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128-617: Okeechobee may refer to: Lake Okeechobee , in Florida, United States Okeechobee, Florida , United States Okeechobee County, Florida , United States Okeechobee Waterway , in Florida, United States Okeechobee Plain , in Florida, United States Okeechobee Group , geologic group in Florida, United States Okeechobee (Metrorail station) Okeechobee (Amtrak station) 1928 Okeechobee hurricane Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival , in Florida, United States Topics referred to by

256-649: A customs house at Mobile Bay in 1804 were dropped in the face of Spanish protests. The United States also hoped to acquire all of the Gulf coast east of Louisiana, and plans were made to offer to buy the remainder of West Florida (between the Perdido and Apalachicola rivers) and all of East Florida. It was soon decided, however, that rather than paying for the colonies, the United States would offer to assume Spanish debts to American citizens in return for Spain ceding

384-463: A dam, until the lake overflowed into the Everglades. At its capacity, the lake holds 1 trillion US gallons (3.8 × 10  m ) of water and is the headwaters of the Everglades. The floor of the lake is a limestone basin, with a maximum depth of 13 feet (4 m). Its water is somewhat murky from runoff from surrounding farmlands. The Army Corps of Engineers targets keeping the surface of

512-530: A flood of polluted fresh water resulting in ecological damage . Since 2013, the CoE has been forced to pump billions of gallons of water out of the lake to avoid jeopardizing the integrity of the Hoover dike holding back the water from inundating the surrounding populated area. Some claim that sugar plantations have been pumping polluted water from their flooded fields into the lake, but U.S. Sugar claims back pumping

640-749: A fort at Prospect Bluff . This British Post at Prospect Bluff harbored Native American refugees from the Creek War following their demise at the Battle of Horsehoe Bend. A company of Royal Marines , commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Nicolls , was to subsequently arrive, but was invited to relocate to Pensacola in late August 1814. It was estimated, by Captain Nicholas Lockyer of HMS  Sophie , that in August 1814 there were 1,000 Indians at Pensacola, of whom 700 were warriors. Two months after

768-415: A general store, post office, school, and town elections. Farming was the main vocation. The fertile land was challenging to farm because of the muddy muck. Over the first half of the twentieth century, farmers used agricultural tools—including tractors—to farm in the muck. By the 1960s, all of these settlements were abandoned. All of Lake Okeechobee was included in the boundaries of Palm Beach County when it

896-506: A part of the Florida National Scenic Trail , a 1,300-mile-long (2,100 km) trail. There is a well-maintained paved pathway along the majority of the perimeter, although with significant breaks. It is used by hikers and bicyclists, and is wide enough to accommodate vehicles. The most common fish in this lake are largemouth bass , crappie , and bluegill . Pickerel have been less commonly caught. One area of

1024-740: A policy of providing refuge to runaway slaves in an attempt to weaken the British Southern Colonies . Hundreds of Black people escaped slavery to Florida over the ensuing decades, with most settling near St. Augustine at Fort Mose and a few living amongst the Seminole, who treated them with varying levels of equality. Their numbers increased during and after the American War of Independence , and it became common to find settlements of Black Seminoles either near Seminole towns or living independently, such as at Negro Fort on

1152-533: A promise of arms and continued defense. On 16 March 1812, this force of "Patriots", with the aid of nine U.S. Navy gunboats , seized the town of Fernandina on Amelia Island , just south of the border with Georgia, approximately 50 miles north of St. Augustine. On March 17, the Patriots and the town's Spanish authorities signed articles of capitulation. The next day, a detachment of 250 regular United States troops were brought over from Point Peter, Georgia, and

1280-542: A raid on Payne's Town, the chief town of the Alachua Seminoles. Smith's force found a few Indians, but the Alachua Seminoles had abandoned Payne's Town and moved southward. After burning Payne's Town, Smith's force returned to American held territory. Negotiations concluded for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1813. On May 6, 1813, the army lowered the flag at Fernandina and crossed the St. Marys River to Georgia with

1408-405: A single nation of American Indians independent of both Spain and the United States, until 1803 when both nations conspired to entrap its founder. Mikasukis and other Seminole groups still occupied towns on the United States side of the border, while American squatters moved into Spanish Florida. The British had divided Florida into East Florida and West Florida in 1763, a division retained by

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1536-527: A stream of refugees relocating to depopulated areas of Florida. A majority of these refugees were Muscogee (Creek) Indians from Georgia and Alabama, and during the 1700s, they came together with other native peoples to establish independent chiefdoms and villages across the Florida panhandle as they coalesced into a new culture which became known as the Seminoles. Beginning in the 1730s, Spain established

1664-492: Is a shallow lake, with an average depth of only 3 metres (9.8 ft), and has a fetch of 54 kilometres (34 mi). In total, the lake has a surface area of 1,730 square kilometres (670 sq mi). The lake is normally mixed, but on days with direct sunlight and limited wind, the lake can exhibit diurnal thermal stratification. Although daily thermal stratification is brief, a hypolimnion can form during this time resulting in decreased amounts of dissolved oxygen at

1792-534: Is afflicted with the invasive terrestrial plant torpedograss ( Panicum repens ). The concerning levels of total phosphorus (TP) began to be noticed in 1970s, and since then inputs of TP have averaged 516 tons per year. These yearly inputs can vary based on the volume of runoff entering the lake. The years 2005 and 2018 had particularly large volumes of water and TP inputs in relation to hurricanes increasing runoff. Despite limiting TP inputs by decreasing phosphorus use in agriculture, Lake Okeechobee has yet to reach

1920-481: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Lake Okeechobee Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,900 km ) and is exceptionally shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (2.7 metres). Not only is it the largest lake in Florida and the largest lake in the southeast United States, it is also too large to see across. The Kissimmee River , located directly north of Lake Okeechobee,

2048-602: Is now Alachua County , an area where the Spanish had maintained cattle ranches in the 17th century. Because one of the best-known ranches was called la Chua , the region became known as the " Alachua Prairie ". The Spanish in Saint Augustine began calling the Alachua Creek Cimarrones , which roughly meant "wild ones" or "runaways". This was the probable origin of the term "Seminole". This name

