Little ol' Aripeka made the news! While entering Wal-Mart on US 19 in Spring hill, one of the newspapers in the stand next to McDonalds caught my eye, the Hernando Sun, a small local newspaper had a front page story on our little town titled "The Lure of Aripeka"! I paid my money and got a copy, but you can read it here.
Photography by Rocco Maglio
Aripeka is a fishing village that straddles north western
Pasco and south western Hernando counties. Over the years it has been a
favorite hangout of well known figures including Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and
James Rosenquist.
In one of the earliest records, the area was was deeded to
Major John Parsons and Nannie Yulee in 1859. Major John Parsons was a major
landowner and one of the founders of Bayport. Nannie Yulee was the daughter of
David Levy Yulee who owned the sugar mill in Homosassa and is widely known as a
member of the United States Senate.
The area was known as Gulf Key when it was originally
settled in 1886. Many of the buildings were built with lumber from the Aripeka
Saw Mill Company. Aripeka adopted the mill's name for the town. Aripeka
received electric service in the 1940s and this helped the town to grow.
The name Aripeka is most likely derived from a Miccosukee
chief named Sam Jones who also went by Abiaca, Ar-pi-uck-i, Opoica, Arpeika,
Aripeka, and Aripeika. During the Seminole Wars when most of the Seminole
chiefs had surrendered and agreed to be relocated to the West, Sam Jones and
Osceola with a band of followers attacked Fort Brooks and freed a large number
of Seminoles. Sam Jones was vehemently opposed to being relocated from Florida.
He continued to fight and evade the searches for him, eventually settling to
South Florida, in an area inland from Ft. Lauderdale.
The Littell Fish Camp was built in 1898. There were small
fishing shacks for visitors to stay in. According to historical accounts Jack
Dempsey and Babe Ruth were frequent visitors at the fish camp. They are said to
have enjoyed the area's fishing, especially nearby Hunter Lake and the telling
of fish stories.
A popular place in
Aripeka was the Osowaw Inn. It is said that Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey were
frequent guests at the Inn. The Inn even used the drawing card of "The
Babe slept here." The Yankee's Spring Training Facility was located in St.
Petersburg at the time, so it was just a short trip up to Aripeka for Babe and
his teammates.
On October 15, 1931, the Tampa Morning Tribune stated that,
“Government prohibition men yesterday reported a raid on the Osa-Wa Inn at
Aripeka Tuesday morning at 3 o’clock and that Louis Neeld was held for
investigation.” The Osowaw Inn served as a local landmark until the 1960s when it
was destroyed in a fire.
In 1976, James Rosenquist moved to Aripeka and the area
received some reknown as an artist community. Over the following years a number
of artists moved to the area. In the aftermath of the No Name Storm of 1993
many of the artists moved away. Mr. Rosenquist relocated to South Florida
following a 2009 fire that burned his home and studio. Mr. Rosenquist initially
planned to rebuild, but rebuilding to the new required standards was cost
prohibitive. There are still several artists living in the area.
The great fish and beautiful views that lured many to
Aripeka are still there.
If you are not familiar with the history of Aripeka, you can find a great article here. There are some good pictures on this link.
Summer Heat Continues...
The high temps of July at Airpeka West will be with us for August too, but it looks like a little more rain might be in our future. Please be sure to clean your A/C filter to make sure you are getting the most cool for your money! Keeping the filters clean will help your A/C unit keep you cool and save the wear and tear on the unit itself, not to mention keeping a little extra of your hard earned money.
Drink lots of water, soft drinks are NOT a substitute for plain old water, even the ones without caffeine. The recommended 8 glasses of water per day is NOT enough if you are working or playing outside with heat indexes over 100° as they have been for the last month.
Just try to stay cool and this too shall pass, September is on the horizon with it's warm days but cooler nights, making it much more pleasant to be outdoors again!
Mosquito Country ...
Aripeka West is surrounded by "swamps" on all sides. Standing water in the swamps is a natural breeding ground for mosquitoes. Pasco County works very hard to keep mosquitoes from hatching in the natural ares surrounding the park by putting small fish in the little waterways and by using the helicopter to spread pellets that keep new generations at a minimum. For the really tough mosquitoes that make it through to adulthood, they fog this area often. Just saw them come through on July 25th with the spray truck. For those of you who have questioned the speed of the fogging truck, there is a minimum speed at which the truck must be traveling before the fogging apparatus will begin spraying. Please do your part and remove all items that will contribute to standing water from your yard.
ZIKA is heading our way...
Florida has its first cases of ZIKA VIRUS that is not related to travel, this means mosquitoes carrying the virus are IN Florida. So far only in south Florida, but still too close for comfort. Please buy and use a mosquito repellent, this will help to keep you from being bitten by mosquitoes including any that might be carrying the ZIKA Virus.
PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT
Mowing Season...
What we have
Extra help we could use
We are right in the middle of mowing season. While we have not had as much rain as in most summers, the grass and yes, the weeds are still growing very fast. Every inch of this park needs to be mowed a minimum of once a week. It is extremely hard to mow if your cars and trucks are parked on the grass. If you have a paved driveway, please use it. If you must park on the grass because you do not have a paved driveway, it would be a great help if you could please move your vehicle when you hear the mower coming your way.
Please remove other items in your yard such as lawn furniture, toys, rags, papers, dog leads and stakes, hoses, rugs and other items that would prevent mowing your yard or that could damage the mower. We will NOT mow your lawn if there are objects in your yard that may cause damage to the mower.
