Dog Island
Encyclopedia
Carrabelle, Florida
Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2009, the city had a population of 1,231.-Location:...
in Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
.
Location
The island is partly sheltering St. George Sound and Apalachicola BayApalachicola Bay
Apalachicola Bay is an estuary and lagoon located on Florida's northwest coast renowned for its oysters. The Apalachicola Bay system also includes St. Georges Sound, St. Vincent Sound and East Bay, covering an area of about . Four islands St. Vincent Island to the west, Cape St. George Island and St...
. It's the eastern-most part of a chain of barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
s located off the northern panhandle of Florida just offshore from where the Crooked River merges into the Carrabelle River and then into St. George Sound. Other barrier islands in this chain include St.Vincent Island
St. Vincent Island, Florida
St. Vincent Island is the western-most of 4 barrier islands in the northwestern Florida Gulf coast which include Cape St. George Island, St. George Island and Dog Island. St. Vincent Island is located just offshore in Franklin County, Florida south southeast of Cape San Blas and north of Cape St...
, Cape St. George Island
Cape St. George Island
Cape St. George Island is an uninhabited barrier island situated on Florida’s North Gulf Coast, south-southeast of St. Vincent Island, west of St. George Island and 8-10 miles south-southwest of the town of Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida. It was formerly part of St...
, and St. George Island.
This island is small at 6.8 miles in length, accessible only by boat, ferry or airplane. The Nature Conservancy owns most of the island, while some parts are privately owned residential property.
Origin
The island and its two neighbors were discovered by the French in 1536 and named the Dog Islands, because 1) wild dogs were found on them; 2) the islands resemble a crouched dog, or 3) the early ships put their common sailors - known as dogs - on the islands before docking on the mainland so they could not jump ship. Later, the two neighbors were renamed: St. Vincent, which is a Federal wildlife refuge, and St. George, which has a causeway and is, naturally, a booming resort community.Indians used Dog Island as a fishing camp, and the 1985 hurricanes uncovered pot shards found on the west end. After World War II, Jeff Lewis, a Florida businessman, saw its potential as a vacation area and paid $12,000 for the island.
History
Dog Island has some evidence of human presence dating back as early as 8,000 years ago. The island also has a rich maritimeSea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
history. The discovery of a 9th century canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
is a testament to prehistoric mariners on the island. During the 17th century and 18th century the barrier islands became a haven of piracy and smuggling.
18th century
On February 16, 1766, Le Tigre, a French merchant brigantineBrigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
, was on route to New Orleans and wrecked 300 yards east of Dog Island in a great storm. A survivor, Monsieur Pierre Viaud, chronicled the experience.
In 1799, the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
purchased the HMS Fox, a 14 gun British war schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
only to see it wreck later that year.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Dog Island was used by the Union Navy as a base for staging the blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
of Apalachicola.
19th century
As part of the United States, economic shipping greatly increased as St. Marks, St. JosephSt. Joseph, Florida
St. Joseph, Florida, was a boomtown that briefly became the largest community in Florida, before being destroyed only eight years after it was founded. St. Joseph was founded in 1835 on the shores of St. Joseph Bay, one of the finest natural harbors on the Gulf Coast of the United States. The...
, and Apalachicola became major ports on the Gulf Coast. Both sail and steam ships traveled to Dog Island to exploit its resources of lumber and naval stores such as turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
and pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
products. In 1838, Dog Island Light
Dog Island Light
The Dog Island Light was located on the western tip of Dog Island south of Carrabelle, Florida. It marked the "middle entrance to St. George's Sound," between St. George and Dog Islands, during the nineteenth century, until its collapse by a hurricane in 1873....
, was built on the western tip of the island.
In 1899, the 2nd hurricane of the season struck the area almost destroying the town of Carrabelle
Carrabelle, Florida
Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,303 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2009, the city had a population of 1,231.-Location:...
leaving just nine homes. Roughly 6 miles inland at McIntyre only two mill boilers were left. The summer resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
of Lanark Inn was said to be "blown in to the Gulf". The Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad
Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Georgia Railroad
The Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad was a short railroad running in north Florida and southern Georgia.- History :The Carrabelle, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad was incorporated on January 5, 1891. It was projected along a route extending from Carrabelle through Tallahassee and northward...
was destroyed for a distance of 30 miles and a locomotive on the track was displaced some 100 yards off the track.
Fifteen ships were completely destroyed in a hurricane with 12 loaded with lumber. They were:
- American ships
- James A. GarfieldJames A. Garfield (ship)The James A. Garfield was an American 3-masted bark which sunk off of the Florida gulf coast.The Garfield transported lumber and operated in and out of Apalachee Bay. During this time, the bay served as an anchorage for timber concerns in northern Florida and provided access to the port towns of...
, a schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, under the command of Capt. Cottingham. - Mary E. Morse a schooner, under the command of Capt. Densmore.
- Benjamin C. CromwellBenjamin C. Cromwell (ship)The Benjamin C. Cromwell was a transport schooner built from June 30, 1883,to October 31, 1890 by Andrew J. York in South Portland, Maine. York sailed as master of three sailing ships, the Mattie B. Russell from June 21, 1873, to March 20, 1876; of the Edward Waite from 1876 to...
, a schooner under the command of Capt. McClean. - Grace Andrews, a schooner under the command of Capt. Brown.
- Warren Adams, a schooner under the command of Capt. Gibbons
- Vidette, a barkentine under the command of Capt. Waldren.
- Capitola, a steamship
- Iola, a steamship
- Albert Haley, a fishing smackSmack (ship)A smack was a traditional fishing boat used off the coast of England and the Atlantic coast of America for most of the 19th century, and even in small numbers up to the Second World War. It was originally a cutter rigged sailing boat until about 1865, when the smacks became so large that cutter...
.
- James A. Garfield
- Norwegian ships
- Ranavola, barkBarqueA barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
under the command of Capt. Edwardson. - Vale, a bark, under the command of Capt. Andersen.
- Elsbeth, a bark under the command of Capt. Pedersen.
- Jafnhar, a bark under the command of Capt. Tygensen.
- Hindoo, a bark under the command of Capt. Madsen.
- Ranavola, bark
- Russian ships:
- Latara, a bark under the command of Capt. Krantman
- Italian ships
- Corteria, a bark which was split in half
Another 40 ships under 20 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s were sunk or destroyed.
20th century
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dog Island was part of Camp Gordon Johnston
Camp Gordon Johnston
Camp Gordon Johnson was a World War II United States Army training center located in Carrabelle, Florida, United States.-History:Camp Johnson opened in September 1941 as Camp Carrabelle and was later named after Colonel Gordon Johnston, a well decorated soldier who served in the Spanish-American...
. Four separate camps comprised the complex: three for regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
al combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
teams, and the fourth for the headquarters and support facilities. Dog Island was used for amphibious
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
landings and airdrops.
An archaeological research project, the Dog Island Shipwreck Survey, was initiated in 1999 by Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
researcher Chuck Meide to systematically search the waters off Dog Island, using acoustic and electromagnetic
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
devices, to discover historic shipwrecks. Project archaeologists conducted excavations on the wreck of the 1899 Norwegian lumber ship Vale mentioned above, and also located a number of other submerged archaeological sites, including the ruins of the Dog Island Light
Dog Island Light
The Dog Island Light was located on the western tip of Dog Island south of Carrabelle, Florida. It marked the "middle entrance to St. George's Sound," between St. George and Dog Islands, during the nineteenth century, until its collapse by a hurricane in 1873....
house, using sonar and magnetometer.