The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway is a historic railroad line that at its greatest extent serviced
Gasparilla Island
Gasparilla Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, United States, straddling the border of Charlotte and Lee counties. Its largest town is Boca Grande, and it is the location of the Gasparilla Island State Park. The island has been an ...
in
Charlotte Harbor and a major shipping port that once operated there. The railroad's principal purpose was to transport phosphate mined along the
Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...
and in the
Bone Valley
The Bone Valley is a region of central Florida, encompassing portions of present-day Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Polk counties, in which phosphate is mined for use in the production of agricultural fertilizer. Florida currently contains t ...
region of Central Florida to the port to be shipped. It also brought passengers to the island community of
Boca Grande on
Gasparilla Island
Gasparilla Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, United States, straddling the border of Charlotte and Lee counties. Its largest town is Boca Grande, and it is the location of the Gasparilla Island State Park. The island has been an ...
, and is largely responsible for making Boca Grande the popular tourist destination it is today. Part of the line remains in service today between
Mulberry and
Arcadia, which is now owned and operated by
CSX Transportation. Today, it makes up CSX's
Achan Subdivision and part of their
Brewster Subdivision.
Route
At its greatest extent, the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway ran from Mulberry to the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, a distance of nearly 100 miles. From Mulberry, the line proceeded south in a mostly straight trajectory through
Bradley Junction,
Fort Green Springs, and
Ona
Ona or ONA may refer to:
Anthropology
* Ona people, an indigenous people of southern Argentina and Chile
** Ona language, a language once spoken in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego
* Ona, a pre-Aksumite culture in Sembel, Eritrea
Geography
* On ...
to Arcadia.
What remains of the line today terminates in Arcadia, but historically it continued from Arcadia southwest, paralleling the
Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...
and the adjacent Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (former Florida Southern Railway) through
Nocatee and
Fort Ogden. Near Fort Ogden, the line crossed the river and continued southwest into southeastern
Sarasota County and
Port Charlotte, where it ran alongside of what is today Raintree Boulevard, Veterans Boulevard, and
State Road 776 (which has since been widened into the former right of way). It crossed the
Myakka River
(big water)
, image = Myakka River.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = Myakka River in El Jobean
, image_alt =
, map = Myakkarivermap.png
, map_size = 200px
, map_caption ...
in
El Jobean and continued running south just northwest of what is today Gasparilla Road toward Placida and Gasparilla Island.
In Placida, the line crossed a causeway consisting of three major trestles onto Gasparilla Island, where it ran the length of the island and terminating at the Boca Grande port at the south end of the island near
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse.
History
![Old Boca Grande Depot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Old_Boca_Grande_Depot.jpg)
Early years
Large amounts of
phosphate
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...
, a valuable commodity used in agriculture, were discovered along the Peace River in the late 1800s. Transporting phosphate by ship down the Peace River was a slow and tedious process due to the river levels being low at some times. The
Florida Southern Railway
The Florida Southern Railway (later known as the Florida Southern Railroad) was a railroad that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railway when it was built along with the South Florida Rail ...
(which later became part of the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...
) operated tracks to
Punta Gorda along the south side of the river, and it was also used to some extent to transport phosphate to its dock in
Punta Gorda for shipment.
![Boca Grande Fishing Pier](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Boca_Grande_Fishing_Pier.jpg)
Boca Grande Pass, a natural deepwater inlet at the south end of Gasparilla Island, was seen as the perfect place for a deepwater port to simplify the process of shipping phosphate. The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway was first chartered in 1897 as the Alafia, Manatee, and Gulf Coast Railroad. Peter B. Bradley, who created the American Agricultural Chemicals Company, secured the charter for the line in 1905, and renamed it the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway.
By 1907, the line was completed between Boca Grande and Arcadia, where repair shops were located, as well as a connection to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Lakeland–Fort Myers Line (the former
Florida Southern Railway
The Florida Southern Railway (later known as the Florida Southern Railroad) was a railroad that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railway when it was built along with the South Florida Rail ...
). The Boca Grande port included a 3,000 foot dock for loading large vessels directly from railroad cars. In addition to transporting freight, it also provided passenger service to Boca Grande, which was famous for its world-class
tarpon
Tarpons are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans.
Species a ...
fishing. Three passenger depots existed on Gasparilla Island, with one at the north end of the island, one in downtown Boca Grande (which still stands), and one at the port at the south end of the island where boat connections could be made to nearby
Useppa Island
Useppa Island is an island located near the northern end of Pine Island Sound in Lee County, Florida, United States. It has been known for luxury resorts since the late 19th century, and it is currently the home of the private Useppa Island Clu ...
