The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...

, in the U.S.A. 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 An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

at Punta Gorda in Charlotte County. It is long and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of . 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 Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

charts. It appeared as ''Peas Creek'' or ''Pease Creek'' on later maps. The

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

(and later,

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

) Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee, ''River of Long Peas''. Other cities along the Peace River include

Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, th ...

Wauchula Wauchula is a city in south-central Florida in Hardee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 5,001, up from 4,368 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hardee County. Wauchula has been called the "cuc ...

and

Zolfo Springs Zolfo Springs is a town in Hardee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,827 at the 2010 census, up from 1,641 at the 2000 census. History Early prosperity in the area (known initially as simply Zolfo) was due to its location alon ...

. Fresh water from the Peace River is vital to maintain the delicate

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...

of Charlotte Harbor that hosts several endangered species, as well as commercial and recreational harvests of

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

, crabs, and

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

. The river has always been a vital resource to the people in its

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

. Historically, the abundant fishery and wildlife of Charlotte Harbor supported large populations of people of the

Caloosahatchee culture The Caloosahatchee culture is an archaeological culture on the Gulf coast of Southwest Florida that lasted from about 500 to 1750 AD. Its territory consisted of the coast from Estero Bay to Charlotte Harbor and inland about halfway to Lake Ok ...

(in early historic times, the

Calusa The Calusa ( ) were a Native American people of Florida's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. At the time of ...

). 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 Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other ac ...

. There were many

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed ...

and

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...

fossils found throughout the Peace River area, eventually leading to the discovery 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 ...

deposits. Most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the Bone Valley. 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

, and Arcadia being the main points of entry.

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

References

* O'Donnell, Brian. (1990) "Peace River," in Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds. ''The Rivers of Florida''. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. .

External links

USGS Real-Time Water Data for Peace River at Zolfo SpringsUSGS Real-Time Water Data for Peace River at Arcadia
{{authority control Rivers of Charlotte County, Florida Rivers of DeSoto County, Florida Rivers of Hardee County, Florida Rivers of Polk County, Florida Bartow, Florida Rivers of Florida

Gallery

List of crossings

See also

References

External links