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| Punta Rassa may be small, but it's history is large. This image shows a structure there from the late 1800s. (Credit: WGCU Public Media) |
Punta Rassa is a small, flat piece of Florida with a big history. The waterfront land near Fort Myers in Southwest Florida has seen everything from cattle drives to cowboys, military troops and blockade runs to and from Cuba.
For a while, Punta Rassa was diverse before diversity. During the Civil War, troops stationed there came from all across the United States. They sometimes had trouble communicating because of their regional accents. The white New York City soldiers couldn't understand the Black soldiers from Virginia who couldn't understand the Black soldiers from Louisiana. As one historian says in the video linked in this post, at least they all knew they were on the same side.
According to Wikipedia, the name Punta Rassa evolved from the Spanish phrase Punta Rasca, which means smooth or flat point. It's an apt description for this sliver of Florida lowland.
Only about 1,500 people live in Punta Rassa today, on land that's less than five square miles in size. The area's big back story makes up for it. Enjoy this history video from Florida Gulf Coast University's WGCU Public Media: Punta Rassa, Untold Stories.
