History of the City of Punta Gorda, Florida

Punta Gorda, Florida is a city that lies along the Peace River where it joins Charlotte Harbor.  The first residents were the Howard brothers, who arrived about a decade after the end of the Civil War.  Since that time, the rate of growth in the area has remained steady.  The railroad network entered  the town known as of Trabue in summer of 1886, bringing the first land developers and Southwest Florida’s first batch of tourists from the chillier north.  A year later, the town was incorporated and renamed Punta Gorda.  Mayoral elections soon took place and a council was formed, with four of the five council members elected not having American citizenship.

Meanwhile, phosphate rock was discovered on the banks of the Peace River just north of the city of Punta Gorda.  At the time, phosphate was a valuable mineral for use as fertilizers, and was in great demand worldwide.  Initially, the phosphate was barged down the Peace River to Port Boca Grande, where it was loaded onto ships for delivery throughout the world.  However, by 1905 it became clear that building a railroad to Port Boca Grande and carrying the phosphate to it by rail would improve the method of shipment.  The early years of Punta Gorda’s history show that it was a pretty rough town, as its location at the end of the railway line made it a popular destination for some shady characters.  Approximately 40 murders were recorded between the years of 1890 and 1904.

In 1925, a bungalow was built in Punta Gorda by Joseph Blanchard, a successful sea captain and fisherman.  The Blanchard House still stands today as a museum, and representation of middle-class African-American life in the area in the early 20th century.  The Blanchard House exhibits cover political, civic and religious life; founding families; education; and, the Civil Rights Movement.  The attraction highlights the community that thrived from the town’s founding until integration led residents to move away and businesses to close.

The current boundaries of Charlotte County were formed in 1921 after DeSoto County was split.  That same year, the first bridge was constructed connecting Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor.  A decade later, this small bridge was replaced by the Barron Collier Bridge, and then by the current bridge crossing the Peace River.