2176-587: Is only to avoid flooding of communities, never to protect farmland. In March 2015, the rate was 1 billion US gallons (3,800,000 m ) daily. This results in pollution problems for the Treasure Coast , St. Lucie estuary, and the Indian River Lagoon . In May 2016, 33 square miles (85 km ) of the southern portion of the lake were affected by an algal bloom . The outbreak was possibly due in part to nutrient-laden waters reaching

2304-485: Is the lake's primary source. The lake is divided between Glades , Okeechobee , Martin , Palm Beach and Hendry counties. All five counties meet at one point near the center of the lake. The earliest recorded people to have lived around the lake were the Calusa . They called the lake Mayaimi , meaning "big water", as reported in the 16th century, by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda . The name Okeechobee comes from

2432-467: Is the largest source, providing more than 60% of the water flowing into Lake Okeechobee. Fisheating Creek is the second largest source for the lake, with about 9% of the total inflow. Prior to the 20th century, Lake Istokpoga was connected to the Kissimmee River by Istokpoga Creek, but during the rainy season Lake Istokpoga overflowed, with the water flowing in a 40 km wide sheet across

2560-572: The Apalachicola River . The presence of a nearby refuge for free Africans was considered a threat to the institution of chattel slavery in the southern United States, and settlers in the border states of Mississippi and Georgia in particular accused the Seminoles of inciting slaves to escape and then stealing their human property. In retaliation, plantation owners organized repeated raids into Spanish Florida in which they captured Africans they accused of being escaped slaves and harassed

2688-555: The Big Cypress Swamp to live on land considered unsuitable by American settlers. The original indigenous peoples of Florida declined significantly in number after the arrival of European explorers in the early 1500s, mainly because the Native Americans had little resistance to diseases newly introduced from Europe. Spanish suppression of native revolts further reduced the population in northern Florida until

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2816-547: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) finding that the lake's water quality was a State issue. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Martin County had carried out toxicity testing on the algae, but had not funded any work to clean up the water, and a FEMA spokesman said that "The state has robust capability to respond to emergencies and disasters." On June 23, 2017,

2944-612: The Florida Wars ) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which coalesced in northern Florida during the early 1700s, when the territory was still a Spanish colonial possession. Tensions grew between the Seminoles and American settlers in the newly independent United States in

3072-483: The Hitchiti words oki (water) and chubi (big). Slightly later in the 16th century, René Goulaine de Laudonnière reported hearing about a large freshwater lake in southern Florida called Serrope . By the 18th century the largely mythical lake was known to British mapmakers and chroniclers by the Spanish name Laguna de Espiritu Santo . In the early 19th century it was known as Mayacco Lake or Lake Mayaca after

3200-911: The Indian Removal Act (1830). After several ultimatums and the departure of a few Seminole clans per the Treaty of Payne's Landing (1832), hostilities commenced in December 1835 with the Dade battle and continued for the next several years with a series of engagements throughout the peninsula and extending to the Florida Keys . Though the Seminole fighters were at a tactical and numerical disadvantage, Seminole military leaders effectively used guerrilla warfare to frustrate United States military forces, which eventually numbered over 30,000 regulars, militiamen and volunteers. General Thomas Sidney Jesup

3328-774: The Indian Removal Act of 1830 . A few bands reluctantly complied but most resisted violently, leading to the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), which was by far the longest and most wide-ranging of the three conflicts. Initially, less than 2000 Seminole warriors employed hit-and-run guerilla warfare tactics and knowledge of the land to evade and frustrate a combined U.S. Army and Marine force that grew to over 30,000. Instead of continuing to pursue these small bands, American commanders eventually changed their strategy and focused on seeking out and destroying hidden Seminole villages and crops, putting increasing pressure on resisters to surrender or starve with their families. Most of

3456-592: The Louisiana Purchase included West Florida and gave the United States a strong claim to Texas. President Jefferson asked U.S. officials in the border area for advice on the limits of Louisiana, the best informed of whom did not believe it included West Florida. Later, in an 1809 letter, Jefferson virtually admitted that West Florida was not a possession of the United States. During his negotiations with France, U.S. envoy Robert Livingston wrote nine reports to Madison in which he stated that West Florida

3584-580: The Mayaca people , originally from the upper reaches of the St. Johns River , who moved near the lake in the early 18th century. The modern Port Mayaca on the east side of the lake preserves that name. The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was fought on the northern shore of the lake in 1837 during the Seminole Wars . On the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee, three islands— Kreamer , Ritta , and Torey—were once settled by early pioneers. These settlements had

3712-742: The Miami River , the New River on the east, and the Caloosahatchee River (via the Caloosahatchee Canal and Lake Hicpochee) on the southwest. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the congressionally authorized uses for Lake Okeechobee include the following: The 30-metre (100 ft) wide dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee is the basis for the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST),

3840-484: The indigenous peoples of Florida caused a steep decline in the original native population over the following century, and most of the remaining Apalachee and Tequesta peoples settled in a series of missions spread out across north Florida. Spain never established real control over its vast claim outside of the immediate vicinity of its scattered missions and the towns of St. Augustine and Pensacola , however, and British settlers established several colonies along

3968-588: The Atlantic coast during the 1600s. After the establishment of the Province of Carolina in the late 17th century, a series of raids by British settlers from the Carolinas and their Indian allies into Spanish Florida devastated both the mission system and the remaining native population. British settlers repeatedly came into conflict with Native Americans as the colonies expanded further westward, resulting in

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4096-673: The British and their Indian allies were beaten back from an attack on Fort Bowyer near Mobile , a U.S. force led by General Jackson drove the British and Spanish out of Pensacola , and back to the Apalachicola River. They managed to continue work on the fort at Prospect Bluff. When the War of 1812 ended, all British forces left the Gulf of Mexico except for Nicolls and his forces in Spanish West Florida. He directed

