The Real Florida
Those That Came Before
Coconut Grove is a relatively young city. However, the history of this land dates back thousands of years. The Tequesta lived in southern Florida from about 500 BCE to the mid-1700s. Many Tequesta archaeological sites found are shell middens. These sites are mostly waste piles of broken shells and fish bones, giving insights into their lives. Even the Barnacle Historic State Park has its own shell midden hidden beneath our grounds.
The Seminoles can find their roots in many indigenous communities, mainly in the Creek Nation from the Alabama-Georgia area. Through the passing of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, the Seminoles had to fight for their freedom and evade capture from the US Army. Only 200-300 individuals remained in Florida, while almost 3,000 had been forcibly removed out west. Escaping into the Everglades was key to their survival as one of the only tribes to have evaded capture by the US government. Originally part of the same tribe, the Mikisúki (in English, Miccosukee) separated from the Seminole tribe for political reasons in 1962. Today there are more than 2,000 Seminoles, 640 Mikisúki, and about 100 Traditionalists (those who could belong to either tribe but choose not to). After the Seminole Indian Land Claims Settlement Act of 1987, these indigenous peoples received over $12 million in restitution plus 170,756 acres held in trust.
The Extinct Wilderness
Miami is bordered by the expansive Everglades wetlands in the west and Biscayne Bay in the east. The Pine Rockland environment was a product of all these factors combined. The soil here was comparatively dry, which encouraged seasonal fire and allowed the pine ecosystem to flourish. This environment supported many woodland species. From the largest apex predator, like the Florida panther, to the smallest Atala butterfly, each individual relied on the pine rockland environment for survival.
As settlers moved to southern Florida, they cleared large areas of this pine forest. Slowly, the pine rockland had been eroded away, and hardwood hammocks dominated. With fragmentation of the small remaining acreage of pine rockland, many species have become endangered and even extinct.
The most iconic species that has been impacted heavily by this development is the Florida panther. The panther’s original range was much more expansive, from South Carolina to Arkansas and Louisiana all the way down south to Florida. Through deforestation, overhunting, and car strikes, the Florida panther population has dwindled to about 200 individuals left in the wild. Their range now consists mainly of the Everglades, bordered in the north by the Caloosahatchee River, with most panthers now being found in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. If you’re driving through panther territory, like I-75, slow down and be alert!