Rural Medicine - Clinics - About Indiantown

Indiantown, which has been looked upon in the past as a slow growth community is now being recognized as the activity center of Martin County.

Location
Located about 20 miles southwest of Stuart, at the junction of State Roads 76 and 710, the small rural town is bordered by the cross-state Okeechobee Waterway, which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.

Geographically, unincorporated Indiantown (1996 estimated population: 7,500) straddles Longitude 81.51, West and Latitude 270 North in western Martin County whose county seat is Stuart. Average rainfall is 54.8 inches a year while temperatures range from an average 65.60F in January to 81.70F in July for an average of 740. Elevation is 35 feet above sea level.

The recently completed widening and beautification of State Road 710, renovations to the County Administrative Center and the new Booker Park Fire Station along with improvements in our local parks and numerous improvements enacted by our local businesses, civic organizations and residents, Indiantown is truly becoming the bright spot on the Treasure Coast. Indeed, Indiantown is finally realizing the dreams of its proud past as we head into a bigger and brighter future.

Another road project, just north of Indiantown, now allows Palm City and Stuart motorists to link up with Okeechobee and points west via the just-paved Martin Grade (State Road 714). The ad runs from the Stuart overpass of Florida's Turnpike to State Road 710, just south of Okeechobee.

History
Indiantown, the hub of western Martin County, was named for the Seminole Indian settlement which occupied the area in the early 1800s. The settlement was destroyed during the Seminole War in 1837.

The settlement was destroyed during the Seminole War n 1837 when the U.S. military took over control of the area and established an outpost. In the late 1800s, settlers began arriving and established citrus groves and ranches.

During the 1920 land boom, S. Davis Warfield acquired and developed large parcels of land to create a town tied to the expansion of the Seaboard Airline Railway. After Warfield's death in 1927 the Indiantown Co. purchased most of the land. The historic Seminole Country Inn, built in 1926, is open to the public. The two story Inn has 28 rooms, dining room and attracts guests from within Florida and around the world. The colorful inn is located on SR710, also known as Warfield Boulevard.

Agriculture/Industry
Western Martin County includes numerous citrus groves, from which millions of oranges and grapefruit are shipped out annually. Cattle raising, both beef and dairy, is another facet of Indiantown's many-faceted economy.

In season, Indiantown is a beehive of citrus activity from which millions of oranges and grapefruit are shipped annually. Local residents regularly travel down a dirt road to buy fresh fruit and juice at Owens Grove, a recognized industry leader, or visit the large Caulkins Grove Plant where citrus concentrate is made for customers in the U.S. and abroad.

Citrus Boulevard, which connects Indiantown to Palm City (at State Road 76A) is dotted by thousands of acres of citrus. The Indiantown Airport and Timer Powers waterfront park is also located along the roadway bordered by the Okeechobee Waterway.

Perched on the St. Lucie Canal "Okeechobee Waterway", the only waterway in Florida that connects trade and tourist communities on the Atlantic Ocean to those on the Gulf of Mexico offers different advantages to different interest.

To investors and land development companies pinched by rising costs and crowded conditions on each coast it is a logical and economical place to took for new opportunities in residential, commercial and industrial construction.

And to fishermen, Indiantown is utopia being 10 miles from the trophy catches of Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake United States, and only 20 miles from deep see fishing off Stuart, "the Sailfish Capital of the World".

Being less than an hour's drive from deep sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean and fresh water catches in Lake Okeechobee, Indiantown is more marine-oriented than many larger towns.

The locks were installed by the Army Corps of Engineers when the St. Lucie Canal was dredged to serve as both drainage system from Lake Okeechobee and the only marine link across the State of Florida from Stuart to Fort Myers. During World War II, merchant ships and others often detoured into the canal to avoid being spotted by German U-boats which, in the early years of the War, prowled the Atlantic coast.

To industry seeking sites for new plants, Indiantown is a convenient location offering shipment by truck via Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 95, by rail on the CSX Transportation System, Inc. which has siding for 300 cars and even by barge on the St. Lucie Canal.

Prompted by moves to Indiantown by such companies as Bay State Milling Company, Entegra Roof Tiles, Inc. and Tampa Farm Services, Inc. and recognizing the potential for further residential and commercial growth, the Indiantown Company has expanded and improved its water, sewer and refuse services. Tampa Farm produces millions of eggs a year for Treasure Coast and South Florida Publix supermarkets.

