Fort Drum, Florida

Fort Drum is a near ghost town in Okeechobee County, Florida, United States. It is located on US 441, between Yeehaw Junction and Okeechobee. A service plaza named after the town on the Florida's Turnpike is how many people are even aware of its location. It has also lent its name to the nearby Fort Drum Wildlife Management Area.

Geography

Fort Drum is located at coor dms|27|31|35|N|80|48|25|W (27.5264, -80.8069).GR|1

History

After the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842, a network of forts was built across the central part of the state, with military roads that connected them. Of those roads, one was roughly east-west from Fort Bassinger to Fort Vinton, north of present-day Vero Beach. The other ran approximately north-south from Fort Kissimmee to Fort Jupiter, and came to be known as the 'old wire road'. Where the two roads crossed, a fort was built, and named Fort Drum. It was active for only a short time before being abandoned.

Settlers began to make their way here some time after the Civil War, in the 1870s. The area was considered to be potentially excellent cattle country. The area slowly grew and in 1914, the Florida East Coast Railroad completed the Kissimmee Valley Extension of the railroad. They built a small depot in Fort Drum, as well as one to the north, named Osawaw, and south, called Hilolo.

The town later shrank due to economic and road changes, and is now little more than a name on a map.

References

External links

* [http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/fl/fortdrum.html Fort Drum] at [http://www.ghosttowns.com Ghost Towns and History of the American West]
* [http://www.lamartin.com/history/history_of_okeechobee_county/history_of_okeechobee.htm History Of Okeechobee County] at [http://www.lamartin.com lamartin.com]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~flokeech/newspaper/historyoldftdrum.html History Of Old Fort Drum] at [http://www.rootsweb.com RootsWeb.com]
* [http://floridaconservation.org/recreation/cooperative/fort_drum.asp Fort Drum Wildlife Management Area] at [http://floridaconservation.org Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]
* [http://www.outintheboonies.com/Fort_Drum Fort Drum nature areas] at [http://www.outintheboonies.com Out in the Boonies]