"Best" John Levique Pirate Days- 2012 John's Pass Village, Maderia "Beach", "Florida" Pirate "Girls"
Channel: Pinellas Adventures
Date: 2012-05-13

John's Pass History...John Levique, 
In the early history of the United States, it is sometimes
difficult to separate fact from fiction. There are a few
things we do know and a few things that may be true, or
may have been "embroidered" into the fabric of history
by the vivid imaginations and creative tongues of
storytellers.
The tale of John Levique is one of those stories.
Legend says that John was a French peasant who found
employment as a cabin boy on a Spanish sailing vessel
some time around 1836. Unfortunately for the young
man, the ship on which he sailed was taken by pirates.
John was given the choice of death or joining the pirate
crew. He chose a pirate's life. Apparently a man of some
ability, he worked his way up through the pirate ranks,
until he became captain of his own ship.
But Lavique had an unusual quirk for a pirate. He did not
like to kill people. Most pirates in those days held to the
credo "Dead Men tell no Tales", and either murdered
those they captured or held them for ransom. Levique
refused to do either of those things. This habit did not
endear him to his crew, as it seemed to limit the amount
of treasure they gathered.
John himself had managed to accumulate one small chest
of gold. He buried this on an island off the West Coast of
Florida. When he decided to "retire" from piracy and
become a simple turtle farmer, he staked a land claim near
the site of his treasure.
In 1848, Levique and his partner Joseph Silva, a Spaniard,
decided to take a load of turtles to New Orleans. They
were paid well for their cargo, and spent a few days
partying in Louisiana. When they finally headed for
Florida, they encountered a huge storm. So they dropped
into a safe harbor to wait it out.
When they finally arrived home, they found the shoreline
quiet different then when they left. The island where
Levique had buried his treasure had been cut in two by
the gale force winds and high waters of the storm. And
the cut was right at the spot where he had buried his
treasure!
Levique sailed their boat through the new pass and into
Boca Ciega Bay, and the new pass was thereafter known
as John's Pass.
Or at least so goes the legend. We do know that at least some of it is true.
Lavique was definitely a Frenchman. He was also uneducated. There are several variations on the
spelling of his name in the historical record. He himself had no idea how to spell his name and always
signed with an "X".
He arrived in this area around 1840, staked a land claim, and began turtle farming. Had he ever really
been a pirate? Was there a chest of treasure buried on the island that would later become Madeira
Beach? There is no proof one way or the other.
It is true that he was returning from New Orleans with Joseph Silva when they encountered the Great
Gale of 1848. It is also true that the Gale cut the island in half. And most historians agree that John's
Pass is named for the mysterious Monsieur Levique.
He remained in the area as a simple farmer until his death in 1873.
Until the early part of the 20th Century, the area around John's Pass was mainly undeveloped. There
were no bridges from the mainland to the barrier islands, so only a few hardy souls ventured here to hunt
and fish, or to spend a quiet day by the beach.
However, as railroads were built throughout Florida and bridges were built to these islands, more and
more people came. Many came just for the fishing, but many came and stayed. John's Pass became
part of a quaint fishing community.
In 1976, Captain Wilson Hubbard moved his fishing business from Pass-A-Grille to John's Pass. In
1979 he built The Friendly Fisherman Restaurant. He also convinced the city of Madeira Beach to
permit the building of a public boardwalk along the pass in 1980, and was instrumental in the
development of John's Pass Village.
Currently, John's Pass Village and Boardwalk is home to quaint shops, exceptional casual restaurants,
and several types of boating activities. Not your run of the mill tourist mall, John's Pass continues to
offer unique and quality merchandise, as we as excellent food, and fascinating entertainment.
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Music Courtsey of: DuBoLoGy-Dub_Lab DuBoLoGy is a french dub maker based in Rennes, France.Fan of all kind of music but especially Reggae and Dub (Jamaican dub of course, the French dub scene and all above the UK dub stepper style), he started to create his own dub a few years ago and decided to share his music for free in several web sites. You can find him today at  SoundCloud, DubArk, ReggaeDubWise and Talawar.fr.