Back to School...
It is that time of year again, summer is almost over and it is time for the kids and the moms and dads to start thinking about the first day of school. The school year begins on August 15, 2016 and ends on May 26, 2017. It is an earlier start this year, but allows the school year to end earlier also. Check out the School Calendar.
Tax Free Days...
This year the Tax Free Weekend will be August 5th - August 7th. There are some changes as to what items will be "tax free" this year. Please follow the link to see just what is and what is NOT allowed this year!
Dogs..
Everyone at Aripeka West knows that we are dog friendly! We welcome your dogs, as long as they are "good dog citizens" and you are a responsible "dog parent". This means that your dog is not allowed to bark and disturb others and that if for some reason your dog does start barking, you must go and investigate the barking and calm your dog, whether your dog is inside your home or outside in your yard. Let's face it, dogs bark and it is up to the responsible "dog parent" to handle the situation before your dog become a nuisance and disturbs others.
Dogs are not to be tied up outside and left unattended, this is a county ordinance as well as an Aripeka West rule. It is okay to tether your dog as long as you are at home and keeping an eye on the dogs needs, but if you must leave your home for any reason the dog must be either leashed and taken with you or placed inside your home. You must walk your dog on a leash and clean up after your dog throughout the park. We will NOT mow your yard if there is dog poop in it.
Please do NOT allow your dog free run of the park, stay with them at all times when they are outside of your home. There have been several coyote sightings in the park in the last month and coyotes are capable of killing your dogs, especially small dogs.
Cats...
While we have little control of the "feral cat" population at Aripeka West, it is in your best interest to not feed these feral cats. These cats can bite or scratch you and send you to the hospital for rabies shots or infections. Additionally, if you have a cat of your own, these ferals can spread diseases to your house cat. If you own a cat please keep it inside your home to prevent diseases or if you must let your cat go outside, please make sure he or she has ALL the recommended vaccinations. If you decide to let your cat outside please be aware that there have been several coyote sightings INSIDE the park in the last couple of weeks, they are killing outdoor cats, a resident in the RV Park lost a cat last month to coyotes and several other cats have just come up missing this year.
Also, there are too many paper plates and other utensils used to feed the cats either laying around on the ground or blowing in the wind. Please clean up your yard and any other yard where you feed the animals. Remember that you are not only feeding the feral cats when you place food outside, but also the possums, raccoons, coyotes, rats, mice and snakes.
Coyotes...
Appearance
The coyote is a member of the dog family. They weigh between
20 and 30 pounds, have pointed ears, a narrow muzzle, and bushy tail.
Males tend to be larger than females. Pelts are usually grayish-brown, but
occasionally black, often with a patch of white chest hair. When running,
coyotes usually hold their tails extended out behind them at
"half-mast." Coyote tracks are narrower and more elongated than dog
tracks.
Habitat
Coyotes are native to North America. Once strictly a western
species, coyotes now occur throughout the eastern United States. Coyotes began
expanding their range into northwestern Florida in the 1970s, and are now
considered to be a naturalized species in all 67 Florida counties. They are
extremely adaptable; just about any type of forest or farmland is suitable
habitat. They can also adapt to and live in suburban and urban areas.
Behavior
The scientific name of the coyote,Canis latrans, literally
means "barking dog." Coyotes make a variety of vocalizations from
barking to shrill yips and howls. They are active day or night, but usually
most active at sunset and sunrise. They are also territorial, with a resident
pair having an established territory shared by other members of the family
group.
A coyote’s home range varies from 1,500 to 12,000 acres
depending on the individual, food availability and other factors. Coyotes
established in urban areas have smaller home ranges than coyotes in rural
areas.
Coyotes eat a variety of plants and animals including
fruits, insects, rats and mice, rabbits, birds, deer, livestock, virtually any
type of carrion, and people’s trash and pet food. They usually hunt alone,
sometimes as a pair, but rarely, as a pack.
Coyotes have one breeding cycle per year. They can first
breed when they are 10 months old. Breeding occurs in late winter and following
a 63-day gestation period, 4 to 6 pups are born. They den in hollow logs, brush
piles and burrows. Pups emerge from dens when they are about 3 weeks old.
Parental care lasts until the pups are about 9 months old. The young usually
then disperse to a new area, where they establish their own breeding
territories. Some pups, however, may stay in their parents' territory and
assist with rearing the next year's litter.
Garbage...
Placing garbage cans or bags outside of your home is not allowed at any time. Place your garbage in the dumpster only. Garbage cans and garbage bags outside your home attract the same pest mentioned above.
Bulk Trash & Junk Furniture...
These types of items must not be dumped anywhere on the property at Aripeka West. They are also not allowed to be placed in or beside the dumpster at any time. You must take bulk trash and furniture to the dump immediately, they are not to be placed in your yard or on your driveway.
Just this past month someone decided that their junk couch should be placed on a vacant lot in the park. It was an ugly floral couch, completely torn up, the cushions were placed in the dumpster which is also against the rules at Aripeka West. The dumpster in the park is emptied twice a week and is ONLY for household garbage!
SunWest Park and Weeki Wachee Spring State Park offer swimming and other water sports to keep you cool this summer. Take advantage and play tourist once in a while
Visit Winter & Hope...
Did you know you can get a CITY PASS? A CITY PASS will get you in at several Tampa attractions, including to see Winter & Hope.
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