Glades County, in Florida’s Southeast Region, is an area of unspoiled beauty, neighborly small towns, and great fishing.

The county is wrapped around the western edge of Lake Okeechobee, the second largest lake in the United States. Known to the Seminole Indians as “Big Water,” the Lake is the interior link for Florida’s intracoastal waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s an ideal place for recreational boating with protected waters, peaceful anchorage, and pleasant shore stops.

Moore Haven, the largest city in the county, sits at the “intersection” of U.S. 27 and the Caloosahatchee River which gives access to both the Gulf and Lake Okeechobee. This area of the river is well known for its snook and bass fishing. It’s also a popular place to spot the endangered manatee, or sea cow, during the winter months.

It was in 1915 that James Moore, a Seattle hotel owner, bought 98,000 acres of land here and two years later, in 1917, Moore Haven was chartered as a city. It made national headlines that year by electing the first woman mayor south of the Mason-Dixon line.

In its early days, Moore Haven was known for its produce, catfish and sugar cane. Today, tourism, citrus and cattle can be added to that list. And while everyone talks about the fabulous fishing in the area, it’s also well-known for duck hunting.

Every year, on the first weekend in March, the city celebrates its heritage with the Chalo Nitka Festival. This is one of Florida’s oldest continuous festivals and dates back to 1949. “Chalo Nitka” in the Seminole language means “The Day of the Big Bass,” and it is celebrated with a parade as well as crafts and food booths, music, a rodeo and, of course, a bass fishing tournament.

Ten miles to the north is Lakeport. Begun in 1913 by the Sebring family as “Lakeport Colony,” it was an early shipping point for produce, fish, fur and skins. Several Belgian families were induced to settle in the “colony” along what later became known as “Belgium Avenue.”

After the railroad reached the city of Okeechobee, at the north end of the Lake, the small town of Lakeport became the “fish capital of Florida.” Heavy commercial fishing took its toll on the big lake, however, and many species virtually disappeared until the industry was regulated so that sport fishing could continue in the area. Today, the town is one of the prime fishing spots on Lake Okeechobee with record-breaking catches of bream, bass, shellcrackers, and speckled perch taken here.

Lakeport is also home to the annual Sour Orange Festival, held the second Saturday in February. The Sour Orange tree, while commonly used to give shade, actually has a wide variety of uses and all of them are explored at the festival.

To the north of Lakeport is the 35,805 acre Seminole Indian Brighton Reservation. Glades and neighboring counties became a refuge for Native Americans after they were driven from Northern and Central Florida during the Third Seminole War.

By the 1930’s, however, development of the area once again put pressure on the Seminole way of life. A small 2500 acre tract of land known as Indian Prairie was purchased for the Seminoles and, through various federal and state programs, eventually enlarged to its present size.

About the same time the Brighton Reservation was being established, a severe drought in the Southwestern U.S. brought the Seminoles a “gift” of several hundred head of starving cattle, most of which died during the trip to Florida.

However, the Seminoles, survivors themselves against great odds, made the remaining cattle the nucleus of an enormous economic enterprise. Today the Seminoles are one of the major cattle producers in the southeastern United States.

The Brighton Reservation is a peaceful, pastoral community of 500 residents, many of them cattle ranchers and farmers. Both an Arts & Crafts Festival and a PRCA Rodeo are held in February and showcase the artistic and athletic abilities of the Seminoles.

In northeast Glades County, at the mouth of the Kissimmee River, lies Buckhead Ridge. A quiet community, it is actually the most heavily populated area of the county with over 2,000 permanent residents and an equal number of winter visitors. Every February, the Volunteer Fire Department hosts the annual Catfish Festival featuring food, games, live music and craft booths.

Virtually in the center of Glades County is the small town of Palmdale. Founded in 1901, Palmdale was a shipping point for area cattlemen early in the twentieth century. Today, however, much of the activity in the area is centered on Fisheating Creek, one of the most beautiful and pristine waterways in the state.

The town is located on U.S. 27 and is a popular stop for travelers. Many visit the Cypress Knee Museum which is located at the site of an old railroad camp. The museum features a large collection of cypress wood shapes and forms from all over the southeastern United States.
Also nearby is Gatorama and Posey’s Gator Farm, both of which have large populations of alligators within safe, fenced areas. While you’re in the area, be sure to sample a local treat, “Gator Tail,” which is widely available.

Muse, in southwestern Glades County, was homesteaded in the early days of the twentieth century. Many of the descendants of these Florida pioneers still hold land on original U.S. government patents. A quiet, rural area, the residents range from young couples with small children to retirees. All are attracted by the small town “feel” and the tranquility of the country.

They are also drawn by the natural beauty of the surroundings. From the cypress sloughs to the stately loblolly bay trees, sabal palms and majestic oaks to the ever-present myrtle bush, the view seems never to end. Here you can see deer casually grazing in a field or an otter playfully romping in one of the sloughs. Great blue herons are a familiar sight fishing along the roadside swales and sandhill cranes are often seen in the open fields.

Ortona is in southern Glades County, along the Caloosahatchee River. The nearby Ortona Locks provide a public boat ramp, fishing piers, park and picnic areas.

Ortona was originally named “Chiahi,” an Indian word meaning “high ground.” But in the mid-twenties, Jerome Attanasio bought 360 acres and began planting grapevines. He named the spot “Ortona,” the place of his birth in Italy.

He hoped to attract other wine makers to Ortona, but fishing, hunting, and farming were more prosperous. Although the grapes have long since disappeared, the name has remained.

Many of the early settlers, some of whom built houses of cane poles and cabbage palms, grew sugar cane and helped each other with the grinding and syrup making. That heritage is revisited each year in February with the popular Cane Grinding Festival.

Glades County is an area of Florida discovered by only a few, but those who have made a visit here find themselves drawn to return. This quiet county is but an hour’s drive to all the attractions of urban life, but still evokes an earlier time of small towns, friendly neighbors and quiet days of fishing.

For more information, contact the Glades County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 490, Moore Haven, Florida 33471 or call them at 863-946-0440