- Cape Sable
Cape Sable, Florida is the southernmost point of the US mainland and mainland
Florida . It is located in southwesternFlorida , in Monroe County, and is part of theEverglades National Park . The cape is apeninsula issuing from the southeastern part of the Floridamainland , running west and curving around to the north, reachingPonce de Leon Bay , at the mouth of the Shark River. It forms the southern and western margins ofWhitewater Bay . There are three prominent points on the cape, East Cape, which is the actual southernmost point of the Florida and United States mainland and the location ofLake Ingraham , the southernmost lake in theUnited States of America , Middle Cape, also known as Palm Point, and Northwest Cape. East Cape is at coordinates coord|25|07|02|N|81|05|17|W|region:US_type:landmark. The cape has many lakes and some magnificent beaches. The cape is home to thediamondback terrapin and thegopher tortoise . Before hurricane Donna (1960) reduced their range, more than 3,000 of the now-endangeredCape Sable Seaside Sparrow s used the cape.Nearly the full length of the cape facing
Florida Bay and theGulf of Mexico is a fine sand beach extending inland less than 100 yards. Behind the beach in the eastern and middle parts of the cape is amarl prairie , extending from Flamingo to approximately Northwest Point. Inland from the marl prairie, and over all of the northern part of the cape behind the beaches, is a complex ofmarsh es andmangrove covered land. The largest lake on the cape is Lake Ingraham, which is long and narrow, running just behind the beach from near East Cape to past Middle Cape.There is little evidence of any extensive settlement of Cape Sable by humans. There are adequate sources of fresh water on the cape, and areas of
arable land . There are a few small Indian mounds on the cape, and a Spanish report of aTequesta village on the cape. The pre-Seminole tribes of south Florida did not practiceagriculture , and probably used the cape for fishing and hunting.Mariners and fishermen visited the Cape to take on fresh water. Hunters also visited the cape, which had more wildlife than the
Florida Keys . During theSecond Seminole War residents of the Florida Keys worried aboutSeminole s using Cape Sable and threatening the keys. Indeed, in 1840 a raiding party that was believed to have passed over Cape Sable attacked and destroyed the settlement on Indian Key.The
United States government was also concerned that the Seminoles were being supplied by Spanish authorities inCuba , as it was known that Cuban fishermen, including the "Spanish Indians" who had been evacuated from Florida in 1821, continued to fish along the southwest Florida coast. TheUnited States Army established Fort Poinsett on East Cape in 1838 to discourage contacts with the Spanish and to protect the Keys. This fort did not prevent the Seminole attack on Indian Key, however. In 1856, during the Third Seminole War, the Army established Fort Cross on Middle Cape. Traces of Fort Poinsett could be seen until theLabor Day Hurricane of 1935 crossed the Cape.References
*Everglades National Park - [http://www.nps.gov/ever/]
*Tebeau, Charlton W. (1968) "Man in the Everglades".Coral Gables, Florida :University of Miami Press.
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