Such services compliment those installed in the company's M- I Light Industrial Park. Similar services are in place in the area zoned for heavy industry where both Bay State Milling and Caulkins, a large citrus processing plant that produces orange juice concentrate for customers around the world are located.

New additions to the Indiantown industrial area include the expansion of facilities at the Florida Power and Light Martin Plant site, whose two present plants are the largest fossil fuel plants in Florida, and the new Indiantown Cogeneration power plant.

Natural and propane gas services are provided to the Indiantown community by the locally owned Indiantown Gas Company-the only natural gas supplier in Martin County. Indiantown Gas has served the community for over thirty-seven years.

One of the older, yet modem, businesses in the community is the Indiantown Marina which was established in 1957 and is owned by the Indiantown Company. Located on the Okeechobee Waterway which links Stuart on the East Coast to Fort Myers on the West Coast via Lake Okeechobee and the Calloosahatchee River, the 34 full facility slip marina offers transient and monthly accommodations for vessels up to 110 feet and drafts to 8 feet.

The marina has a 30 ton lift and mast-stepping facility, a ramp for small boats, gas and diesel fuel, in water repair services, ice, laundry, hot showers and heads, a Captain's Lounge, Ship's Store, nine full hook-up campsites and a shady picnic area on the canal. The "second cleanest marina in the world" was paid the Indiantown Marina by Florida Waterways Magazine. Indiantown's marina is known to boaters everywhere.

Timer Powers Park is a sprawling 37-acre waterfront recreational facility on Citrus Boulevard. The property, purchased by Martin County through the "Lands For You" project rests on the banks of the Okeechobee Waterway and includes a public boat ramp, fishing pier, amphitheater, playground, pavilion, and equestrian area. It also serves as the site for the Annual Indiantown Spring Festival, held Palm Sunday weekend each year. The park was named in honor of long time Indiantown business owner and resident Timer Powers. Besides being involved locally in the Indiantown community, active in the Kiwanis and the Chamber of Commerce, on the State level Timer was instrumental in negotiations with the Seminole Indians.

Payson Park, located about six miles east of Indiantown on State Road 76 leading to Stuart, is home to more than 500 thoroughbred race horses during Florida's winter racing season and is considered one of the finest training facilities in the United States.

Churches of most denominations are conveniently located throughout the community.

Services
Indiantown is indeed fortunate to have a walk-in medical treatment center operated by Martin Memorial MediCenter. Staffed by a doctor, x-ray technician and nurses, the facility is the first of its kind in Indiantown and is open seven days a week. A source of great pride to Indiantown residents and the business community is the fact that in 1987, they quickly raised, through private donations, the $35,000 needed to make the facility a seven-day-a-week service instead of five days as originally planned by Coastal Care Corporation.

In June, 1991 the Indiantown Branch of the Martin County Library opened its doors. Centrally located, the fully computerized facility houses over 9,000 books, 40 periodicals and computers for both adults and children. The pride of the entire Indiantown community, the Library offers hours that are convenient to everyone.

Indiantown itself offers unique opportunities for interesting as well as educational tours and visits. Nature lovers can witness the essence of Florida beauty on a guided tour through the Barley Barber Swamp, a unique preserve where eagles nest and rare and endangered plants and animals thrive. Admission to the Swamp is free and guided tours courtesy of Florida Power and Light, Company may be made by calling 800-257-9267 for reservations.

Visit Owens Grove and the Cracker House. Stroll through lush gardens surrounded by Martin County's finest citrus groves at the authentically restored Cracker House. While you are there, pick up a jug of Florida's finest fresh squeezed orange juice. Looking for fresh vegetables? A pick-your-own fan-n is located about eight miles north of Indiantown, on the east side of SR 710. The 710 U-Pick is open October to May. A hiking path in the Dupuis Reserve which connects to the Florida Trail is accessible west of town about midway between Indiantown and Port Mayaca on the south side of SR 76.

At the human level, the T & M Ranch on Fox Brown Road is a haven where handicapped youngsters learn to overcome and live with their disabilities. They operate a landscape nursery and business that has provided many hours of labor and scores of wonderful plants to the Indiantown community to help in its beautification projects.