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The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad  tidewater terminal on Charlotte Harbor had its roots in the 19th century discovery of phosphate bearing rock in the Peace River drainage basin, an area of central Florida dubbed "Bone Valley" for its vast deposits of fossilized remains found amongst its phosphate beds.  Charlotte Harbor was Florida's southernmost, natural, deep-water bay on the Gulf of Mexico and the closest harbor location from which phosphate rock could be shipped to east coast fertilizer plants. Three railroad companies incorporated to link the phosphate wealth of "Bone Valley" to tidewater terminals on Charlotte Harbor. Only one, the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railway, owned by  monolithic  fertilizer conglomerate -  The American Agricultural Chemical Company -  succeeded. And what a success!

This is the story of how a barely inhabitable, narrow, seven-mile long, barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico became both a major railroad shipping port for Florida phosphate and a winter playground for America's rich and famous. This is the story of how a sandy, tropical, habitat for fishermen and water birds evolved into one of most socially exclusive island communities in the world. It didn't just happen! To this day Gasparilla Island and its only town, Boca Grande, remains a haunt for the financial elite, where the residents who experienced Boca Grande's halcyon railroad days complain that the "billionaires have driven out the millionaires!"

If heaven possesses a railroad, it must certainly reflect the tropical beauty and exotic charm of Boca Grande. This is a meticulously researched work utilizing maps, photographs, and records from the United States National Archive and the Florida State Archive to present a photo-documentary that is both readable and historically accurate.

Autographed copies available direct from Robert F. Fischer, PO Box 956, Englewood, FL 34295-0956, at $29.95 (which includes US Post Office "Media Rate" shipping to any place in the Continential USA). Check or money order made payable to Robert F. Fischer.

Also available at discounted prices from Rails 'N' Shafts. Contact Rails 'N' Shafts

For additional information contact Black Diamonds to Tidewater .

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