Ritta Island

USA / Florida / Lake Harbor /
 island, ghost town
Ritta Island's first residents arrived around 1909. In 1917 The U. S. Government surveyed all the Okeechobee islands and declared them open for homesteading. Early settlers include John Windham, Mays Thomas, and Captain Ed Forbes, who ran the mail boat to the Ritta Island Post Office. The land was originally covered by custard apple trees which had to be cleared before anything could be planted. Corn, onions, and green beans were the main crops, and there was one mule on the island to help plow the fields.

Continued heavy rains in 1922 completely flooded Ritta Island and most of the mainland around the Lake. The entire island was under more than a foot of water, ruining most of the crops and infesting the area with water moccasins. Following the flood most of the residents moved away. The final end came in 1928 when the Hurricane washed away all the buildings on Ritta Island.

After the Herbert Hoover dam was constructed around the lake, Ritta Island it started to dry out again, although it remained uninhabited. Small-scale farming resumed until the mid-1970s. During the lake's drought in 2001, trees were planted and a berm removed from the island’s perimeter to enhance natural water flow and restore wetland habitat for wading birds. It remains a popular fishing area, open to the public.

» www.ghosttowns.com/states/fl/rittaisland.html
» www.dep.state.fl.us/Drought/news/2007/0705a.htm
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   26°43'19"N   80°48'19"W

Comments

  • Public domain photo was taken in 1912; thus, this photograph's copyright has now expired in the United States.
This article was last modified 18 years ago