LIVING HISTORY
15
— no nothing. Well, John Barker may have had a trading post
where he sold whiskey to the Indians.
Happily, the Indians had been friendly so far. Although
they were supposed to stay on the western side of Lake
Okeechobee, Seminoles became frequent visitors on the
banks of St. Lucie Sound. Sometimes as many as a hundred
would congregate at the house of Mills O. Burnham (permit
holder #59), which was in present-day Ankona. Burnham
was the colony’s gunsmith. Indians traded their wilderness
wares with him, and he would get their rifles in good shape.
THE HURRICANE
An 1844 petition asking Congress to build a road from St.
Augustine to “St. Lucia on St. Lucia Sound” claimed there
were “Twelve hundred Souls” in the vicinity. If that is true,
that would have been the highwater mark population-wise.
Records are scattered and inexact as to when most people
came and left.
In October 1846, a tremendous hurricane struck the area.
High winds and water ruined Ossian and Kate Hart’s tworoom
log cabin. Their young orange grove was blown to
pieces. It was one too many disasters for the young couple.
Most other settlers must have felt the same. By the time the
tax roll came out in 1847, there were only 24 men over the
age of 18 left in the entire county. Obviously, a mass exodus
had occurred, and with each departure — one more untold
dream.
Mills Burnham stayed on as the county’s sheriff and its
representative in Tallahassee. Caleb Brayton remained for
the sake of his ailing lungs. He hired an Indian hunter and
boasted to Marian that he dined on turkey and venison every >>
FLORIDA MEMORY
In 1844, the Treasure Coast was part of the original St. Lucie County formed
by a territorial council. Then, in 1855 the name was changed to Brevard.
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