The Expedition party traveled southeast from Fort Myers to Fort Shackleford with George and Frank Hendry as their guides. The location of the fort, which is often spelled as Shackelford, was about 90 miles from Fort Myers and about 20 miles south-southwest from the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee. The group was disappointed to learn that the fort no longer actually existed; the pine island had no signs of the previous wooden fort. The fort was constructed by the U.S. Army in 1855, along with several other forts and camps established south of the Caloosahatchee River including Fort Simon Drum and Fort Simmons. After it was abandoned only a few months later by the Army, the wooden fort was plundered and burned by the Seminoles. A survey completed by Marcellus A. Williams in 1875 included the site of Fort Shackleford and his notes describe the site as "... a pine island with perhaps half dozen pine trees...." The Expedition party spent a couple of days camped at the Fort Shackleford site before entering the Everglades about two to five miles to the east. They were visited by the Seminole woman Old Nancy and her daughters and grandchildren. The surveyors began their line from a pine tree at Fort Shackleford.
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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