Perico, Florida facts for kids

Perico Island is a small island located just west of the Palma Sola area in Manatee County, Florida. It is a community where people live, and it also features a hotel, a marina, and several protected natural areas.

Discovering Perico Island's Past

How Perico Island Got Its Name

Perico Island is named after a Cuban fisherman called Perico Pompon. He lived on the island in the early 1840s. Perico Pompon ran a fishing business near a place called Shaw’s Point, which today is known as the De Soto National Memorial.

Ancient Life: Native Americans on Perico

In the 1940s and 1950s, scientists studied Perico Island. They found clues that it might have been home to one of the oldest Native American settlements in the entire Tampa Bay area. An archeologist named Gordon Willey discovered that Timucuan Indians lived and fished on Perico for many years. He even found ancient pottery from the Belle Glade culture, some of which was made as far back as 950 B.C.!

Early Settlers and Island Life

More fishermen started settling on Perico Island in the 1880s. A post office opened there in 1891, with Maggie Johnstone as the postmistress. However, it was soon replaced by a post office in the nearby community of Palma Sola.

By the 1890s, the island had a hotel called Hunter’s Point Hotel. This hotel advertised exciting trips for hunting, fishing, and boating. Besides fishing, the island quickly became known for its farms. People grew oranges, pineapples, and guavas. The northern part of the island remained wild, with over 100 acres of pine trees.

Connecting the Island: The Bridge

Perico Island faced challenges in farming because it was hard to transport goods. Farmers had to ship their products from Bradenton or Cortez, as there was no marina on the island.

In 1914, plans were made to build a bridge connecting Manatee Avenue to Perico Island. This project was delayed but finally completed in 1922. The bridge was part of a bigger plan to link Anna Maria Island to the mainland through Perico Island. Before the bridge, only a few people lived permanently on the island. Many residents from Bradenton had small farms or second homes there. They would travel to the island by driving across shallow parts of the bayou at low tide or by boat. After the bridge was built, much of the undeveloped land on the island began to be sold for new buildings.

Protecting Perico Island's Nature

Since the 1960s, Perico Island has been the center of many discussions and legal actions. These often involved developers who wanted to build more, and residents who wanted to protect the island's beautiful natural areas and resources.