A Great Treasure
The North Fork of the New River
The story of the North Fork of the New River starts off slowly. A little over a hundred years ago the Stranahan Trading Post was established along the New River. This was to become the first permanent settlement in the area.
For thousands of years the New River was home to Native Americans. The river was a source of food and a means of transportation from the Atlantic Ocean into the Everglades. When the Spaniards arrived in 1513, the Tequesta Indians were here to greet them.
After 250 years of trying to settle this land, the Spaniards deeded Florida to the British in 1763 in exchange for Havana, Cuba. The local Indians of the time, the Tequesta tribe left the area. This exchange was short-lived, for in 1783 the British returned Florida to Spain in exchange for the Bahamas. Finally in 1819, after much military action in the northern part of Florida, Spain gave the United States title to Florida.
In 1893, The Stranahan Trading Post was established. And in 1896 the East Coast Railway was completed. It is known that some of the blacks who worked on the railroad stayed and settled in the Fort Lauderdale area. That year, Fort Lauderdale had 53 residents of whom 7 where black.
In our time, the story of the North Fork of the New River is also the story of the African American Community in Fort Lauderdale. In 1927, the city of Fort Lauderdale implemented its city planning model of quadrants or gridirons. The boundaries of the African American community were designated as north of Broward Blvd. and west of Andrews Blvd.
In that area was found the North Fork of the New River. It was a jewel – a natural river that connected the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean. In the southern-eastern part of the river, it supported marine life from the ocean, while further north and west the water was fresh. It was home to incredibly diverse ecosystems ranging from fresh water to the brackish water estuary conditions. It was abundant with wildlife and numerous species of fish and provided a source of food for many in the community.
The North Fork also provided a place of recreation for its community members. Close to the water with native trees and plants everywhere, the area provided a respite for picnics and outings during the hot humid summers. Up until the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, this area was surrounded by the Everglades and swamps.
In 1948 as part of the Central and Southern Flood Control Project, the Broward Boulevard Bridge was built. This construction contributed to cutting off the natural flow in the North Fork of fresh water from the Everglades and salt water from the mouth of the New River. This bridge has a 4 foot clearance at high tide. This effectively sealed off access to the black community via the New River, likewise except in very small boats or canoes, members of the black community would not be able to travel the river to the mouth of the New River through the white neighborhoods.
Still for another 12 years or so, the North Fork continued to be a source of food and recreation for its surrounding community. To this day, when you venture out on a canoe on the North Fork, you will see much of the native vegetation community members saw over a hundred years ago. Cypress Trees abound with trunks over 3 feet in diameter and pond apple trees lean over the river with branches laden with enormous fat pond apples.
Early in the 1960’s conditions on the North Fork changed drastically. In 1962 as a result of the opening of a new Fort Lauderdale waste treatment plant located in the North Fork Community, five (5) million gallons of treated sewage were dumped into the North Fork on a daily basis. This continued until 1986.
Simultaneous to this development, I-95 was being built through the North Fork Community. Much of the waste materials from that construction project were dumped into the North Fork. To add insult to injury, from the early 1970’s until 1995, the circus located at the Swap Shop on the corner of Sunrise Blvd. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (NW 31st Street ) regularly dumped into the North Fork elephant dung from its 3 animals. So, for thirty years the river experienced a slow death. Others started to use the North Fork as a general dumping ground for old appliances, cars, tires and garbage. No longer was the North Fork an idyllic natural setting to catch fish and take an occasional swim.
Then in 1991, a New River Water Quality Evaluation was initiated. As a result of this evaluation, a restoration plan was developed. Over the past 10 years more than a million dollars has been spent cleaning up the North Fork of the New River. It has been dredged several times to remove the sludge dumped by the waste treatment plant. Cars, appliances and garbage from years of dumping have been removed. Ten years ago the circus was ordered to stop dumping the elephant dung. Invasive exotic plants were removed and replaced with native plants local to this ecosystem. A regular community clean up was started 5 years ago by collaborative efforts of students from Florida Atlantic University, members of the Audubon Society, the Broward Urban River Trails and the Wildlife Rescue Team.
Yes the North Fork is a different place than encountered by the first African Americans who settled on its banks. AND, it is different than it was 20 years.
The North Fork river water is cleaner than it has been in years. Those who have oversight of the river …. members of the community, The South Florida Water Management District, Broward County, the city of Fort Lauderdale and the state of Florida are all working to continue the effort to restore the ecosystem and improve the river and its water quality so that it will be a bit of wilderness in an urban environment for many more generations.