The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1916-09-21
PUMA GORDA


For the purpose of Supplying
information such as is desired by
many people of other sections who
are interested in this locality the
following facts are given:
Punta Gorda is on the Charlotte
Harbor Division of the Atlantic
Coast Line r. R. ,275 miles south
of Jacksonville, so miles east OF
south from. Tampa on the south
side of Charlotte Harbor, Is miles
from its mouth, Boca Grande.
Its population by the State census
of 1915 was slightly in excess Of
100, but this number has been
considerably increased by people
who have located here since the
census was taken, and the number
of people in the town now is vari-
ously estimated at from 1880 to
1000. OF this population about
800 are negroes.
There are Methodist, PresDyter-
ian, Episcopal and Baptist church
es with regular services for white
people, and Methodist and Bap-
list churches for negroes. A pub
lie school for white children, en-
bracing grammar and high school
departments, employs eleven
teachers and has an enrolment OF
several hundred pupils. The ne
groes have a good public school
with two teachers and an enroll
ment of about forty pupils.
The taxation for city, county
and ~'~' purposes is not consider.
ed excessive, and considering that
property heretofore has been as,
sessed at about one third its real
value there has been little occa'
sion for dissatisfaction from this
source.
The town contains two substan
tial banks, an excellent telephone
system with connections all Over
the neighboring counties; pos
office, telegraph and express offi
ces; several private boarding
houses, four hotels; plenty o
grocery, dry goods, drug and 9th
er stores to supply all demand
of the trade; machine, automo
bile, wagon and boat shops; ic
factory, bottling works, cigar fac
tories, a livery stable, newspape
and job printing Office, bakery
restaurants, town hall; flourish
ing lodges of Masons, Woodmel
of the World, Red Men, Maccabees
Eastern Star, Woodlands Circle
and Women S Benefit Association
of the Maccabees; plant TO
making concrete building blocks
five lawyers, three physicians, tw'
dentists, a number of real estat
men, etc.
The chief industry is fishing, il
which several wholesale firm
with 800 or more men are engaged
CAPITAL invested in the business i
estimated at over 100000 ant
large shipments of fish on ice ar
made almost daily during the fish
ing seasons. The bulk of the fisl
shipped are mullet but man!
pompano, Spanish mackerel, bass
trout, shecp-head, snapper an,
other fine food fish are shipped
The oyster business is small.
Next to fishing, the cultivation
of fancy pineapples engages mos
attention, as the profits of this IN
dustry often reach $500 an acre
1t requires about $500 to prop
erly prepare and plant an acre Il
pineapples, but after this,$2oo
year would cover the cost OF cul
tivatioin. The plants bear II
twelve to eighteen months ate
planting, and continue to bear an
!. nually thereafter without replant
ing for five or six years,
Truck farming is an industr,
vet in its infancy and offerlnI
; good returns on intelligent am
well directed efforts. Proftapl
! and easy crops to raise are Swee
! potatoes, Irish potatoes and suga
cane, which pay $3.50 to $500 pc
acre.
Oranges, grapefruit, lemon
and lines are successfully grown
so are some other fruits OF Jesse
Z note.
Prices of town lots and Q
lands out Of town vary SO greati
that it is impracticable to CIV
quotations here, but almost an
one who does not expect to lin
in a new and sparsely settle
8 country like this, the improve
ments and conveniences OF ON
and Massachusetts,, can find her