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History
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Charlotte
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Punta Gorda • |
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Early
settlers here survived stayed alive by eating loggerhead turtle eggs
and steaks, and alligators were shipped to Cuba for the production
of purses and belts. The city of Punta Gorda was once called Trabue
by its founder and developer, Issac H. Trabue. Colonel Trabue succeeded
in getting the railroad to extend to his town, which made it possible
to build a grand hotel. He did not keep his promises for civil improvements,
and citizens changed the name to Punta Gorda, which means “good
fish.” Tarpon fishing has long been a popular sport there, and
Teddy Roosevelt (one of the original snowbirds) even caught a great
white shark once. Punta Gorda was the southern most point of the American
railroad system, and fish were loaded on the trains daily to be shipped
out. |
| Hurricanes
in Southwest Florida |
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Charley
is the most recent hurricane to do significant damage to this region
(in 2004). Many parts of Charlotte Harbor took a direct hit, including
Punta Gorda and Pine Island. Residents are still trying to recover
and rebuild, and some museums have yet to fix their displays.
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