. The line ran between Gasparilla Island and the mainland on a two-mile long causeway consisting of three trestles over Gasparilla Sound. The trestles contained two steel swing spans built by Virginia Iron Works to accommodate vessel traffic.
The northernmost trestle's swing span would later be replaced by a
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
.
By 1910, the line was extended north beyond Arcadia into the
Bone Valley
The Bone Valley is a region of central Florida, encompassing portions of present-day Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Polk counties, in which phosphate is mined for use in the production of agricultural fertilizer. Florida currently contains t ...
where a connection to the
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...
's new spur from
Plant City
Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census.
Despite many thinking it was named for flora ...
to
Agricola
Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to:
People Cognomen or given name
:''In chronological order''
* Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85)
* Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the mi ...
was established. This connection would become known as
Bradley Junction (named after founder Peter B. Bradley). In addition to penetrating more phosphate-rich regions of the state, the extension provided a shortcut for trains traveling between Boca Grande and Tampa. A further extension north from Bradley Junction to phosphate mines in Mulberry was later built around 1912, which provided additional connections to both the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (via their
Bone Valley Branch) and Seaboard Air Line Railroad (via their
Valrico Subdivision
CSX Transportation's Valrico Subdivision is a railroad line in Central Florida. It serves as CSX's main route through a region of Central Florida known as the Bone Valley, which contains the largest known deposits of phosphate in the United Stat ...
). This final extension would also serve the now-defunct phosphate town called Pierce.
Seaboard Air Line ownership
![Peace River FL 2016 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Peace_River_FL_2016_3.JPG)
In 1925, the line was leased by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, who then fully purchased the line from the American Agricultural Chemicals Company a year later. This gave Seaboard direct access to the Boca Grande port. Almost immediately after the purchase, Seaboard began construction of a branch line from Hull (near
Fort Ogden) to
Fort Myers
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...
and
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
(via their
Seaboard-All Florida Railway subsidiary). That route was completed in 1927.
Upon completion of the Fort Myers extension, the Seaboard Air Line operated the former Charlotte Harbor and Northern in three segments. Track from Mulberry to Bradley Junction was designated as the Agricola Subdivision. From Bradley Junction to Hull, the line was designated as the Fort Myers Subdivision (which also included Seaboard track north of Bradley Junction to
Plant City
Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census.
Despite many thinking it was named for flora ...
and track to Fort Myers and Naples). Track south of Hull became the Boca Grande Subdivision.
[Seaboard Air Line Railway South Florida Division Timetable (1940)] Seaboard passenger trains provided service on the line to both Boca Grande and to Fort Myers and Naples (the latter destinations were provided by
Orange Blossom Special and West Coast Limited). However, passenger service to Fort Myers ended in 1933 and track to there was abandoned by 1952. By then, the Boca Grande Subdivision designation was expanded all the way to Bradley Junction.
By 1940, two daily local passenger trains were still running the line to Boca Grande.
Passenger service to Boca Grande was discontinued in 1958 shortly after the opening of the
Boca Grande Causeway
The Boca Grande Causeway is a causeway located in Charlotte County, Florida, connecting the community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island with the mainland near Placida. The causeway crosses Gasparilla Sound and consists of three bridges, an ...
, which was the last passenger service to ever operate on the line.
Later years
![Boca Grande Bike Trail 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Boca_Grande_Bike_Trail_1.jpg)
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad merged with the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...
in 1967. The merged company became the
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...
.
Increased competition from the Rockport Terminal in the Tampa Bay area led to the closure of the Boca Grande Port in 1979. The abandonment and removal of the line from the port to just south of Arcadia in 1981 was a direct result of the closure.
Despite its removal, evidence of the line can still be found on Gasparilla Island and Charlotte County. Most of the right of way on Gasparilla Island was purchased by a local entrepreneur and converted into the popular
Boca Grande Bike Path in 1985, which was the first
rail trail in the state of Florida. The
Cape Haze Pioneer Trail
The Cape Haze Pioneer Trail is an rail trail in Charlotte County, Florida on the Cape Haze peninsula running from western Port Charlotte to Placida. A vast majority of the trail runs along the right of way of the former Charlotte Harbor and N ...
was later built on the right of way between western Port Charlotte and Placida in the mid 2000s.
