Lake Okeechobee, also known as Florida’s Inland Sea, or as the locals like to call it, Lake O, is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida and the third largest freshwater lake wholly within the country. Resting at the northern edge of the Everglades and rimming the western edge of Palm Beach County, the lake is a remnant of the prehistoric Pamlico Sea and appropriately carries the Seminole word for “big water.” Although it’s a major tourist destination and a favorite among those who live in the area, most people have no idea what lingers below the surface of this majestic lake.
Have you ever heard of the mysteries surrounding Lake Okeechobee?
Credit:
This episode would not have been complete without the brilliant insight of Chris Davenport, Palm Beach County’s Historic Preservation Officer and Archaeologist. I also spoke with Victor Thompson, a Professor of Archaeology and the Director of the Center for Archaeological Sciences at the University of Georgia, and Matt Colvin, an anthropologist and doctoral candidate at the University of Georgia. Both have worked extensively at Fort Center, an archaeological site in Glades County, Florida, just a few miles northwest of Lake Okeechobee.
Sources:
Lake Okeechobee; Fodors; Retrieved February 2018.
Lake Okeechobee; The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica; Encyclopedia Britannica; Retrieved February 2018.
Most People Have No Idea There’s An Underwater Ghost Town Hiding In Florida; Marisa Roman; Only In Your State; January 11, 2018.
Florida’s Water: A Fragile Resource in a Vulnerable State; Tom Swihart; RFF Press, 2011.
Archaic; Illinois State Museum; Retrieved February 2018.
Seminoles and Miccosukees; Palm Beach County History Online; Retrieved February 2018.
Lake Okeechobee Watery Graves; Weird U.S.; Retrieved February 2018.
Florida Drought Exposes Old Debris in Lake Okeechobee; Associated Press; June 5, 2007.
The Native American History of Florida’s Lake Okeechobee Basin; Dennis N. Partridge; Access Geneaology; September 21, 2016.
PHOTO: Representation, not an actual depiction of Florida, Lake Okeechobee, or the human remains found at the bottom of the lake