The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-04-12

| This expedition first touched the quiz
| coast somewhere near the present site
| One of the bays he discovered on the
| eastward journey was described in de-
| tail and this description, especially of
| the entrance, fits St. Andrews bay
perfectly. 1t is also believed that De
Luna visited st. Andrews bay in 1859,
although there is no authentic record
/ of this visit. For nearly two hundred
years following the visit of DeLuna
| there is no record of any expedition
having entered st. Andrews bay, the
next visit being in 1850 when a num-
Der of pirates, who infested the gulf
at that time, are said to have made
headquarters in St Andrews bay.
There are many traditions concerning
buried treasure, which has been
searched for diligently, but without
success. 1t IS extremely probable
| that there We're Spanish settlements
on the shores Of st. Andrews bay by
1850, for Spanish coins Of that date
have been found in different places,
land there are fragmentary traditions
OF small settlements eating back to
that time.
English Occupation.
In 1863 following the ceSSlon of
Florida to England by Spain, numbers
of English officers and soldiers were
granted tracts OF land on ST. An
drews bay and many took up their al
lotments. A town was established
at Dyer's Point which was named
Wells, and this town became noted
during the British occupancy, 1868 to
1888. Wells, Apalachicola and Pensa-
cola were the only towns in what is
now the state Of Florida at that time.
Upon cession of the country to Spain,
in 1888, nearly all the British settlers
moved to Jamaica. The first official
survey of the West Florida coast was
made during the occupancy of these
settlers.
From 1888 to 1919. when the treaty
for the purchase of Florida was con-
cluded by the United States the cOun-
try contiguous to st. Andrwes bay was
practically unoccupied. BY that time,
however. the bay had become a ia
vored fishing ground for many set
tiers in Georgia and Alabama and
they came to the coast in increasing
numbers, following the purchase Of
the country by the United States.
The first official map of st. An
drews bay was between the years 1921
and 1896 by John Lee Williams. of
Pensacola, one of the commissioners
appointed to select d location for the
capital of Florida. His two works,
published in 1927 and 1887, respective
ly, are the only authentic records of
the bay country at that time.
The Inter Coastal Canal.
The first mention of an inter
coastal canal was in 1925 when Rep
resentative John NJ. White began his
efforts to secure q, canal across the
state from the Atlantic to VacaSsar
bay. thence via the ApalaChiCOIa river
and canal to st. Andrews bay.e The
plan also included a canal connecting
st. Andrews bay with ChoCtawhatChec
Day and another canal across the
strip between Pensacola and Mobile
bays, following practically the Same
route as the big government project
now under way.
one of the most noted of the early
residents az the bay country was eN-
governor john Clarke, of Georgia, who
moved TO the shores of the bay in
1927, binding house where the res
idence Of =. NJ. West now stands. He
died in 1852 and was inferred in the
lot east Of mis- residence where a mon
ument, erected by his children, still
marks the spot.
The first charter for railroad to
st. Andrews bay was granted in the
Chipola Canal Company and the puT-
pose of this company was to construct
a road from ST. Andrews bay to the
Florida line. Nothing, however, came
Of this project. In the year 1910 a
naval officer made a survey of the en-
trance to st. Andrews bay and report
ed II feet of water in the main pass,
Ia faot ia I7dst Pass and II in West
Pass. In 1924 the legislature memo
rallied congress for Notifications at
the request was not granted, al
though the matter was considered Sc
riously.
The sold Town
What is now known rs odd Town,
a part Of St. Andrews, was laid out in
1913 by the st. Andrews Bay Land
Company, which was incorporated
during that year. This was the first
land company to establish in the pay
country and was the first step toward
the development Of the natural re-
sources of the country. The first in
dUsIrial development was in the year
1856 when Z. NJ Galloway. OF Eufaula,
"A. erected Il large saw mill on
site of the town of Galloway. aud
commenced the manufacture of Ium-
Der. Development was necessarily !
slow during the early days and such
development as there was received u
considerable set back in 1868 when
the Z. S. bark Restless entered st. |
Andrews bay and destroyed the town
OF St. Andrews The houses were re-
built. however, but there was no great
development until the year 1885, Wnen |
started.
In the year 1887 the town OF Park |
Resort, the present site of Panama |
City, was plated, evidently with the |
intention OF developing it into a sum- |
mer resort for the residents Of ad- |
named Harrison and a postotfice es- /
tablished. A few years ago Panama |
City was incorporated and has grown /!
rapidly. In 1888 congress ordered an |!
official survey of ST. Andrews and in |
1890 the town of Cromanton, three /
miles from Panama City on the oppo- /
site side of the bay, was plated. !
Naval Stores and Mills
The naval stores business. which /
has since been q material asset to the |
haV country started in 1883 when !
a still began operations at the town |
of Gay, now Lynn Haven and the fol- |
lowing year, 1899, a big mill was con- .
structed at Millville and the town
started. During the next few years Il /
of saw mills and turpentine
establi shmentS were established in l
what is now Bay county and the 1um-
Der and naval stores business became
an important factor in the growth of |
the bay country.