It was cool and breezy today and no prospects for diving, so I tossed the dog in the truck and took a ride to the dive shop to fill my tank.
On the way I passed the Cortez Maritime Museum and stopped to take a peek.
A lovely little distraction off the beaten path.
On the way I passed the Cortez Maritime Museum and stopped to take a peek.
The museum is housed in a renovated schoolhouse, a little piece of history in itself. The Village of Cortez, Florida began in the early 1880’s when several families migrated from NC and settled on what was then known as Hunters Point to fish for mullet.
They mostly gillnetted and the village thrived catching fish and selling them to Cuba. Fifty years later the villagers decided to call the community DeSoto after the first Spanish explorer there and requested a post office. A Washington clerk decided that there was already a DeSoto in Florida and promptly renamed the village Cortez after Hernando Cortez. Unfortunately Cortez never came to Florida and was not a part of Florida history.
The advent of gasoline motors and a railroad connecting Cortez to Tampa and the rest of the US caused the village to boom until destroyed by a hurricane in 1921, then in 1929 stock market crashed and the mullet mysteriously disappeared not returning until 1939
. During the Depression Cortez was the only place in the US which did not accept financial assistance from the US government. A feisty little lot.
. During the Depression Cortez was the only place in the US which did not accept financial assistance from the US government. A feisty little lot. They were confounded again in 1947 and 1953 with horrific red tides and during the late 60’s development in surrounding areas destroyed the mangroves which were the nursery area for the mullet the village so depended on.
In 1969 legislation was proposed to ban fishing in the bays and the local population banded together with other fisherman in Florida to defeat the bill.
A boom in the Japanese market brought prosperity back to the area only to have a 1995 Florida Constitutional Amendment ban gillnetting, the life blood of the village’s fishermen. They still fight to remain an active fishing community but most of the young adults have moved on to other occupations and the family fishing businesses are slowly falling away. In a village of appx 500 residents over 100 buildings have been designated historical sites. Truly an interesting area.
The Maritime Museum follows the rise and fall of the local fishing industry with all the good and bad luck to have befallen the village. Included among the history are examples of how
their fishing has changed over the years from poling boats and bailing with wooden bailers to motorized net hauling, and everything in between. They also have an art gallery with a wonderful collection of artwork representing the local area and fishing in general.
their fishing has changed over the years from poling boats and bailing with wooden bailers to motorized net hauling, and everything in between. They also have an art gallery with a wonderful collection of artwork representing the local area and fishing in general.A lovely little distraction off the beaten path.