From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
River in the United States of America
The
Peace River
is a river in the southwestern part of the
Florida
peninsula
, in the
U.S.A.
[1]
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 106 miles (171 km) long and has a
drainage basin
of 1,367 square miles (3,540 km
2
).
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.
[2]
It appeared as
Peas Creek
or
Pease Creek
on later maps. The
Creek
(and later,
Seminole
) Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee,
River of Long Peas
.
[3]
Other cities along the Peace River include
Fort Meade
,
Wauchula
and
Zolfo Springs
.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
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
.
[5]
There were many
Pleistocene
and
Miocene
fossils found throughout the Peace River area, eventually leading to the discovery of
phosphate
deposits. Most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the
Bone Valley
.
[6]
[7]
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.
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Backflow from Peace River after hurricanes
-
Streamflow changes along upper Peace River
-
Flow changes along upper Peace River
-
Zolfo Springs on the Peace River
List of crossings
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
McCarthy, Kevin M.
(1992).
The Book Lover's Guide to Florida
. p. 304.
"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 ..."
- ^
O'Donnell
- ^
Brown, Canter, Jr. (1991)
Florida's Peace River Frontier
. Orlando, Florida: University of Central Florida Press.
ISBN
0-8130-1037-3
P. xiv (Preface)
- ^
O'Donnell
- ^
O'Donnell
- ^
"Peace River 3A"
.
Florida Museum
. 2017-03-27
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- ^
"Peace River Paleo Project (PRiPP)"
.
Florida Museum
. 2020-12-05
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- ^
Duns, Rob (May 10, 2021).
"Buried beneath the Peace River: fossil hunting in DeSoto Count"
.
NBC 2
. Retrieved
June 21,
2021
.
- ^
Galbraith, Alex.
"Central Florida divers find mammoth leg bone in Peace River"
.
Orlando Weekly
. Archived from
the original
on 2021-04-30
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- ^
Cavitt, Mark (August 25, 2015).
"Beneath the surface: Fossil hunting uncovers Peace River treasures"
.
The Ledger
. Archived from
the original
on 2021-06-28
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- ^
Florea, Linda (November 1, 2004).
"Search For Fishing Hole Uncovers A Mammoth Find"
.
Sun-Sentinel.com
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- ^
Company, Tampa Publishing.
"Paddling through prehistory on the Peace River"
.
Tampa Bay Times
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- ^
"FOSSILS … FLORIDA'S PAST UNEARTHED ? ONE FIND AT A TIME | Naples Florida Weekly"
.
naples.floridaweekly.com
. Retrieved
2021-06-21
.
- O'Donnell, Brian. (1990) "Peace River," in Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds.
The Rivers of Florida
. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc.
ISBN
0-910923-70-1
.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Peace River (Florida)
at Wikimedia Commons
Significant waterways of Florida
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Larger rivers
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Lakes
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Smaller rivers
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Creeks and
streams
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Canals
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See also
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26°55′02″N
82°08′33″W
/
26.9172844°N 82.1425909°W
/
26.9172844; -82.1425909