The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1916-07-27

AAAuAJ RSOBlO VI OtAlOi oNNtiOiiS WV
are interested in this locality tht
following facts are given:
Punta Gorda is on the Charlotte
Harbor Division of the Atlantic
Coast Line r. r. PTS miles south
of Jacksonville, so miles east OF
south from Tampa on the south
side of Charlotte Harbor, % miles
from its mouth, Boca Grande
It's population by the State census
Of 1915 was slightly in excess OF
1900, 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 varl-
ously estimated at from l,oOO to
1000. OF this population about
300 are negroes.
There are Methodist, Presbyter-
ian, Episcopal and Baptist church
es with regular services for white
people, and Methodist and Bap-
fist 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 --o4o 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; post
office, telegraph and express off
ces; several private boarding
houses, four hotels; plenty of
grocery, dry goods, drug and 9th
err stores to supply all demands
of the trade; machine, automo-
bile, wagon and boat shops; ice
factory, bottling works, cigar fac
tories, a livery stable, newspaper
and job printing Office, bakery,
restaurants, a town hall; flourish
ing lodges Of Masons, Woodmen
of the World, Red Men, MaccabeeS,
Eastern Star, Woodlands Circle,
and Women s Benefit Association
of the Maccabees; a plant for
making concrete building blocks
five lawyers, three physicians, two
dentists, number Of real estate
men, etc.
The chief industry is fishing, in
which several wholesale firms
with 300 or more men are engaged
Capital invested in the business il
estimated at over 100000 and
large shipments of fish on ice arc
made almost daily during the fish
ing seasons. The bulk of the fish
shipped are mullet but many
pompano, Spanish mackerel, bass
trout, sheep-head, snapper ane
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 offthis in
dustry often reach $500 an acre
1t requires about $500 to prop
erly prepare and plant an acre il
pineapples, but after this,$200 q
year would cover the cost of cul
tivatioin. The plants bear il
twelve to eighteen months after
planting, and continue to bear an
nually thereafter without replant-
ing for five or six years.
Truck farming is an industry
yet in its infancy and offering
good returns on intelligent and
well directed efforts. Profitable
and easy crops to raise are sweet
potatoes, Irish potatoes and sugar
cane, which pay $3.50 to 5000 per
acre.
Oranges, grapefruit, lemons
and lines are successfully grown
so are some other fruits of lesser
note.
Prices of town lots and OF
lands out of town vary so greatly
that it is impracticable to give
quotations here, but almost any
one who does not expect to fine
in a new and sparsely settled
country like this, the improve
mentS and conveniences of Ohio
and Massachusetts,, can find here
something to suit him in price anc
character, whether he wishes i'm
proved or unimproved property.
The town government consist;
of a mayor, marshal, five alder
men, clerk, collector and assessor
and a treasurer. The chief street,
are being paved with asphalt anC
miles IF p,Ib1ic 1oadS LEADING in.