LIVING HISTORY
CELLEBRATIING 1100 YEARSS ASS THE NO.. 11 A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE STORIES
BY GREGORY ENNS
Indian River Magazine Publisher
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS AS THE NO. 1 MAGAZINE
CELEBRON THE TREASURE COAST
ATING
CELEBRATING
10 YEARS
CELEBRATING OUR
ANNIVThe Tommie family, ospring of Seminole Chief Chupco, is thought to be the Treasure Coast’s oldest family.
20
ERSARY
THE SEMINOLES
While much of the region’s written history focuses on settlers of European descent, the Treasure Coast’s
oldest family is likely a group of Seminole Indians known as the Tommie family, which had been in the
region perhaps as early as the 1900s. Members are descendants of Chief Chupco, a Seminole leader in the
Third Seminole War.
In 2007, we shared the history of the family in which we also discovered that family members were
descendants of Polly Parker, one of the most signicant women in Seminole history. Until the early 1980s,
many members of the Tommie family had lived in chickees on property o Midway Road in Fort Pierce.
They were later forced o the property by the landowner, but the family regrouped when 68 acres of land
was deeded to the Bureau of Indian Aairs. The land was named Chupco’s Landing YEARS
and became the new
home for the Tommie family.
The property also includes the Chupco Youth Ranch where various events celebrating the family’s
heritage are held throughout the year in an arena that seats 400 people. >>
YEARS
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING
In the 10 years we’ve been publishing, readers have
been quick to tell us which stories they like. Even
several years after a story has run, many of our readers
readily recall the details of their favorite stories.
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are sharing
here some of our sta’s favorite stories over the years.
You can nd the complete versions on our website at
indianrivermag.com, where you can also vote for your
favorite stories.
The celebration of our 10th anniversary will continue
on Saturday, Jan. 14, when we host the Treasure Coast
History Festival in downtown Fort Pierce, where we will
feature subjects in some of the stories below. The festival
is free and open to the public.
/indianrivermag.com