Map Search    Florida Department of State « Previous    Visit an Historic Port Apalachicola Cedar Key Fernandina Fort Pierce Indian Key Jacksonville Key West Manatee Miami New Smyrna Palm Beach Pensacola Port Canaveral Port Everglades Port St. Joe St. Andrews/Panama City St. Augustine St. Marks St. Petersburg Tampa ->Maritime Trail Home ->Ports Home    Next » Fort Pierce Photo courtesy of Florida Photo Archives.     Before road and railroad, the people of Fort Pierce relied on the Indian River for transportation. Unlike most Atlantic Coast inlets, the shallow Indian River inlet was relatively stable. In 1919 The Fort Pierce Financing and Construction Company began to develop a port by cutting a new inlet through Hutchinson Island, a barrier island opposite the town of Fort Pierce. Port Fort Pierce opened in 1922 and in 1935 the channel was dredged deeper. The U.S. Navy assumed control of the port during World War II and commercial trade through the port ceased. Fishing and pineapple plantations drove the area's economy to the dawn of the 20th century. Today, Indian River citrus shipped from Port Fort Pierce is famous worldwide. Find out more: Additional Links: Florida Ports Council St. Lucie County Further Reading: Coats Williams, Ada. A Brief History of Saint Lucie County. Theresa M. Field (Office Services), Ft. Pierce, Fla., 1963. Rieley Rights, Lucille. A Portrait of St. Lucie County, Florida. The Donning Company Publishers, Virginia Beach, Va., 1994. View a map of Fort Pierce Communities | Environments | Forts | Lighthouses | Ports | Shipwrecks | Home The Florida Maritime Heritage Trail was created and is maintained by the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, with initial funding by Florida Coastal Management Program. Send comments to: [email protected]