Cape Sable | cape (geography)

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Cape Sable, Florida is the southernmost point of the US mainland and mainland Florida. It is located in southwestern Florida, in Monroe County, and is part of the Everglades National Park. The cape is a peninsula issuing from the southeastern part of the Florida mainland, running west and curving around to the north, reaching Ponce de Leon Bay, at the mouth of the Shark River.

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 a Tequesta village on the cape. The pre-Seminole tribes of south Florida did not practice agriculture, and probably used the cape for fishing and hunting.

The United 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 the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 crossed the Cape.
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Coordinates:   25°13'47"N   81°1'50"W

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  • Public domain image from US Geological Survey, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. [Source] http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:CapeSableTopo.jpg
This article was last modified 17 years ago