4224-554: The Florida coast. In 1738, the Spanish governor of Florida, Manuel de Montiano, had Fort Mose built and established as a free Black settlement. Fugitive African and African American slaves who could reach the fort were essentially free. Many were from Pensacola; some were free citizens, though others had escaped from United States territory. The Spanish offered the slaves freedom and land in Florida. They recruited former slaves as militia to help defend Pensacola and Fort Mose. Other fugitive slaves joined Seminole bands as free members of

4352-634: The Floridas. The American position was that it was placing a lien on East Florida in lieu of seizing the colony to settle the debts. In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain, forced Ferdinand VII , King of Spain, to abdicate, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King. Resistance to the French invasion coalesced in a national government, the Cortes of Cádiz . This government then entered into an alliance with Britain against France. This alliance raised fears in

4480-542: The Indian Prairie into Lake Okeechobee. Today Lake Istokpoga drains into Lake Okeechobee through several canals that drain the Indian Prairie, and into the Kissimmee River through a canal that has replaced Istokpoga Creek. Historically, outflow from the lake was by sheet flow over the Everglades, but most of the outflow has been diverted to dredged canals connecting to coastal rivers, such as the Miami Canal to

4608-681: The Isle of Orleans, the French government offered to sell it and all of Louisiana as well. While the purchase of Louisiana exceeded their authorization, Livingston and James Monroe (who had been sent to help him negotiate the sale) in the deliberations with France pursued a claim that the area east of the Mississippi to the Perdido River was part of Louisiana. As part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase treaty, France repeated verbatim Article 3 of its 1800 treaty with Spain, thus expressly subrogating

4736-919: The Mayan cichlid, Cichlasoma urophthalmus . Fish species displaying varying distributions throughout the lake depending on seasonality, site depth, sediments, and turbidity. Yearly fish recruitment was found to be positively correlated with increased water levels, providing more substrate and protection. These fish populations support different wading birds, including various species of egrets , ibises , wood storks , and herons , along with alligator populations. Fish diets in Lake Okeechobee depend on macro-invertebrates and zooplankton , such as calanoids , cyclopoids , and cladocerans . Lake Okeechobee supports over 3,800 different arthropods , including insects and arachnids, along with around 400 species of nematodes . Vascular macrophytes are important in

4864-563: The Mississippi and Perdido Rivers, based on the tenuous claim that it was part of the Louisiana Purchase. Madison authorized William C. C. Claiborne , governor of the Territory of Orleans , to take possession of the territory. He entered the capital of St. Francisville with his forces on December 6, 1810, and Baton Rouge on December 10, 1810. The West Florida government opposed annexation, preferring to negotiate terms to join

4992-790: The Patriot Army and was the President of the Legislative Council of the Territory of East Florida. Harris became the leader of a small band of Patriots who roamed the countryside threatening residents who had accepted pardons from the Spanish government. Buckner Harris developed a plan to establish a settlement in the Alachua Country with financial support from the State of Georgia, the cession of land by treaty from

5120-415: The Patriot Army, but King Payne and others held out for peace. The Seminoles were not happy with Spanish rule, comparing their treatment under the Spanish unfavorably with that received from the British when they held Florida. Ahaya , or Cowkeeper, King Payne's predecessor, had sworn to kill 100 Spaniards, and on his deathbed lamented having killed only 84. At a second conference with the Patriot Army leaders,

5248-551: The Patriots could have made no progress but for the protection of the U.S. forces and could not have maintained their position in the country without the aid of the U.S. troops. The American troops and Patriots acted in close concert, marching, camping, foraging and fighting together. In this way, the American troops sustained the Patriots, who, however, were unable to take the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine . As soon as

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5376-427: The Patriots surrendered the town to Gen. George Mathews, who had the U.S. flag raised immediately. As agreed, the Patriots held Fernandina for only one day before turning authority over to the U.S. military, an event that soon gave the U.S. control of the coast to St. Augustine. Within several days the Patriots, along with a regiment of regular Army troops and Georgian volunteers, moved toward St. Augustine. On this march

5504-454: The Patriots were slightly in advance of the American troops. The Patriots would proclaim possession of some ground, raise the Patriot flag, and as the "local authority" surrender the territory to the United States troops, who would then substitute the American flag for the Patriot flag. The Patriots faced no opposition as they marched, usually with Gen. Mathews. Accounts of witnesses state that

5632-578: The Patriots. In retaliation for Seminole raids, in September 1812, Colonel Daniel Newnan led 117 Georgia militiamen in an attempt to seize the Alachua Seminole lands around Payne's Prairie . Newnan's force never reached the Seminole towns, losing eight men dead, eight missing, and nine wounded after battling Seminoles for more than a week. Four months later Lt. Colonel Thomas Adams Smith led 220 U.S. Army regulars and Tennessee volunteers in

5760-568: The Seminole population had been relocated to Indian Territory or killed by the mid-1840s, though several hundred settled in central and southern Florida, where they were allowed to remain in an uneasy truce. Tensions over new settlement in the state under the Armed Occupation Act of 1842 south of Tampa led to renewed hostilities, and the Third Seminole War broke out in 1855. By the cessation of active fighting in 1858,

5888-470: The Seminole villages near the border, resulting in bands of Seminoles crossing into U.S. territory to stage reprisal attacks. The increasing border tensions came to a head on December 26, 1817, as the U.S. War Department wrote an order directing General Andrew Jackson to take command in person and bring the Seminoles under control, precipitating the First Seminole War. The war preceded with

6016-421: The Seminoles again promised to remain neutral. The blacks living in Florida outside of St. Augustine, many of whom were former slaves from Georgia and South Carolina, were not disposed to be neutral. Often slaves in name only to Seminoles, they lived in freedom and feared loss of that freedom if the United States took Florida away from Spain. Many blacks enlisted in the defense of St. Augustine, while others urged

6144-450: The Seminoles to fight the Patriot Army. In a third meeting with Seminole leaders, the Patriot Army leaders threatened the Seminoles with destruction if they fought on the side of the Spanish. This threat gave the Seminoles favoring war, led by King Payne's brother Bolek (also known as Bowlegs) the upper hand. Joined by warriors from Alligator (near present-day Lake City ) and other towns, the Seminoles sent 200 Indians and 40 blacks to attack

