Port Tampa, Florida
Port Tampa was about nine miles south of the city of Tampa. The port was developed in large part by Henry Plant as a transportation hub for the Plant System's railway and steamboat lines. Plant had the channel deepened, extended the docks, and built up the port's infrastructure. In the early 1890s Plant's South Florida Railroad had twice daily train service that connected Port Tampa with all points in the U.S., via Sanford and Jacksonville. Steamships traveled weekly to Key West, Havana, Mobile and New Orleans. In the late 1880s Tampa became a major commercial city, exporting cigars and phosphate amongst other goods. Plant also developed hotels such as the Tampa Bay Hotel that opened in 1891 and the Port Tampa Inn that was on the pier to serve rail and steamer travelers. The population for the Tampa metropolitan area was 5,532 according to the 1890 Census. The population tripled by 1900, aided by Tampa's prominent role in the Spanish American War a year earlier. Many of the members of the Expedition traveled from the Sanford region to Port Tampa via train and then south to Fort Myers on the steamship "Tarpon", which was part of the Plant System. Some members of the party also returned home after the Expedition by way of Key West and Port Tampa on the Plant System lines.
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For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015