About 200 years ago, a group of Italian and Spanish workers came through this spot in Hardee County looking for phosphate. But -- Ooooh! -- Eeew! -- the springs along the Peace River! They smelled like rotten eggs! The nasty smell of the springs came from sulphur. In Italian, the language of the workers, "sulphur" is "zolfo." Zolfo Springs means "sulphur springs." Why do they call it Port Tampa City?
What we call the Port of Tampa is the huge shipping terminal south of Ybor City. But Tampa's original deepwater port was in South Tampa, at the southern end of West Shore Boulevard, just outside what's now MacDill Air Force Base. The town that grew up around that port featured brick streets, charming architecture, and the name Port Tampa City. The port here is still busy; you can see it by looking south from the Gandy Bridge. The area was built with bucks from railroad moneyman Henry B. Plant. His rail line ended in Port Tampa City and linked up with his steamships, which could take you all over the Caribbean. "Port Tampa was really an important part of our transportation system," said Rodney Kite-Powell, the curator of history at the Tampa Bay History Center. Kite-Powell says you'd have loved to stay at Henry Plant's Port Tampa Inn, which he built on a pier out over Tampa Bay. "Because it was out on a pier, guests could fish from their bedroom windows," he said. "And, if they actually caught a fish from their window, they'd reel it up, and ring a bellman, and give them the fish -- kind of wiggling still on the line -- and they would cook it in the kitchen, and serve it to you in the hotel's dining room. And so you could really have your own catch of the day." A monument in Port Tampa City marks the spot where America's worldwide military dominance began in 1898. Here, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders set off to Cuba to pound Spain in the Spanish-American War. The U.S. has been top dog worldwide ever since. Port Tampa City remained an independent town for more than 75 years until it was annexed into the City of Tampa in 1961. Why do they call it that? Now you know.
There are a lot more places out there with names that could use explaining. If you want to ask "Why do they call it that?" send an e-mail with a name that has you curious to Grayson Kamm using this link. We'll be featuring new places and stories each Wednesday on 10 Connects. Watch them on The Morning Show from 5-7 a.m. and on 10 Connects News at 5:30 p.m. on 10 Connects. !-- Facebook Badge START -->Connect with 10 Connects multi-media journalist Grayson Kamm
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