6272-516: The Seminoles were removed from Northern Florida to a reservation in the center of the Florida peninsula, and the United States constructed a series of forts and trading posts along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts to enforce the treaty. The Second Seminole War (1835–1842) began as a result of the United States unilaterally voiding the Treaty of Moultrie Creek and demanding that all Seminoles relocate to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma under

6400-464: The Seminoles, and a land grant from Spain. Harris petitioned the governor of Georgia for money, stating that a settlement of Americans in the Alachua Country would help keep the Seminoles away from the Georgia border, and would be able to intercept runaway slaves from Georgia before they could reach the Seminoles. Unfortunately for Harris, Georgia did not have funds available. Harris also hoped to acquire

6528-714: The South Florida Water Management District was granted emergency permission to back pump clean water into Lake Okeechobee to save animals and plants in bloated water conservation areas." Lake Okeechobee sits in a shallow geological trough that also underlies the Kissimmee River Valley and the Everglades . The trough is underlain by clay deposits that compacted more than the limestone and sand deposits did along both coasts of peninsular Florida. Until about 6,000 years ago,

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6656-603: The Spanish when they regained Florida in 1783. West Florida extended from the Apalachicola River to the Mississippi River . Together with their possession of Louisiana , the Spanish controlled the lower reaches of all of the rivers draining the United States west of the Appalachian Mountains . It prohibited the US from transport and trade on the lower Mississippi. In addition to its desire to expand west of

6784-556: The Spanish, after conflicts with colonists from the Province of Carolina . Creek people , at first primarily the Lower Creek but later including Upper Creek , also started moving into Florida from the area of Georgia. The Mikasuki , Hitchiti -speakers, settled around what is now Lake Miccosukee near Tallahassee . (Descendants of this group have maintained a separate tribal identity as today's Miccosukee .) Another group of Hitchiti speakers, led by Cowkeeper , settled in what

6912-440: The U.S. government was notified of these events, Congress became alarmed at the possibility of being drawn into war with Spain, and the effort fell apart. Secretary of State James Monroe promptly disavowed the actions and relieved Gen. Mathews of his commission on May 9, on the grounds that neither of the instructed contingencies had occurred. However, peace negotiations with the Spanish authorities were protracted and slow. Through

7040-822: The Union. Governor Fulwar Skipwith proclaimed that he and his men would "surround the Flag-Staff and die in its defense". Claiborne refused to recognize the legitimacy of the West Florida government, however, and Skipwith and the legislature eventually agreed to accept Madison's proclamation. Claiborne only occupied the area west of the Pearl River (the current eastern boundary of Louisiana). Juan Vicente Folch y Juan , governor of West Florida, hoping to avoid fighting, abolished customs duties on American goods at Mobile, and offered to surrender all of West Florida to

7168-474: The United States east of the Perdido River, i.e., the balance of West Florida and all of East Florida. The United States would be authorized to either accept transfer of territory from "local authorities" or occupy territory to prevent it falling into the hands of a foreign power other than Spain. Congress debated and passed, on January 15, 1811, the requested resolution in closed session, and provided that

7296-498: The United States if he had not received help or instructions from Havana or Veracruz by the end of the year. Fearing that France would overrun all of Spain, with the presumed result being that Spanish colonies would either fall under French control or be seized by the British, in January 1811, Madison requested the U.S. Congress pass legislation authorizing the United States to take "temporary possession" of any territory adjacent to

7424-477: The United States military strategy was to target Seminole civilians by destroying their food supply. By 1858, most of the remaining Seminoles, war weary and facing starvation, acquiesced to being removed to the Indian Territory in exchange for promises of safe passage and cash payments. An estimated 200 to 500 Seminoles in small family bands still refused to leave and retreated deep into the Everglades and

7552-465: The United States that the British would establish military bases in Spanish colonies, including the Floridas, and as such potentially compromise the security of the southern frontiers of the U.S. By 1810, during the Peninsular War , Spain was largely overrun by the French army. Rebellions against the Spanish authorities broke out in many of its American colonies. Settlers in West Florida and in

7680-436: The United States to the rights of France and Spain. The ambiguity in this third article lent itself to the purpose of U.S. envoy James Monroe, although he had to adopt an interpretation that France had not asserted, nor Spain allowed. Monroe examined each clause of the third article and interpreted the first clause as if Spain since 1783 had considered West Florida as part of Louisiana. The second clause only served to render

7808-429: The adjacent Mississippi Territory started organizing in the summer of 1810 to seize Mobile and Pensacola , the last of which was outside the part of West Florida claimed by the United States. Residents of westernmost West Florida (between the Mississippi and Pearl rivers) organized a convention at Baton Rouge in the summer of 1810. The convention was concerned about maintaining public order and preventing control of

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7936-649: The aimed target set by the South Florida Water Management District's in the 1980s of reducing the lake's TP by 40 μg/L. Although proposed by the South Florida Water Management District, this initiative of limiting the lake's TP to 40 μg/L was adopted by The Lake Okeechobee Technical Advisory Committee (LOTAC), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), but phosphorus inputs have yet to be controlled enough to reach this goal. Concerning estimates of phosphorus assimilation capacity indicates that even if phosphorus inputs were to be stopped, or severely limited,

8064-406: The area personally, and afterward the Corps designed a plan incorporating the construction of channels, gates, and nearly 140 miles of levees to protect areas surrounding Lake Okeechobee from overflow. The Okeechobee Waterway was officially opened on March 23, 1937, by a procession of boats which left Fort Myers, Florida , on March 22 and arrived at Stuart, Florida , the following day. The dike

8192-472: The area. In December 1855, U.S. Army personnel located and destroyed a large Seminole plantation west of the Everglades , perhaps to deliberately provoke a violent response that would result in the removal of the remaining Seminole citizens from the region. Holata Micco , a Seminole leader known as Billy Bowlegs by whites, responded with a raid near Fort Myers , leading to a series of retaliatory raids and small skirmishes with no large battles fought. Once again,

