Here's how the beach at Eastern Lake looked in 1977. The Goodyear Blimp was going from the Orange Bowl to the Sugar Bowl. One picture shows the dunes of Tresca Lake. They were removed and covered over with asphalt by a small, local developer. Some call this area Seagrove, but I try not to (long story). That is down the road. William and Katie Wesley platted probably the first subdivision in the Eastern Lake area as Eastern Lake Estates from 1903 land grant. That section is the west side of the lake. Our earlier mailing address was Pt. Washington, which was where John Wesley homesteaded and got a land grant in 1895. This was the first land grant in South Walton, I believe. Pt. Washington was a community before that, of course. I have an 1882 map with Pt. Washington on it. I still have a letter from my dad with the Pt. Washington address. More on this later and probably in another blog.

Be sure to explore my other blogs on SoWal. I've posted about 30 on different historical / environmental topics such as Pensacola, West Florida, Octavia, Alaqua, Camp Walton, Grayton Beach Smith House, Eastern Lake Trail and Historic Bridge, Florida Borders, Land Grants, and Native Peoples. Be sure to log in to view pictures and maps. They really make an impact.

All pictures by Brenda Rees, Shaping Florida (c) All Rights Reserved
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