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Betsy Purdum
Grave of early settler
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Betsy Purdum
McKinney Homestead site
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History
Prehistoric settlement in this part of Florida was strongly tied to
river and coastal resources. Archaeological sites have been found near
the Withlacoochee River and well-drained margins of lakes and spring
heads. However, Native American sites were not prevalent on this side
of the Withlacoochee River, probably due to its swampy banks. After
the Seminole Wars, white settlers from the Carolinas received federal
land grants as compensation for voluntary service in the Seminole Wars.
Colonists began using these grants to settle the area in the 1840s.
Five recorded homestead sites remain, some associated with the former
community of Alto, which existed from about 1888 through the early 1900s.
One of these, the McKinney Place, was inhabited from 1916 to 1945. The
McKinneys raised cattle until the combined effects of screw worms and
World War II forced them to sell the land for watermelon and sod production.
The Carltons acquired the land in 1969 for cattle ranching; they used
existing fields and converted sections of palmetto scrub to improved
pasture. A hunting club also leased the area from the early 1980s until
the state purchased the Carlton Half Moon Ranch in 1989 in an effort
to help preserve the water quality of Withlacoochee and its tributaries.
In May 1992, the then-Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission entered
a lease agreement with the
Southwest
Florida Water Management District, and an additional 4,021
acres were added to the management area.