8320-429: The capital of their colony of West Florida. But as was made clear by several local uprisings and other forms of "border anarchy", Spain was no longer able to defend nor control Florida and eventually agreed to cede it to the United States per the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, with the transfer taking place in 1821. According to the terms of the Treaty of Moultrie Creek (1823) between the United States and Seminole Nation,

8448-400: The convention declared West Florida to be independent. Pro-Spanish, pro-American, and pro-independence factions quickly formed in the newly proclaimed republic. The pro-American faction appealed to the United States to annex the area and to provide financial aid. On October 27, 1810, U.S. President James Madison proclaimed that the United States should take possession of West Florida between

8576-481: The destruction of the Negro Fort in July 1816, and subsequently Jackson's forces destroyed several Seminole/Creek and Miccosukee settlements including Fowltown pursuing them and Black Seminoles and allied Maroons across northern Florida in 1818. Jackson's expedition culminated in April 1818 with the Arbuthnot and Ambrister incident . The Spanish government expressed outrage over Jackson's "punitive expeditions" into their territory and his brief occupation of Pensacola

8704-427: The district from falling into French hands; at first it tried to establish a government under local control that was nominally loyal to Ferdinand VII. After discovering that the Spanish governor of the district had appealed for military aid to put down an "insurrection", residents of the Baton Rouge District overthrew the local Spanish authorities on September 23 by seizing the Spanish fort in Baton Rouge. On September 26,

8832-428: The early 1600s, at which time the establishment of a series of Spanish missions improved relations and stabilized the population. Beginning in the late-17th century, raids by British settlers from the colony of Carolina and their Indian allies began another steep decline in the indigenous population. By 1707, settlers based in Carolina and their Yamasee Indian allies had killed, carried off, or driven away most of

8960-564: The early 1800s, mainly because enslaved people regularly fled from Georgia into Spanish Florida , prompting slaveowners to conduct slave raids across the border. A series of cross-border skirmishes escalated into the First Seminole War , when American General Andrew Jackson led an incursion into the territory over Spanish objections. Jackson's forces destroyed several Seminole , Mikasuki and Black Seminole towns, as well as captured Fort San Marcos and briefly occupied Pensacola before withdrawing in 1818. The U.S. and Spain soon negotiated

9088-481: The early 1840s, many Seminoles had been killed, and many more were forced by impending starvation to surrender and be removed to Indian Territory. Though there was no official peace treaty, several hundred Seminoles remained in central and southern Florida after active conflict wound down. The Third Seminole War (1855–1858) was precipitated as an increasing number of settlers in central and southern Florida led to increasing tension with Seminoles and Miccosukees living in

9216-411: The extensive saturation of the lake would result in it taking years before improved water quality can be observed. These inputs of phosphorus provide optimal conditions for harmful algal blooms (HABs). Cyanobacteria (CyanoHABs), which need nitrogen and phosphorus for growth, have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. With this ability along with the high inputs of phosphorus, the shallow nature of

9344-882: The fauna are so reliant on the macrophytes for habitat, food, and protection from predation, a decrease in macrophyte diversity and abundance has negative consequences on fauna richness. Macrophyte abundance is dependent on many abiotic factors such as water depth, water transparency and light availability, and nutrients, along with influence of biotic factors. Increasing phytoplankton and algal blooms from eutrophication and nutrient abundance can decrease water transparency and light availability to submerged macrophytes, providing one explanation how macrophytes are sensitive to eutrophication. Some submerged macrophytes that have been recorded at Lake Okeechobee include southern naiad ( Najas guadalupensis ), Illinois pondweed ( Potamogeton illlinoensis ), vallisneria ( Vallisneria americana ), and hydrilla ( Hydrilla verticillata ). Lake Okeechobee

9472-498: The few remaining bands of Seminoles in Florida had fled deep into the Everglades to land unwanted by American settlers . Taken together, the Seminole Wars were the longest, most expensive, and most deadly of all American Indian Wars . Spanish Florida was established in the 1500s, when Spain laid claim to land explored by several expeditions across the future southeastern United States . The introduction of diseases to

9600-493: The first clause clearer. The third clause referred to the treaties of 1783 and 1795 and was designed to safeguard the rights of the United States. This clause then simply gave effect to the others. According to Monroe, France never dismembered Louisiana while it was in her possession. (He regarded November 3, 1762, as the termination date of French possession, rather than 1769, when France formally delivered Louisiana to Spain). President Thomas Jefferson had initially believed that

9728-546: The forces to take the fort. Jackson assigned Brigadier General Edmund Pendleton Gaines to take control of the fort. Gaines directed Colonel Duncan Lamont Clinch to build Fort Scott on the Flint River just north of the Florida border. Gaines said he intended to supply Fort Scott from New Orleans via the Apalachicola River. As this would mean passing through Spanish territory and past the Negro Fort, it would allow

9856-465: The formerly inhabited parts in a state of desolation. In June 1812, George Mathews met with King Payne and other Seminole leaders. After the meeting, Mathews believed that the Seminoles would remain neutral in the conflict. Sebastián Kindelán y O'Regan , the governor of East Florida, tried to induce the Seminoles to fight on the Spanish side. Some of the Seminoles wanted to fight the Georgians in

9984-470: The group when they reached the site of Payne's Town, which had been burned in 1812. The men built a 25-foot square, two-story blockhouse, which they named Fort Mitchell , after David Mitchell , former governor of Georgia and a supporter of the Patriot invasion of East Florida. By the time the blockhouse was completed, there were reported to be more than 160 men present in Elotchaway. On January 25, 1814,

10112-562: The lake and what their respective contributions are. They found that ammonium based fertilizers and soil nitrogen were the largest contributors to nitrate found in the lake. Manure and precipitation were two other sources of nitrate. These results can aid in monitoring and regulation of nitrogen uses around Okeechobee, and subsequently aid in restoring the lake. [REDACTED] Media related to Lake Okeechobee at Wikimedia Commons Seminole Wars 1,500 -2,000 Federal troops Second Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as

