COVER STORY
20
FORT PIERCE INLET AT 100
CELEBRATION EVENTS
Monday, May 3
6 p.m. – City proclamation, Fort Pierce City Hall
Tuesday, May 4
10 a.m. – County proclamation,
Roger Poitras Building, 2300 Virginia Ave.
Friday, May 7
5 p.m. – Special Friday Fest on the Fort Pierce waterfront
to celebrate inlet’s opening
Saturday, May 8
10 a.m. – Flag-raising and prayer service at Smithsonian
Marine Ecosystems Exhibit, 420 Seaway Drive
11:30 a.m. – Boat parade/Blessing of the Fleet
at Summerlin Dock, 320 Seaway Drive;
barbecue after parade at museum park
featuring music, hot dogs and hamburgers
Saturday, May 15
1921 cocktail party at Fort Pierce Yacht Club
Saturday, May 22
Fishing tournament/fish fry at
Little Jim Bridge Bait and Tackle
Wednesday, May 26
6 p.m. – Unveiling of new label paying tribute to the inlet
at Pierced Ciderworks, 411 N. Second St.
the stone jetties were put in place.
On May 8, 1921, the final few feet of sand were removed
around 8 p.m. and the ocean — three or four feet higher than
the river — rushed through, scattering the dredge and taking
barges and equipment out to sea.
For the next few days, the strong 6-knot current in the inlet
gradually subsided as the water cut its own channel. At first,
small boats had had trouble negotiating the current, even
running at full power.
The grand opening was set for May 12. All local businesses
would close for the afternoon. The celebration would begin
at 9:30 a.m. with the first parachute jump ever seen in Fort
Pierce. Then free boat rides would allow residents to inspect
the new inlet up close. After speeches by local and state
dignitaries, a fried fish dinner was served to hundreds by the
Women’s Club for 20 cents a plate.
That afternoon, the Fort Pierce baseball team got into the
spirit of the day by thrashing rivals West Palm Beach, 9-1.
Band concerts and a street dance completed the day, allowing
excited locals to let off a little steam.
The whole town, including motor cars, was decorated with
flags and bunting. As the News Tribune, brimming with local
pride, noted, “the celebration should be made to eclipse all
other celebrations on the East Coast, for the inlet is worth it
and the St. Lucie County people do things that way.”
BINNEY FORMED INLET VISION
Yet, while the new inlet was certainly a step forward, the
creation of a modern deep-water port didn’t happen for
almost another decade. For one thing, the channel was only 7
feet deep, inadequate for commercial vessels. >>
ST. LUCIE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER
Edwin Binney left, after a day’s fishing with friends in 1933, was an important part of the effort to make Fort Pierce a full commercial shipping port.