Lake City, Florida

History

Timucua and Spanish Florida

In 1539, Hernando de Soto and his Spanish expedition arrived in Tampa Bay. The de Soto expedition proceeded north from Tampa Bay looking for gold. His expedition met a large Native American group called the northern Utina, possibly near present-day Lake City, who were part of the western Timucua people. Some northern Utina were led by powerful chiefs. In the 17th century Spanish missionaries established missions in this area, west of the site of present-day Lake City. Called Santa Cruz de Tarihica, it was used by the Spanish to develop agriculture and bring Native Americans within their sphere.

Alligator

In the 18th century, a Seminole community called Halapata Telofa (also spelled Alapata Telophka) occupied this area, which translated into English, was "Alligator Town". Historians do not know when it was established, but its existence was documented by the US Army in 1821. A February 1821 report, by Captain John H. Bell, mentions that the mico (chief) of Alligator Town had recently died and missed a gathering of chiefs. The most famous resident of Alligator Town was Halpatter Tustenuggee ("Alligator Warrior"), also known as Chief Alligator. He led Seminole warriors in the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) to resist their people's relocation to the Arkansas Territory (now known as Oklahoma).

After Florida became the Florida Territory of the United States in 1821, American settlers formed their own settlement adjacent to Alligator Village and called it Alligator. Following the 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the residents of Alligator Village relocated to the banks of the Peace River (Peas Creek) in the newly established Seminole reservation, leaving Alligator Town. When Columbia County was formed in 1832 from Duval and Alachua counties, Alligator was designated as the seat of the county government.

During the Second Seminole War, several forts were established in the area, including Fort White on the Santa Fe River, and Fort Alligator, also called Fort Lancaster, in present-day downtown Lake City. By 1845, the last of the Seminole left the area of present-day Lake City or were forcibly removed by the US Army.

In 1847, Company C of the Florida Volunteers, which was composed of Lake City members, served in the Mexican–American War.

In November 1858, a railroad was completed connecting Jacksonville to Alligator, which opened the town to more commerce and passenger traffic. Alligator Town was incorporated and its name changed to Lake City in 1859; M. Whit Smith was elected as the town's first mayor.

Civil War

During the American Civil War the railroad between Lake City and Jacksonville was used to send beef and salt to Confederate soldiers. During the summer of 1862, the 8th Florida Infantry Regiment was mustered in at Lake City. The unit was soon deployed to Virginia and fought as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.

In February 1864, Union troops under Truman Seymour advanced west from Jacksonville. His objective was to disrupt Confederate supplies, and obtain African-American recruits and supplies. Confederate General Joseph Finnegan assembled troops and called for reinforcements from P. G. T. Beauregard in response to the Union threat. On February 11, 1864, Finnegan's troops defeated a Union cavalry raid in Lake City. After the Union cavalry was repulsed, Finnegan moved his forces to Olustee Station about ten miles east of Lake City. The Confederate presence at Olustee Station was reinforced to prepare for the Union troops coming from Jacksonville.

Union forces engaged the Confederates at the Battle of Olustee on February 20, 1864, near the Olustee Station. It was the only major battle in Florida during the war. Union casualties were 1,861 men killed, wounded or missing; Confederate casualties were 946 killed, wounded or missing. The Confederate dead were buried in Lake City. In 1928 a memorial for the battle was established in downtown Lake City.

The Civil War badly damaged Florida's railroads, including the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad. The railroad was rebuilt by carpetbagger George William Swepson and was renamed the Florida Central Railroad in 1868. In 1869, the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad was merged with a railroad from Jacksonville to Lake City to form the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad.

1874–1949

In 1874, a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings in Lake City. That same year, Lake City's first newspaper, the Lake City Reporter, was published. In 1876, the Bigelow Building was completed; it later was adapted for use as the City Hall. In 1891, Lake City became the first city in Florida to have electric lights from a local power and light company.