10240-520: The lake before 2000, to nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria dominating the lake after 2000 and up until 2004 as phosphorus inputs were high and nitrogen was limiting. This time was referred to as the "pre-hurricane" time period, and the period after the 2004–2005 hurricane season was referred to as the "post-hurricane" period. During the post-hurricane period, light became limiting and influenced phytoplankton composition. Kramer et al. (2018) studied Lake Okeechobee during and after its major 2016 algal bloom that

10368-652: The lake between 12.5 and 15.5 feet (4 and 5 m) above sea level . The lake is enclosed by a 40 feet (12 m) high Herbert Hoover Dike built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a hurricane in 1928 breached the old dike, flooding surrounding communities and killing at least 2,500 people. Water flows into Lake Okeechobee from several sources, including the Kissimmee River , Fisheating Creek , Lake Istokpoga , Taylor Creek, and smaller sources such as Nubbin Slough and Nicodemus Slough. The Kissimmee River

10496-445: The lake bottom. Lake transparency, measured as secchi depth , is found to be inversely correlated with the amount of suspended solids in the lake. Suspended solids varied with season with higher amounts of suspended solids in the winter, and thus less transparency on average, and lower amounts of suspended solids in the summer, leading to more transparency on average. Secchi depths not only varied across seasons, but also by location in

10624-580: The lake from farms and other sources. Microcystin was found among the other species involved in the outbreak. In July 2016, the Federal Government denied Governor Rick Scott's request for Federal Disaster Aid to the Treasure Coast as a result of the toxic algal bloom in the St. Lucie Estuary which was responsible for millions of dollars of lost income for local businesses: this reaffirmed

10752-421: The lake is called the "Monkey Box" area, after a strange now-eroded beacon located inside a wooden box on top of a marker pole, which resembled from a distance a monkey's head inside a box. This shallow lake has been previously studied for its algal blooms. Lake Okeechobee is known for its algal blooms in consequence of increased eutrophication . Algal blooms like this can be harmful to the environment, including

10880-531: The lake may have had different limiting factors based on the light and nutrient availability in those locations. At Lake Okeechobee specifically, algal blooms were found to have strong effects during the winter on the western side of the lake. In the limnological study conducted by Beaver et al. (2013) at Lake Okeechobee, lake phytoplankton composition was examined in response to conditions of anthropogenic inputs, including nutrient inputs, along with natural events, like extreme weather conditions. Lake Okeechobee

11008-507: The lake providing plenty of sunlight, and cyanobacteria's preference for warm waters, Lake Okeechobee is an optimal environment for a cyanobacteria algal bloom. The presence of various species of cyanobacteria in Lake Okeechobee have been recorded since the 1980s. Cyanobacteria produce various toxins, including microcystin , which is not only harmful to the environment, but humans. In 2016, Lake Okeechobee experienced an extensive cyanobacteria algal bloom that lasted from May to mid-July. During

11136-407: The lake remained well below normal levels, with large portions of the lake bed exposed above the water line. During this time, portions of the lake bed, covered in organic matter, dried out and caught fire. In late August 2008, Tropical Storm Fay inundated Florida with record amounts of rain. Lake Okeechobee received almost a 4 feet (1.2 m) increase in water level, including local run-off from

11264-416: The lake's flora and fauna, because of released toxins. The vegetation at Lake Okeechobee is important in maintaining the oxygen in the lake on which many aquatic biota rely. There are various species of biota in Lake Okeechobee that are interdependent on each other for food, habitat, and other resources. Multiple limnological studies and related research has been conducted at Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee

11392-596: The lake's natural sandy base and create clearer water and better habitat for wildlife. The mud contained elevated levels of arsenic and other pesticides . According to tests from the South Florida Water Management District , arsenic levels on the northern part of the lake bed were as much as four times the limit for residential land. Independent tests found the mud too polluted for use on agricultural or commercial lands, and therefore difficult to dispose of on land. Through early 2008,

11520-477: The lake. During construction of the dike , earth was excavated along the inside perimeter, resulting in a deep channel which runs along the perimeter of the lake. This channel is known as the rim canal. In most places the canal is part of the lake, but in others it is separated from the open lake by low grassy islands such as Kreamer Island . During the drought of 2007–2008, this canal remained navigable while much of surrounding areas were too shallow or even above

11648-476: The lake. Research done by James et al. (2009) aimed to evaluate and compare shallow lakes, including Lake Okeechobee and Lake Taihu in P.R. China, including their light, temperature, and nutrient dynamics. This research provides important knowledge on conditions that influence algal blooms. They found that for both lakes, wind, nutrients, water depth, and water transparency varied seasonally, and this had implications on phytoplankton abundance. Different locations in

11776-431: The lake. Secchi depths ranges average from about 0.2 to 0.5 metres (0.66 to 1.64 ft) in the winter, depending on location in the lake, and 0.3 to 0.9 metres (0.98 to 2.95 ft) in the summer. Secchi depths of 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) have been recorded, indicating higher transparencies than average for the lake. Lake Okeechobee is home to more than 40 species of native fish, along with introduced species , such as

11904-466: The land around the Alachua Prairie ( Paynes Prairie ) by treaty from the Seminoles but could not persuade the Seminoles to meet with him. The Spanish were also not interested in dealing with Harris. In January 1814, 70 men led by Buckner Harris crossed from Georgia into East Florida, headed for the Alachua Country. More men joined them as they traveled through East Florida, with more than 90 in

12032-719: The languages, adopting the dress, and inter-marrying. The blacks knew how to farm and served as interpreters between the Seminole and the whites. Some of the Black Seminoles , as they were called, became important tribal leaders. During the American Revolutionary War , the British, who controlled Florida, recruited Seminoles to raid Patriot-aligned settlements on the Georgia frontier. The confusion of war allowed American slaves to escape to Florida, where local British authorities promised them their freedom for in exchange for military service. These events made

