2013 Summer Newsletter

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: COLUMBIA COUNTY

The site of Lake City was a Seminole village named Alpata Telophka or Hvlpvtv Tvlofv , meaning "Alligator Village". By 1830, a Euro-American town called Alligator was established, adjacent to the Seminole town. The city was incorporated and changed to its current name in 1859. The name was changed because the mayor's wife, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator. Local bodies of water in- clude Lake DeSoto, Lake Isabella, Alligator Lake, Lake Hamburg, Gwen Lake, Lake Harper and Watertown Lake. The American Civil War Battle of Olustee took place near Lake City in Febru- ary 1864. It was the only major battle in Florida during the war. Union casual- ties were 1,861 men killed, wounded or missing; Confederate casualties were 946 killed, wounded or missing.

Hon. J. Doyle Crews, CFA

Southern Business & Development magazine has ranked Lake City | Columbia County number eight Best Small Market since 2000.

By the early 20th century, Lake City had become an important railroad junction, served by the Sea- board Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, Georgia Southern Line, and the Florida Railroad Line. Florida Agricultural College, one of the four schools that formed the University of Florida, was origi- nally located in Lake City before consolidation to Gainesville in 1905.

By 1950, the population of Lake City was 7,467 people and forestry (turpentine, lumber, and pulp- wood) had become a mainstay of the local economy.

In 1958, the Columbia Amateur Radio Society was formed. This was a group of amateur radio opera- tors that enjoyed the ability to communicate all over the world. Amateur radio is a hobby that attracts a wide range of people interested in all facets of radio communications. Involvement in amateur radio allows people to practice their public speaking skills as well as the advancement of one's knowledge of radio theory, electronics, and emergency management. This radio club still exists today. Lake City's Centennial was celebrated in 1959 with parades, fireworks and a 58-page book document- ing one hundred years of progress, “A Century in the Sun”. The citizens of the town dressed in period attire, complete with whiskers. A good-natured clash arose between the men with additional facial hair and the women who did not like it.

Lake City and Columbia County, Florida are known as "The Gateway to Florida" because Interstate 75 runs through them, carrying a large percentage of Florida's tourist and commercial traffic. Lake City is one of the most northernmost sizable town/city in Florida on Interstate 75 and the location where I- 10 and I-75 intersect. Interstate 10 is the southernmost east- west major interstate highway and traverses the country from Jacksonville, Florida to Santa Monica, California. US 41 and US 90 (the US Highway versions of I-75 and I-10) have inter- sected in Lake City since 1927, long before the Interstate High- ways were built. Interstate traffic also passed though Lake City during that time. The city relies on travelers for a considerable part of its economy.

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Summer 2013 Newsletter of the FCIAAO