Daily News

Stuart on the St Lucie River, Great Old Inlet Photos, 1937 Stuart Daily News

**Page 10, historic Stuart Daily News, Special Edition 1937, in celebration of the Stuart to Ft Meyers Cross State Canal courtesy Knight A. Kiplinger**

We are up to page 10 in our history lesson and today’s photos are some of my favorite. The first is an aerial of the St Lucie Inlet entitled “Stuart on the St Lucie River.” Since its earliest day’s, Stuart has always been defined by its proximity to the river. Below the aerial it boast: “World Famous For its Fishing, Provides an Ocean Entrance for Small Craft.” And by today’s standards, a rather comical or un-comical plug can’t be missed: “Where the Waters of Lake Okeechobee Meet the Atlantic.”

It is also fascinating to note the shape of the south side of the St Lucie Inlet as today it has shifted and filled in. I am sharing my brother’s Time Capsule Flight used in former posts as it is so interesting and shows the various inlets of this area and land shapes as documented on various historical maps. Although today, we try to make barrier islands, beaches, and inlets permanent, by watching my brother’s video the message is clear: “the only constant is change.”

Todd Thurlow’s video Changing Inlets of the Southern Indian River Lagoon: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYQz4P1ELM&list=PLDaNwdmfhj15bmGNQaGhog9QpkQPAXl06&t=20s&index=2)

Shifting Inlets: https://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/2015/10/28/flight-over-the-shifting-inlets-of-hutchinson-island-1515-1900-st-lucie-riverindian-river-lagoon/

St Lucie Inlet: https://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/tag/dredging-costs-st-lucie-inlet/

“The St Lucie River Estuary Leading to Stuart, Six Miles upriver. Here, at Sewall’s Point in the Foreground, Is the Junction of the Intracoastal Waterway and the St Lucie. Stuart Bridge in Background.”

Intracoastal Waterway:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracoastal_Waterway

It is also fun to compare the aerials of Mr Lowell Hill, 1937 above with this one below dated 1952 by Arthur Ruhnke and Google Earth of 2018.

City of Stuart, “Atlantic Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico,” 1937 Staurt Daily News

**Page 8-9, historic Stuart Daily News, Special Edition 1937, in celebration of the Stuart to Ft Meyers Cross State Canal courtesy Knight A. Kiplinger**

As we continue our historic journey, today we view pages 8-9 of the 1937 Stuart Daily News. Today’s ad for the City of Stuart is so large that it is featured side-to-side rather than top to bottom in the publication. Proudly, because of the completion of the Stuart to Ft Meyers Cross-State Canal, Stuart has branded itself as “the Atlantic Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico,” particularly for the nation’s yachtsmen.

Although this image below was not in the publication, I wanted to include it because one might drive by and not recognize this recently renovated, now officially registered historic structure in Rio for what it really is, ~a monument to the cross-state canal!

From page 9 of Stuart on the St Lucie by Sandra Henderson Thurlow.

Of course also in the ad Stuart lauds itself as a fishing mecca touting: “Florida’s finest fishing in adjacent waters.” The truth of the matter is that the quality of the St Lucie River and Southern Indian River Lagoon, as documented by local fishermen, had been deteriorating since the opening of the St Lucie Canal to Lake Okeechobee in 1923. (Sandra Henderson Thurlow, Stuart on the St Lucie) Nonetheless, the rivers and ocean remained “marvelous” fishing arenas as this 1938 Chamber of Commerce Fishing Guide shows.

Today, the City of Stuart remains the vibrant and beautiful heart of Marin County, but it no longer brags about being “the Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.” As much as the St Lucie Canal has caused issue with our local waterways, I do think the Stuart to Ft Meyers connection, and being a starting point for a historic boat trip across the state is worth re-boasting about!