12160-503: The last time it exceeded 13 feet (4.0 m). However, the lake's level began dropping soon after and by July 2007, it had dropped more than 4 feet (1.2 m) to its all-time low of 8.82 feet (2.69 m). In August 2008, Tropical Storm Fay increased water levels to 2 feet (0.65 m) above sea level, the first time it exceeded 12 feet (3.66 m) since January 2007. Over a seven-day period (including some storms that preceded Fay), about 8 inches (20 cm) of rain fell directly onto

12288-459: The loss of much Creek territory in what is today southern Georgia and central and southern Alabama. As a result, many Creek left Alabama and Georgia, and moved to Spanish West Florida. The Creek refugees joined the Seminole of Florida. In 1814, Britain was still at war with the United States , and in May, a British force entered the mouth of the Apalachicola River , and moved upriver to begin building

12416-470: The men apparently had brought families with them, as a child was born in Elotchaway on March 15, 1814. Buckner Harris hoped to expand American settlement in the Alachua Country and rode out alone to explore the area. On May 5, 1814, he was ambushed and killed by Seminoles. Without Harris, the District of Elotchaway collapsed. Fort Mitchell was abandoned, with all the settlers gone within two weeks. Some of

12544-642: The men at Fort Mitchell who signed the petition to Congress settled again in the Alachua Country after Florida was transferred to the United States in 1821. During the Creek War (1813–1814), Colonel Andrew Jackson became a national hero with his victory over the Creek Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend . After this victory, Jackson forced the Treaty of Fort Jackson on the Creek, resulting in

12672-556: The mountains, the United States wanted to acquire Florida. It wanted to gain free commerce on western rivers, and to prevent Florida from being used a base for possible invasion of the U.S. by a European country. In order to obtain a port on the Gulf of Mexico with secure access for Americans, United States diplomats in Europe were instructed to try to purchase the Isle of Orleans and West Florida from whichever country owned them. When Robert Livingston approached France in 1803 about buying

12800-544: The new United States enemies of the Seminoles. In 1783, as part of the treaty ending the Revolutionary War , Florida, was returned to Spain. Spain's grip on Florida was light, as it maintained only small garrisons at St. Augustine, St. Marks and Pensacola . They did not control the border between Florida and the United States and were unable to act against the State of Muskogee established in 1799, envisioned as

12928-574: The number was revised to "at least 2,500". In both cases the catastrophe was caused by flooding from a storm surge when strong winds drove water over the 6.6-foot (2-meter) mud dike that circled the lake at the time. After the two hurricanes, the Florida State Legislature created the "Okeechobee Flood Control District". The organization was authorized to cooperate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in actions to prevent similar disasters. U.S. President Herbert Hoover visited

13056-411: The nutrient dynamics of lakes, along with creating micro-habitats for fish and invertebrates, and providing substrate for epiphytes . Macrophytes provide the lake with oxygen through photosynthesis, along with acting as a buffer for eutrophication by uptake of phosphorus. However, with increased eutrophication of lakes along with climate change, trends are showing decreased richness of macrophytes. Because

13184-553: The previous 2015–16 winter, there were relatively high recorded temperatures, and higher than average rates of precipitation and storms in relation to the El Niño event. As mentioned, higher rates of precipitation can lead to greater influxes of runoff which unload more phosphorus into the lake, enabling harmful algal bloom. Along with this algal bloom in 2016, other algal blooms have been found to occur in relation to hurricanes and other climate events leading to increased water flow into

13312-484: The provisioning of the fort at Prospect Bluff with cannon, muskets, and ammunition. He told his Native American allies that the Treaty of Ghent guaranteed the return of all Indian lands lost to the United States during the War of 1812, including the Creek lands in Georgia and Alabama. Before Nicolls left in the spring of 1815, he turned the fort over to the maroons and Native American allies whom he had originally recruited for possible incursions into U.S. territory during

13440-503: The remainder of West Florida over to the U.S., Mathews traveled to East Florida to engage the Spanish authorities there. When that effort failed, Mathews, in an extreme interpretation of his orders, schemed to incite a rebellion similar to that in the Baton Rouge District. In 1812, General George Mathews was commissioned by President James Madison to approach the Spanish governor of East Florida in an attempt to acquire

13568-488: The remaining native inhabitants during a series of raids across the Florida panhandle and down the full length of the peninsula. In the first decade of the 18th century. 10,000–12,000 Indians were taken as slaves according to the governor of La Florida and by 1710, observers noted that north Florida was virtually depopulated. The Spanish missions all closed, as without natives, there was nothing for them to do. The few remaining natives fled west to Pensacola and beyond or east to

13696-499: The remaining troops. After the United States government disavowed support of the Territory of East Florida and withdrew American troops and ships from Spanish territory, most of the Patriots in East Florida either withdrew to Georgia or accepted the offer of amnesty from the Spanish government. Some of the Patriots still dreamed of claiming land in Florida. One of them, Buckner Harris , had been involved in recruiting men for

13824-492: The resolution could be kept secret until as late as March 1812. American forces occupied most of the Spanish territory between the Pearl and Perdido rivers (today's coastal Mississippi and Alabama ), with the exception of the area around Mobile, in 1811. Mobile was occupied by United States forces in 1813. Madison sent George Mathews to deal with the disputes over West Florida. When Vicente Folch rescinded his offer to turn

13952-455: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Okeechobee . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Okeechobee&oldid=951282056 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

14080-495: The sea during the American Civil War . Jesup also authorized the controversial abduction of Seminole leaders Osceola and Micanopy by luring them under a false flag of truce. General Jesup clearly violated the rules of war, and spent 21 years defending himself over it, "Viewed from the distance of more than a century, it hardly seems worthwhile to try to grace the capture with any other label than treachery . " By

14208-553: The settlers established a government, titled "The District of Elotchaway of the Republic of East Florida", with Buckner Harris as Director. The Legislative Council then petitioned the United States Congress to accept the District of Elotchaway as a territory of the United States. The petition was signed by 106 "citizens of Elotchaway." The Elotchaway settlers laid out farm plots and started planting crops. Some of

