Peace River (Florida)

Image:Peaceflrivermap.png

The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula, in the U.S.A.{{Cite book |last=McCarthy |first=Kevin M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mn2XAqXWK2AC |title=The Book Lover's Guide to Florida |year=1992 |pages=304 |author-link=Kevin McCarthy (historian)}}

"The Peace River begins at Lake Hamilton in Polk County and runs through Arcadia southwesterly to Charlotte Harbor. For a description of the river, read Rivers of Florida (Atlanta: Southern Press, 1974) by Henry Marks and Gene Britt Riggs ..." It originates at the juncture of Saddle Creek and Peace Creek northeast of Bartow in Polk County and flows south through Fort Meade (Polk County) Hardee County to Arcadia in DeSoto County and then southwest into the Charlotte Harbor estuary at Punta Gorda in Charlotte County. It is {{convert|106|mi|km}} long and has a drainage basin of {{convert|1367|sqmi|km2}}. U.S. Highway 17 runs near and somewhat parallel to the river for much of its course. The river was called Rio de la Paz (River of Peace) on 16th century Spanish charts.O'Donnell It appeared as Peas Creek or Pease Creek on later maps. The Creek (and later, Seminole) Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee, River of Long Peas.Brown, Canter, Jr. (1991) Florida's Peace River Frontier. Orlando, Florida: University of Central Florida Press. {{ISBN|0-8130-1037-3}} P. xiv (Preface) Other cities along the Peace River include Fort Meade, Wauchula and Zolfo Springs.O'Donnell

History

Fresh water from the Peace River is vital to maintain the delicate salinity of Charlotte Harbor that hosts several endangered species, as well as commercial and recreational harvests of shrimp, crabs, and fish. The river has always been a vital resource to the people in its watershed. Historically, the abundant fishery and wildlife of Charlotte Harbor supported large populations of people of the Caloosahatchee culture (in early historic times, the Calusa). Today, the Peace River supplies over six million gallons per day of drinking water to the people in the region. The river is also popular for canoeing.O'Donnell

There were many Pleistocene and Miocene fossils found throughout the Peace River area, eventually leading to the discovery of phosphate deposits.{{Cite web |last=Kowinsky |first=Jayson |title=Peace RIver Fossil Hunting Guide |url=https://www.fossilguy.com/sites/peace-river/index.htm |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.fossilguy.com |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |last=CAVITT |first=MARK |date=August 25, 2015 |title=Beneath the surface: Fossil hunting uncovers Peace River treasures |url=https://www.theledger.com/story/lifestyle/2015/08/25/beneath-the-surface-fossil-hunting-uncovers-peace-river-treasures/27076221007/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=The Ledger |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Hulbert Jr. |first=Richard C. |date=January 28, 2009 |title=Florida Vertebrate Fossils - Peace River 3A |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/sites/peace-river-3a/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Florida Museum of Natural History - University of Florida |language=en-US}} Most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the Bone Valley.{{Cite web|date=2017-03-27|title=Peace River 3A|url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/sites/peace-river-3a/|access-date=2021-06-21|website=Florida Museum|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2020-12-05|title=Peace River Paleo Project (PRiPP)|url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/amateur-collector/pripp/|access-date=2021-06-21|website=Florida Museum|language=en-US}}

The Peace River is a popular destination for fossil hunters who dig and sift the river gravel for fossilized shark teeth and prehistoric mammal bones. Several campgrounds and canoe rental operations cater to fossil hunters, with Wauchula, Zolfo Springs, and Arcadia being the main points of entry.{{cite web|last=Duns|first=Rob|date=May 10, 2021|title=Buried beneath the Peace River: fossil hunting in DeSoto Count|url=https://nbc-2.com/news/2021/05/07/buried-beneath-peace-river-fossil-hunting-in-desoto-county/|access-date=June 21, 2021|website=NBC 2}}{{Cite web |last=Galbraith |first=Alex |title=Central Florida divers find mammoth leg bone in Peace River |url=https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2021/04/30/central-florida-divers-find-mammoth-leg-bone-in-peace-river |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430190556/https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2021/04/30/central-florida-divers-find-mammoth-leg-bone-in-peace-river |archive-date=2021-04-30 |access-date=2021-06-21 |website=Orlando Weekly |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Cavitt |first=Mark |date=August 25, 2015 |title=Beneath the surface: Fossil hunting uncovers Peace River treasures |url=https://www.theledger.com/article/20150825/Lifestyle/608082377 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628181631/https://www.theledger.com/article/LK/20150825/Lifestyle/608082377/LL |archive-date=2021-06-28 |access-date=2021-06-21 |website=The Ledger |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Florea |first=Linda |date=November 1, 2004 |title=Search For Fishing Hole Uncovers A Mammoth Find |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2004-11-01-0410310496-story.html |access-date=2021-06-21 |website=Sun-Sentinel.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Company|first=Tampa Publishing|title=Paddling through prehistory on the Peace River|url=https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/travel/florida/paddling-through-prehistory-on-the-peace-river/2140802/|access-date=2021-06-21|website=Tampa Bay Times|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=FOSSILS … FLORIDA'S PAST UNEARTHED – ONE FIND AT A TIME {{!}} Naples Florida Weekly|url=https://naples.floridaweekly.com/articles/fossils-floridas-past-unearthed-one-find-at-a-time/|access-date=2021-06-21|website=naples.floridaweekly.com}}