By the early 20th century, Lake City had become an important railroad junction, served by the Seaboard Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, and Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad. Hotel Blanche was built in 1902 as an attraction for expected tourists. The hotel was Lake City and Columbia County's major hotel and central business center from 1902 to 1955. The population of Lake City in 1900 was 4,013; in 1905 was 6,509; and 1910 was 5,032.

Florida Agricultural College was established as a land grant college in 1884 as part of the Morrill Land Grant Act; in 1904 it became a full university with 25 instructors. In 1905 the Florida Agricultural College was moved to Gainesville in accordance with the Buckman Act, becoming part of the University of Florida. Columbia High School constructed a second building in 1906 that was used until 1922. In 1907, Lake City officials leased the former property of the Florida Agricultural College to the Florida Baptist Convention; they founded Columbia College, a Baptist college. It lasted for ten years until overwhelmed with debt. Columbia College deeded the land and buildings back to Lake City in 1919. During World War I, the campus was used as a training site for local troops. The facility was adapted for use as US Hospital No. 63, the predecessor of the Veterans Hospital constructed in Lake City. More than 34 Lake City soldiers were killed in World War I.

In 1940, the population of Lake City was 5,836. During World War II, a number of institutions were established to help with the war effort as well as those in Lake City. The Lake Shore Hospital was dedicated in 1940 to provide medical care for those in the Lake City area. The Lake City Woman's Club became the United Service Organizations (USO) headquarters to entertain service personnel stationed in Lake City. Naval Air Station Lake City was commissioned in 1942 on the site of the Lake City Flying Club air field. NAS Lake City was a support facility for Naval Air Station Jacksonville and trained pilots to fly the Lockheed Ventura. Military operations at NAS Lake City ended in March 1946, and it was decommissioned as an active naval air station.

After World War II a local air base was converted for use in 1947 as the Columbia Forestry School. The Columbia Forestry School had low enrollments and funds, forcing the school to seek help from the Florida legislature. The University of Florida assumed management of the school, and in 1950 it became the University of Florida Forest Ranger School. As part of the network of community colleges established in Florida, the school became the Lake City Junior College and Forest Ranger School in 1962. Lake City Junior College was renamed to Lake City Community College in 1970; in 2010, it was renamed as Florida Gateway College.

1950—

By 1950, the population of Lake City was 7,571. The forestry products industry (turpentine, lumber, and pulpwood) had become a mainstay of the local economy. was formed by a group of amateur radio operators who enjoyed the ability to communicate worldwide. This radio club continues to exist. Lake City's centennial was celebrated in 1959 with parades, fireworks, and A Century in the Sun, a 58-page book documenting 100 years of progress. 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.

In 1963, Interstate 75 and Interstate 10 were opened, intersecting at Lake City. In the 1960s, Columbia County schools were not desegregated. In 1970, a judge ordered all Columbia County public schools to integrate. During the Vietnam War, 23 local Lake City soldiers were either killed or missing in action (M.I.A.).

In 1978, the Columbia County Public Library was established. Downtown Lake City was revitalized in the 1990s with new businesses, shops, and restaurants. In 2000, Lake City had a population of 9,980. The city's sesquicentennial was held in 2009.

On 10 June 2019, Lake City was hit by a cyber ransomware attack that rendered many of the city's communication systems inoperative. On 25 June 2019, the City's insurance company, the Florida League of Cities, paid 42 bitcoins—over US$480,000—for a mechanism to retrieve the City's files and data.

Geography

Lake City is located in northern Florida near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 75. Jacksonville is 60 mi to the east, Tallahassee is 106 mi to the west, Gainesville is 46 mi to the south, and Valdosta, Georgia, is 62 mi to the northwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Lake City has a total area of 32.2 km2, of which 31.1 km2 is land, and 1.0 km2 or 3.20%, is water.

