March 23, 1997

Tamiami Trail Sparked Drive For First Harbor Bridge

First Of Two Parts

Agitation for a road from Tampa to Miami began in 1914. A reporter for the Miami Herald dramatized the project by dubbing it the "Tamiami Trail." The Punta Gorda Herald opined that the name was contrived but the road a wonderful idea.

John Hagan, Sr., was the first here to see the importance of such a highway for the local economy. He was a resident of Charlotte Harbor Town and a commissioner of DeSoto County which then included what is now Charlotte County.

The original plan was to divert the Tamiami Trail inland to avoid Charlotte Harbor and the lower Caloosahatchee River at Fort Myers. Hagan set out to persuade west coast communities to get the highway by rushing ahead with a shell and marl road and a "great bridge" over Charlotte Harbor.

Hagan was supported by Senator F. M. Cooper, J. E. Bowdoin, Attorney J. H. Hancock, Clay Chadwick, A. F. Dewer and H. R. Mauck and many other local civic leaders.

Various road-and-bridge tax districts were established for the purpose. Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor Town issued $200,000 worth of bonds. No state or federal money was sought.

Work began on the bridge in l9l6. It had been hoped the bridge could be built of wood. However, the main source of creosote with which to waterproof wood came from German companies, and that country was engaged in the First World War

Consequently, it was decided to build the bridge of reinforced concrete, a relatively new construction technique.

The contract was awarded to Frank Stamm. However, raging inflation brought on by the war caused such an increase in the cost of steel and concrete that he could not meet his bid price. He abandoned the job after constructing the mid-harbor hand-cranked swing span. Frank Malone was named the second contractor. He met the same fate when prices continued to soar after the United States entered the war.

Work on the bridge did not resume until nearly two years after the war when steel and concrete again became available. By this time, Charlotte County had split from DeSoto County; and William M. Whitten of Punta Gorda was a commissioner.

Whitten, a prominent pineapple grower and business man, undertook to resume construction of the half-finished bridge by advancing several thousands dollars of his own money. The contract was awarded to the J. F. Jaudon Engineering Company which also was building the Trail through the Everglades. Chief engineer here was E.V. Camp.

Whitten supervised the bridge work closely and badgered the new Charlotte County Commission for funds. He is generally credited with successful completion of the bridge.

The last section of concrete was poured on June 28, l921, after six years of intermittent construction. The Herald carried a full front-page account of the bridge completion --- and an "Invitation to South Florida" to attend a free fish fry at the dedication July 4.

It appeared that all of South Florida came. Though Punta Gorda had a population of only 1,300 approximately 6,000 people showed up at the waterfront for fish, a concert by the Charlotte Harbor Military Band, a dance at the Charlotte Harbor Hotel -- and the funeral of Senator Cooper who had died three days earlier.

The dignitary who cut the ribbon opening the bridge is not known --- all copies of the July 7, l921, Herald reporting the events have been lost. Any reader with a copy of that issue, or a clipping, would provide a great contribution to local history by furnishing us with the information.

We do know that John Hagan, Jr., led the caravan of Model T Fords over the bridge. It is likely that his father and Whitten were passengers.

The bridge was a mile long, not counting its approaches which added another quarter-mile. It extended from Sand Point (Live Oak Point) at Charlotte Harbor Town to Nesbit Street at Punta Gorda. Unfortunately the bridge had several problems. It was designed in l915 when the horse and buggy was still the principal mode of travel. The bridge was only 14 1/2 feet wide which left barely enough room for two automobiles. Speed limit was l5 miles per hour. When two cars had to pass, it was customary for one to pull against the rail and stop while the other squeezed by.

The most serious problem, though, was deterioration of the concrete. Ordinary beach sand and bay water was used in the concrete. Residual salt in the mixture eroded reinforcing rods, and large chunks of concrete fell away.

This, and increasing auto traffic that occurred when the Tamiami Trail was completed in 1928, made it necessary to construct a new bridge.

Next Week: Second Bridge

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers

(Photo courtesy of Charlotte Harbor Area Historical Society.)

cutline First bridge was only 14 1/2 feet wide.