Remains of the circa 1877 mosquito control canal; Photo by UF Digital Collections
The following is an excerpt from an article posted in the 2024 edition of the Halifax Herald. The article was written by our very own FROGR and retired land surveyor, Tom Maize and his wife Lynn. Besides the multitude of activities Tom and Lynn are involved in at Gamble Rogers and North Peninsula State Parks, they have also curated over 1,700 historical maps and drawings in the Halifax Historical Society's Museum! Here's a little tidbit of amazing local history.
"Next time you're driving A1A through North Peninsula SP, about ¼ mile before the south boundary, notice the dip in the sidewalk and the road cut into the dune. This is what remains of a circa 1877 canal that ran from the Atlantic Ocean, across the peninsula, to Halifax Creek.
The canal was dug by locals to make the Halifax saltier, hoping to reduce malaria and improve fishing. Before the canal was fully operational, a storm came up and blocked it with a lot of palmetto and other logs. Eventually the opening sanded over and the rest, as they say, is history.
The canal was recently investigated and documented, allowing it to be listed in Florida Master Site File, the State of Florida's official inventory of historical, cultural resources. The remains of the canal have become an access road, used by park staff. The picture above shows the canal as it looked about 75 years ago from the air."
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