Climate

Lake City is part of the humid subtropical climate zone of the Southeastern United States. Due to its latitude and relative position north of Florida's peninsula it is subject at times to continental conditions, which cause rare cold snaps that may affect sensitive winter crops. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was 106 °F on June 4, 1918, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was 6 °F on February 13, 1899.

|Jan avg record high F = 79.3 |Feb avg record high F = 81.8 |Mar avg record high F = 85.1 |Apr avg record high F = 89.2 |May avg record high F = 93.9 |Jun avg record high F = 96.8 |Jul avg record high F = 96.7 |Aug avg record high F = 95.5 |Sep avg record high F = 93.1 |Oct avg record high F = 89.0 |Nov avg record high F = 84.3 |Dec avg record high F = 80.4 |year avg record high F = 97.9

|Jan avg record low F = 25.1 |Feb avg record low F = 28.4 |Mar avg record low F = 33.9 |Apr avg record low F = 42.2 |May avg record low F = 51.6 |Jun avg record low F = 63.2 |Jul avg record low F = 67.2 |Aug avg record low F = 67.6 |Sep avg record low F = 60.4 |Oct avg record low F = 44.7 |Nov avg record low F = 33.2 |Dec avg record low F = 28.6 |year avg record low F = 23.3

|Jan record high F = 90 |Feb record high F = 89 |Mar record high F = 94 |Apr record high F = 96 |May record high F = 101 |Jun record high F = 106 |Jul record high F = 102 |Aug record high F = 104 |Sep record high F = 101 |Oct record high F = 96 |Nov record high F = 91 |Dec record high F = 91 |year record high F = |Jan record low F = 7 |Feb record low F = 6 |Mar record low F = 19 |Apr record low F = 33 |May record low F = 41 |Jun record low F = 49 |Jul record low F = 57 |Aug record low F = 59 |Sep record low F = 44 |Oct record low F = 32 |Nov record low F = 18 |Dec record low F = 9 |year record low F =

Demographics

Lake City first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census as "Alligator", with a total recorded population of 131.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,329 people, 4,569 households, and 2,321 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 12,046 people, 4,650 households, and 2,558 families residing in the city.

Religion

Around 40% of the people of Lake City are affiliated with a religion. Evangelicalism is the largest religious affiliation with 27.9% followed by Protestant (4.7%), Black Protestantism (3.5%), Catholicism (2.4%) and other religions (1.6%). 59.8% are not affiliated with any religion.

Mountaintop Ministries Worldwide, formerly End Time Ministries and commonly called End Timers, was established near Lake City by Charles Meade in 1984. The basis of the ministry was that Lake City would be the only place to survive Armageddon and believers were to stay in an underground bunker on Meade's property.

Ancestry/ethnicity

As of 2016, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Lake City, Florida were:

Economy

Lake City and Columbia County 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 the 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. U.S. 41 and U.S. 90 (the U.S. highway versions of I-75 and I-10) have intersected in Lake City since 1927, long before the Interstate highways were built. The city relies on travelers for a considerable part of its economy.

Lake City is the location of the Osceola National Forest's administrative offices.

Since 2000, three companies have begun large operations in Lake City: Hunter Panels, New Millennium and United States Cold Storage. Target built their first company-owned and third-party-operated perishable food distribution center in Lake City in 2008.

In 2011, The top employers in the Lake City area are:

Arts and culture

Olustee Battle Festival

Every February on Presidents' Day weekend since 1976, Lake City has hosted the Olustee Battle Festival and reenactment of the Battle of Olustee spanning three days. The festival begins with a memorial service at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Lake City to honor those who died from both sides on day one and ends with a reenactment at the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park on day three. From day one to day three various activities from live entertainment to exhibits are on display in downtown Lake City and the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park.