14336-496: The summer and autumn, the U.S. and Patriot troops foraged and plundered almost every plantation and farm, most of them having been abandoned by their owners. The troops helped themselves to everything they could find. Stored food was used up, growing crops destroyed or fed to horses, all types of movable property plundered or destroyed, buildings and fences burned, cattle and hogs killed or stolen for butchering, and slaves often dispersed or abducted. This continued until May 1813 and left

14464-482: The territory. His instructions were to take possession of any part of the territory of the Floridas upon making "arrangement" with the "local authority" to deliver possession to the U.S. Barring that or invasion by another foreign power, they were not to take possession of any part of Florida. Most of the residents of East Florida were happy with the status quo, so Mathews raised a force of volunteers in Georgia with

14592-604: The transfer of the territory with the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819. The United States gained possession of Florida in 1821 and coerced the Seminoles into leaving their lands in the Florida panhandle for a large Indian reservation in the center of the peninsula per the Treaty of Moultrie Creek . In 1832 by the Treaty of Payne's Landing , however, the federal government under United States President Andrew Jackson demanded that they leave Florida altogether and relocate to Indian Territory (modern day Oklahoma ) as per

14720-528: The tribe. Most of the former slaves at Fort Mose went to Cuba with the Spanish when they left Florida in 1763, while others lived with or near various bands of Indians. Fugitive slaves from the Carolinas and Georgia continued to make their way to Florida, as the Underground Railroad ran south. The Blacks who stayed with or later joined the Seminoles became integrated into the tribes, learning

14848-399: The tributaries. In 2013, heavy rains in central Florida resulted in high runoff into the lake; rising lake levels forced the CoE ( Army Corps of Engineers ) to release large volumes of polluted water from the lake through the St. Lucie River estuary to the east and the Caloosahatchee River estuary to the west. Thus the normal mix of fresh and salt water in those estuaries was replaced by

14976-425: The trough was dry land. As the sea level rose, the water table in Florida also rose and rainfall increased. From 6,000 to 4,000 years ago, wetlands formed building up peat deposits. Eventually the water flow into the area created a lake, drowning the wetlands. Along what is now the southern edge of the lake, the wetlands built up the layers of peat rapidly enough (reaching 13-to-14-foot or 4-to-4.3-metre thick) to form

15104-478: The vicinity of St. Augustine . When Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the majority of Florida's Indians travelled with the Spanish to Cuba or New Spain . During the mid-1700s, small bands from various Native American tribes from the southeastern United States began moving into the unoccupied lands of Florida. In 1715, the Yamasee moved into Florida as allies of

15232-575: The war. (see Corps of Colonial Marines ). As word spread in the American Southeast about the fort, white Americans called it the " Negro Fort ." Americans worried that it would inspire their slaves to escape to Florida or revolt. Acknowledging that it was in Spanish territory, in April 1816, Jackson informed Governor José Masot of West Florida that if the Spanish did not eliminate the fort, he would. The governor replied that he did not have

15360-428: The water line. Even when the waters are higher, navigating the open lake can be difficult, whereas the rim canal is easier, so to reach a specific location in the lake it is often easiest to use the rim canal to get close then take one of the many channels into the lake. In 2007, during a drought, state water and wildlife managers removed thousands of truckloads of toxic mud from the lake's floor, in an effort to restore

15488-557: Was a great location for this study because of its long history of agricultural runoff causing algal blooms, along with its location in the Gulf of Mexico making it susceptible to weather events like tropical storms and hurricanes. From 2000–2008, phytoplankton samples were collected using an integrated tube sampler, and weather conditions, including temperature and wind conditions, were recorded. They found that phytoplankton composition transitioned from non-nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria dominating

15616-485: Was a limiting factor due to the extreme amounts of phosphorus in the freshwater ecosystem . The field experiments conducted with this study found that microcystin , the toxin produced by cyanobacteria, was produced in higher quantities when there was more nitrogen present. A study conducted by Pei, Zhang, and Mitsch (2020) examined nitrate concentrations, and their respective isotope compositions, in hopes of determining origins of major inflows and outflows of nitrogen into

15744-629: Was created in 1909. In 1963, the lake was divided among the five counties surrounding the lake. In 1926, the Great Miami Hurricane hit the Lake Okeechobee area, killing approximately 300 people. Two years later in 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane crossed over the lake, killing thousands. The Red Cross reported 1,836 deaths, a figure which the National Weather Service initially accepted, but in 2003,

15872-513: Was eventually applied to the other groups in Florida, although the Indians still regarded themselves as members of different tribes. Other Native American groups in Florida during the Seminole Wars included the Choctaw , Yuchi , Spanish Indians (so called because it was believed that they were descended from Calusas ), and "rancho Indians", who lived at Spanish/Cuban fishing camps (ranchos) on

16000-414: Was not in the possession of France. In November 1804, in response to Livingston, France declared the American claim to West Florida absolutely unfounded. Upon the failure of Monroe's later 1804–1805 mission, Madison was ready to abandon the American claim to West Florida altogether. In 1805, Monroe's last proposition to Spain to obtain West Florida was absolutely rejected, and American plans to establish

16128-538: Was related to the El Niño event. They collected information on nutrient availability, phytoplankton communities, and the presence of toxins, along with the genetic makeup of the phytoplankton communities and their genetic abilities to produce toxins. Additionally, they conducted nutrient experiments to couple with their findings. They found that cyanobacteria with the ability to do nitrogen fixation were in high abundance during this 2016 algal bloom. During this time, nitrogen

16256-406: Was sent to Florida to take command of the campaign in 1836. Instead of futilely pursuing parties of Seminole fighters through the territory as previous commanders had done, Jesup changed tactics and engaged in finding, capturing or destroying Seminole homes, livestock, farms, and related supplies, thus starving them out; a strategy which would be duplicated by General W. T. Sherman in his march to

16384-509: Was then named the " Herbert Hoover Dike " in honor of the president. The 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane sent an even larger storm surge to the crest of the new dike, which was expanded again in the 1960s. Four recent hurricanes – Frances , Jeanne , Wilma , and Irma – had no major adverse effects on communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee, even though the lake rose 18 inches (46 cm) after Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Hurricane Ernesto increased water levels by 1 foot (30 cm) in 2006,

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