The most substantial remnant of the line is the historic
Boca Grande passenger depot at Park and 4th Streets, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The depot was restored in the 1970s and today houses shops and a restaurant.
A number of bridges along the abandoned route also remain to this day as well, the most notable of which is the causeway over Gasparilla Sound that connected the line to the island. The southernmost trestle is now a fishing pier as is the northernmost trestle up to the abandoned drawbridge tower. The rest of the causeway and trestles, which remain just to the south of the Boca Grande Causeway, are now completely abandoned. The center trestle's swing span is still in place and is locked open to facilitate boat traffic. The bascule span on the northernmost trestle was removed and reinstalled in 1988 over Reynolds Creek in
Long Beach, New York on the
Long Island Rail Road's
Long Beach Branch
The Long Beach Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station, where it merges with the F ...
, where it is still in service.
Other remaining bridges include trestles over the Myakka River and Coral Creek, which have been converted into fishing piers.
Current operations
Trackage between Mulberry and Arcadia is all that remains of the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway today. It makes up CSX's Achan Subdivision from Mulberry to Bradley Junction, and the
Brewster Subdivision from Bradley Junction to Arcadia (the Brewster Subdivision also includes the former Seaboard route from Bradley Junction to Edison).
CSX Jacksonville Division Timetable
/ref> Seminole Gulf Railway
The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Division, whic ...
operates the southernmost two miles of the line (which connects to their main line, the remaining Atlantic Coast Line route south to Punta Gorda, Fort Myers, and Bonita Springs). CSX continues to use the line for transporting phosphate mined in the northern Bone Valley region and interchange traffic for Seminole Gulf. The Brewster Subdivision is today CSX's second busiest route for phosphate traffic in the region (after the Valrico Subdivision
CSX Transportation's Valrico Subdivision is a railroad line in Central Florida. It serves as CSX's main route through a region of Central Florida known as the Bone Valley, which contains the largest known deposits of phosphate in the United Stat ...
).
The Legend of José Gaspar
In the early 1900s, the Railway produced an advertising brochure for its Gasparilla Inn near the end of the line on Gasparilla Island
Gasparilla Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, United States, straddling the border of Charlotte and Lee counties. Its largest town is Boca Grande, and it is the location of the Gasparilla Island State Park. The island has been an ...
that claimed that the area was once home to José Gaspar
José Gaspar, also known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. 1756 – 1821), is an apocryphal Spain, Spanish pirate, the "Last of the Buccaneers " who legend says terrorized the Gulf of Mexico for many years from his base in southwest ...
, a renegade Spanish pirate who was supposedly based in Charlotte Harbor when Florida was still Spanish territory. The brochure claimed that Gaspar had been the most feared buccaneer of his generation during his 40-year career spent ravaging shipping and taking hostages across the Gulf of Mexico to the Spanish Main
During the Spanish colonization of America, the Spanish Main was the collective term for the parts of the Spanish Empire that were on the mainland of the Americas and had coastlines on the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico. The term was used to di ...
, that he named most of the islands in the Charlotte Harbor area, and had left an as-yet undiscovered treasure cache in the vicinity of the Gasparilla Inn upon his dramatic death in battle. The tale was unsupported by any evidence, and Pat Lemoyne, the publicist who wrote it, freely admitted in later years that "there was not a true fact in it" and that it was simply an advertisement written in the style of a romantic adventure to attract the attention of tourists. Still, the colorful legend of Gaspar presented in the brochure helped inspire the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival
The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida almost every year since 1904. The theme of the festivities is a friendly invasion by the mythical pirate José Gaspar (also known as Gasp ...
in nearby Tampa and has led to ongoing confusion as to Gaspar's historic authenticity.
Gallery
Image:CH&N Railway North Bridge.jpg, Abandoned drawbridge tower on the former bascule bridge over Gasparilla Sound
Image:CH&N RR Swing Span.jpg, Swing bridge over Gasparilla Sound
Image:Placida Bunk House.jpg, Placida Bunk House was built by the railroad to house their employees and originally stood in Placida. It now resides at the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail's Mercer trailhead.
Image:Pierce Historical Marker.jpg, Historic marker for the defunct town of Pierce, Florida, a town the railroad once served near Mulberry.
Image:Brewster Depot.jpg, Artist rendering of the former Brewster Depot
Station listing
Notes
References
{{Reflist
Defunct Florida railroads
Predecessors of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Railway companies established in 1907
1907 establishments in Florida
1925 disestablishments in Florida
Seaboard Air Line Railroad