Alligator Warrior Festival

The Alligator Warrior Festival is held each year on the weekend of the 3rd Saturday in October to recognize the early history of Columbia County prior to the Civil War. The first Alligator Festival was held in 1995 at Olustee Park in downtown Lake City. Starting in 2010 the annual festival has been held at O'Leno State Park 20 mi south of Lake City where the appropriate facilities exist for a full-scale battle reenactment, historic camping and large crowds.

Parks and recreation

• Alligator Lake Park
• Falling Creek Falls
• Olustee Park
• Wilson Park
• Osceola National Park
• Southside Sports Complex
• Youngs Park

Lake City is known for its strong focus on football in both the high school program and in its community culture. The town is notable for producing high-performing football players at the collegiate and professional level at a high ratio, considering its small population.

Government

Lake City no longer governs with a mayor. It is governed by a council/city manager form of government. The city council consists of five members, with four representing four city districts, while the mayor serves at-large throughout all of Lake City. The administration of Lake City consists of the city manager's office, the assistant city manager, Human Resources, Procurement, Finance and Technology.

The Lake City Police Department was founded around 1861 during the Civil War. The first fire department was established in 1883 to complement the police department. Argatha Gilmore was the Chief of Police in 2009 after serving 25 years with the Tallahassee Police Department.

File:LCPDCityHall2017.jpg|Lake City Police Department vehicle File:Lake City Comm Hist Dist City Hall02.jpg|City Hall

Education

The Columbia County School District, the only school district in the entire county, operates nine elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools and an alternative school. High school football is a major focus for the town.

Lake City has one school of higher education: Florida Gateway College offers associate degrees and four-year bachelor's degrees.

File:Columbia County High School Lake City09.jpg|Columbia County High School (1921–1957) File:FGCLakeCity12.jpg|Florida Gateway College File:Columbia High School, Lake City.jpg|Columbia High School File:FortWhiteHighSchool17.jpg|Fort White High School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Airport

The Lake City Gateway Airport is a local center of business. The airport is classified as a general aviation facility, but two on-site operations are somewhat unusual. HAECO (formerly TIMCO) is an aircraft modification and rehabilitation operation for large (B-727, 737 and Airbus A-320 A-319) civilian and military aircraft. The U.S. Forest Service uses C-130 transport aircraft in support of its forest fire-fighting operations in the southeastern United States.

Interstate

• [[File:I-75.svg|25px]] Interstate 75
• [[File:I-10.svg|25px]] Interstate 10 This is where I-75 (exit 435) and I-10 (exit 296) intersect.

U.S. Highways

• [[File:US 90.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 90
• [[File:US 41.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 41
• [[File:US 441.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 441

Railroad

Lake City was a scheduled stop for Amtrak's Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and Orlando from 1993 to 2005, when damage to railroad lines and bridges by Hurricane Katrina caused the curtailment of all service east of New Orleans.

Freight service is provided by the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, which acquired most of the former CSX main line from Pensacola to Jacksonville on June 1, 2019.

Notable people

• Brian Allen, NFL linebacker
• Blayne Barber, PGA golf player
• Jerome Carter, NFL safety
• Fred P. Cone, 27th governor of Florida
• Shayne Edge, former Florida Gators and Pittsburgh Steelers punter
• Grace Elizabeth, model
• Yatil Green, NFL wide receiver, Miami Dolphins
• Harold Hart, NFL player
• Bertram Herlong, bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee
• Timmy Jernigan, NFL defensive tackle
• Michael Kirkman, MLB pitcher, World Series, Texas Rangers
• Kimberly Dianne Leach, last victim of serial killer Ted Bundy
• Trey Marshall, NFL safety
• Martha Mier, pianist and composer
• Dwight Stansel, state representative and farmer
• John Franklin Stewart, MLB, second base
• Pat Summerall, NFL placekicker, television sportscaster
• Jasin Todd, former Shinedown guitarist
• Laremy Tunsil, NFL offensive lineman
• Reinard Wilson, NFL linebacker
• Chubby Wise, fiddler

References

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