Punta Gorda Information
The City was founded in 1882 by Colonel Isaac Trabue on 30 acres of land on the southern shore of Charlotte Harbor and was known as the Town of Trabue. On August 1, 1886 the first train of the Florida Southern Railroad arrived in the Town of Trabue marking the beginning regular passenger service. In 1887, the name of the town was changed to Punta Gorda, Spanish for “Fat Point.” Beginning in the 1890′s, Punta Gorda became an important port for the shipment of cattle to Cuba. In 1891, gill net fishing for mullet, Spanish mackerel, and channel bass became profitable with the founding of the Consolidated Ice Manufacturing, Refrigeration and Fish Company. The thriving little City of Punta Gorda was finally incorporated and elected its first mayor, Mr. August Freeman, in 1900.
Most of Punta Gorda’s downtown was destroyed by fire in 1905. After this disaster the City Council mandated that all new business structures be constructed of brick or concrete. With the completion of the first bridge across Charlotte Harbor in June of 1921, the great Florida land boom of the 1920′s reached the fishing village of Punta Gorda. During this period many of the City’s key structures were built including City Hall, the Old County Courthouse, and National Register Landmarks including the Punta Gorda Women’s Club, Smith Arcade, Charlotte High School, and the Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot.