City of Stuart: http://www.cityofstuart.us

History, City of Stuart: http://www.cityofstuart.us/index.php/naming-of-stuart

Stuart Museum: http://www.stuartheritagemuseum.com

Stuart Chamber: https://www.stuartmartinchamber.org/tourism/history

Ft Pierce, “A Deep Water Port,” 1937 Stuart Daily News

Today, Ft Pierce’s deep water port is the star of the 1937 Stuart Daily News historical newspaper commemorating the completion of the Stuart to Ft Meyers cross-state canal. The port has a long been one of the more developed areas of the Indian River Lagoon and has an interesting start-stop history that is best documented by St Lucie County:

**Pages 6-7, historic Stuart Daily News, Special Edition 1937, in celebration of the Stuart to Ft Meyers Cross State Canal courtesy Knight A. Kiplinger**

Port Authority History, St Lucie County web site:
The Port of Ft. Pierce first came into existence in 1920 when a manmade opening, the Ft. Pierce Inlet, was cut through the land barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon. St. Lucie County became the Port Authority in 1918 and a continuum of legislation has named the County as the Authority since that time. In 1918 a special act of the Florida Legislature established a taxing district to fund this project. Approximately 65 percent of St. Lucie County was in this Ft. Pierce Inlet District, which was empowered to sell bonds to finance the project and to satisfy bond obligations through real property tax revenues. The Florida Legislature abolished the Ft. Pierce Inlet District in 1947 and replaced it with the Ft. Pierce Port Authority, which retained the same power but was also granted the legal right to acquire and lease real estate. In 1961 a Special Act of the Florida Legislature replaced the Ft. Pierce Port Authority with the Ft. Pierce Port and Airport Authority, both of which were run by St. Lucie County. In 1989 the name of the Authority was changed to the St. Lucie County Port and Airport Authority. In 1997 the Florida Legislature provided reorganizing, updating and clarifying provisions for the Authority. In 1998 the Legislature dissolved the St. Lucie County Port and Airport Authority and transferred its assets, liabilities, and responsibilities to the Board of County Commissioners of St. Lucie County.

St Lucie County: http://www.stlucieco.gov/departments-services/a-z/public-works/port-of-fort-pierce/history-of-the-port

Today, the Port of Ft Pierce is ready for more expansion and will be loading more than fruits and vegetables in the near future. I wish them all the best. This portion of the Indian River Lagoon south of Harbor Branch to Ft Pierce Inlet is known as the “healthiest” part of the ailing IRL so may the developers be delicate with their planning and execution! We must save what we love!

Photo courtesy of ORCA: http://www.teamorca.org/about.html, Ft Pierce, FL

FDEP: https://floridadep.gov/fco/aquatic-preserve/locations/indian-river-vero-beach-fort-pierce-aquatic-preserve

The Port of Ft Pierce falls into Map 5 of the Florida Dept. of En. Protection’s Aquatic Preserves.Page 3 of Draft Report IRL Systems, NOAA/FDEP 2014.

Florida Ports Council: http://flaports.org/ports/port-of-fort-pierce/

“Jupiter Island is Show Place of Martin County,” 1937 Stuart Daily News

**1937 Stuart Daily News, courtesy of Mr Knight A. Kiplinger.**

Today we explore page three of the historic 1937 Stuart Daily News special edition for the opening of the Stuart to Ft. Meyers Cross-State Canal. Page three shows the first aerial photographs of Mr Lowell Hill featuring celebrated Jupiter Island.

“Jupiter Island is Show Place of Martin County. On the left the Intercostal Waterway between St. Lucie Inlet and Palm Beach pass through Beautiful Hobe Sound with Jupiter Island in the foreground. Hobe Sound Yacht Club has excellent dockage and fine fresh water. “

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.

I went back and checked my brother Todd’s, Time Capsule Flights, and indeed, seeing the 1800s maps, I do believe it is fill. This is most obvious about 3:24 into the video. Many of our areas marinas and subdivisions are products of dredge and fill that was outlawed in the late 1960s and early 1970s because of its serious environmental ramifications. Ironically, in Florida, dredge and fill as a tool of development was stopped with the help of Jupiter Island’s famed environmentalist Nathaniel Reed whose family developed Jupiter Island. Reed was working for Florida’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction, Claude Kirk – during the 1960s era. (http://nathanielpreed.blogspot.com)

Todd’s Time Capsule Flight Inlets/Stuart/Jupiter Video:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYQz4P1ELM&t=0s&list=PLDaNwdmfhj15bmGNQaGhog9QpkQPAXl06&index=2)

Google Earth image 2018 showing Jupiter Island Golf Course

“This view from the ocean side shows the Island Beach Club Inn and a portion of the Jupiter Island golf Course. Jupiter Island Rivals Palm Beach in beauty of its Tropical Setting and Estates.”

Today we all know, Jupiter Island is not only one of Martin County’s, but one of our nation’s “best of show!” (http://townofjupiterisland.com)

To be continued….

Jacqui