The lands around Lake Okeechobee became major centers of sugarcane, cattle and vegetable agriculture. These economic shifts transformed drainage, runoff, nutrient flow and therefore the visual and ecological health of the lake.   From the scenic route you may notice large agricultural fields, drainage canals, levees and pump stations—each

Originally, roads and access points around Lake Okeechobee were dictated by water-control infrastructure and agricultural access rather than tourism. But over time, the idea of a scenic loop or trail emerged—both for local recreation and ecological appreciation. One notable element is the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST), a trail that follows

One of the most dramatic transformations in the lake’s history came with large-scale drainage and flood control efforts. Florida’s governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward famously declared his intention to “drain the Everglades,” but the lake was central to that vision.   Major events included: The eastward excavation of the St. Luci

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples lived around the lake and navigated its waters. The Calusa, Mayaimi, Mayaca and later Seminole and Miccosukee peoples made their homes on islands, hammocks and shorelines.   Archaeological evidence shows burial mounds, shell middens, canoe artifacts and canal-like pathways along the lake’s perimet