Gallery

File:Kissengen Spring flooded from Peace River backflow after 3 hurricanes passed through the area, October, 2005.jpg|Backflow from Peace River after hurricanes

File:Streamflow changes along upper Peace River, Fl.JPG|Streamflow changes along upper Peace River

File:Streamflow changes along upper Peace River, Fl 3.JPG|Flow changes along upper Peace River

File:Zolfo Springs Pioneer Park Peace River east01.jpg|Zolfo Springs on the Peace River

List of crossings

class="wikitable" ! Crossing ! Carries ! Image ! Location ! Coordinates
colspan="5" \|Headwaters (Juncture of Peace Creek and Saddle Creek) \|
Spessard L Holland Bridge \|25x25px SR-60 \|70x70px \|Bartow \|{{coord\|27.902242\|N\|81.817583\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px Homeland Garfield Road \|70x70px \|Homeland \|{{coord\|27.821029\|N\|81.799746\|W\|scale:500}}
John Singletary Bridge \|25x25px US-98 \|70x70px \|Fort Meade \|{{coord\|27.751658\|N\|81.781944\|W\|scale:500}}
\|Mt Pisgah Road \|70x70px \|Fort Meade \|{{coord\|27.722731\|N\|81.790080\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25px CSX Transportation \|70x70px \|Bowling Green \|{{coord\|27.656907\|N\|81.802422\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px County Line Road \|70x70px \|Bowling Green \|{{coord\|27.646201\|N\|81.802127\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px Lake Branch Road \|70x70px \|Bowling Green \|{{coord\|27.646201\|N\|81.802127\|W\|scale:500}}
Heard Bridge \|Heard Bridge Road \|70x70px \|Wauchula \|{{coord\|27.575748\|N\|81.804507\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px SR-636 (East Main Street) \|70x70px \|Wauchula \|{{coord\|27.550552\|N\|81.793650\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px Griffin Road \|70x70px \|Wauchula \|{{coord\|27.540773\|N\|81.791993\|W\|scale:500}}
Doyle E. Carlton Bridge \|25x25px US 17 \|70x70px \|Zolfo Springs \|{{coord\|27.504464\|N\|81.800392\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px FL 64 \|70x70px \|Zolfo Springs \|{{coord\|27.499605\|N\|81.810426\|W\|scale:500}}
\|NE Brownville Street \|70x70px \|Brownville \|{{coord\|27.302668\|N\|81.846136\|W\|scale:500}}
\| Seminole Gulf Railway \|70x70px \|Arcadia \|{{coord\|27.236562\|N\|81.886005\|W\|scale:500}}
\|Footbridge (Old SR 70 bridge) \|70x70px \|Arcadia \|{{coord\|27.222132\|N\|81.876162\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px FL 70 \|70x70px \|Arcadia \|{{coord\|27.221049\|N\|81.876462\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px CR 760 \|70x70px \|Arcadia \|{{coord\|27.162392\|N\|81.901656\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px CR 761 \|70x70px \|Fort Ogden \|{{coord\|27.088557\|N\|81.993994\|W\|scale:500}}
\|25x25px I-75 \|70x70px \|Solana \|{{coord\|26.960237\|N\|82.020220\|W\|scale:500}}
Barron Collier Bridge and Gilchrist Bridge \|25x25px US 41 \|70x70px \|Punta Gorda \|{{coord\|26.945115\|N\|82.057946\|W\|scale:500}}
colspan="5" \|Mouth (Charlotte Harbor) \|

class="wikitable"

! Crossing

! Carries

! Image

! Location

! Coordinates

colspan="5" |Headwaters (Juncture of Peace Creek and Saddle Creek)

Spessard L Holland Bridge

Peace River (Florida)

History

Gallery

List of crossings

See also

References

External links