Snow Bird Founds Solana

Solana, a "suburb" east of Punta Gorda, was platted in 1889; but its roots precede the city by a dozen years.

The first homesteader on the south shore of "Peace River Bay of Charlotte Harbor" appears to be a "snow bird" named Frederick W. Howard from Kinderhook, N.Y. A letter discovered by Historian Vernon Peeples discloses that Howard came here in 1873. The letter was mailed in November of that year from Charlotte Harbor (town) by Howard to his fiance Anna Guion in New York City.

In the letter, post-marked from the new post office at Charlotte Harbor Town, Howard described the land in picturesque terms to his fiance Anna Guion. They were married the following year. The letter provides colorful insight to just how wild and isolated Charlotte Harbor was: "In proper season a party of Indians from their home in the Everglades or Big Cypress sometimes passed by in their dugouts, propelled by long poles, on their way up Peace or Shell Creek to gather kunty roots .... Tommy Tiger Tail, son of the famous Tiger Tail; Che-up-ko or Chip-ko, a noted warrior, then an old but vigorous man of 80 or more years; and the genial Doctor (another well known Seminole) were among the Indian visitors."

The Howards built a five-room log cabin which may have been only a winter home. The Florida census of 1880 does not record the names of Frederick and Anna Howard, though it does list James Madison Lanier their neighbor. The Florida census of 1890 was destroyed by fire at Washington, D.C., so the Howards first show up on a local census in 1900 as "retired." He and Anna had no children.

Manatee County deed records indicate Howard filed a homestead claim in 1877. It took three years to "prove out" a claim by living on three acres of the property at least three months a year. Visitors from "up north" often fulfilled the homestead requirements by spending the winter here for three years. Howard received a homestead certificate Oct. l, 1880, for 132 acres. He paid taxes on 80 acres of the Charlotte Harbor property in 1883.

The Howards prospered when Florida Southern Railway ran its line to Trabue (Punta Gorda) through his property in 1886. The bill of sale from Frederick W. Howard and his wife Anna to the railroad was signed by them in "New York County, State of New York." It was notarized by "Bunard J. Kelly, Commissioner for State of Florida, residing in New York."

Howard in 1887 hired Harvey B. Kelly, the surveyor of Trabue-Punta Gorda two years earlier, to establish boundaries. Then in 1889 Howard sold 18 acres of waterfront to Henry Copp of Washington, D.C., for "$10 and other valuable considerations" --- a legal device to conceal the purchase price." The Howards' residence was given as Town of Kinderhook, N.Y.

How Solana Named

Encouraged by substantial profit, Howard had Surveyor Edmund Scott plat the remaining property into building lots. The sub-division was named Solana a combination of names for the Sun (Sol) and his wife (Anna). The Solana plat was filed at Arcadia on Nov. l8, 1889. Local agent was Ernest Pearce, a Punta Gorda real estate broker.

The first three lot sales in Jan. 1890 were to residents of Kinderhook, N.Y. One of these was Elbridge G. Howard, probably a nephew of Frederick. The next three sales within a month were to residents of New York or New Jersey, probably friends because one purchaser was Louise E. Guion, a sister of Anna.

Solana lots sold briskly thereafter to local buyers. Heartened by growth of Punta Gorda and their own development, the Howards moved to Solana permanently in 1891. Deed transfers thereafter give their address as DeSoto County which included what is now Charlotte County.

The Howards built a large two-story home with wrap-around veranda at the corner of Howard Street and Shore Drive. Two of Frederick Howard's nephews lived with them. The stately structure, more than a century old, is still occupied as a home.

By this time, the cultivation of pineapples had become a major industry in the Punta Gorda area after introduction of the hybrid Cayenne. Howard sold eight acres along the south side of Dixie Highway (S.R. 17) to the Solana Pineries for $345 in 1900 and was a director.

Solana acquired a strong community identity when William M. Whitten, a successful business man of South Bend, Ind., moved there in 1902 to a large pinery he had bought as an investment south of Solana.

Several other pineries were in operation east of Punta Gorda by that time, including the LaVilla Pineapple Farm (now the Punt Gorda Golf Club) backed by Chicago investors.

The Rev. Benjamin Franklin Oswald, a retired Methodist minister, bought five acres at Solana in 1913. He moved his family there the following year when his daughter, Esther (now Mrs. Cullough), was graduated from high school. She recalls "wonderful times" in Solana:

"Freeman and Morton had a store there, and J.S. Jackson ran a taxi service with his Model-T Ford. The Howards had a big house down by the waterfront. Our pride was the Solana Military Band which played on special occasions.

"We planted a small pinery of about an acre, and there were many other pineries in the area. At harvest time, the train stopped every day to pick up crates of fruit.

"A disastrous freeze in the winter of 1917 devastated the pineapples and this was followed the next year by a hurricane which blew down the slatted sheds protecting the sensitive Cayennes from sunburn. Cheaper Cuban pineapples had by this time taken over most of the market, and the big growers at Solana gave up."

Solana began to decline. However, the area today is enjoying a comeback with the Emerald Point condominiums, renovation of the Elks Lodge, new stores, and construction of up-scale homes.

All that is needed now is a few acres of pineapples and a military band.

Author: Lindsey Williams

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