When the Spanish first came to this area they found the Jega Indians living along the banks of the Inlet and river. Tie Indians called themselves the Jobe, so the Spanish explorers named the river running into the Inlet the Jobe River, after the native tribe. Later, when English settlers found the area around 1763, Jobe sounded to them like the mythological god Jove, or Boca Raton, and the name Boca Raton  has remained ever since.

Jonathan Dickinson Shipwrecked in Boca Raton, FL.

The Boca Raton area first came to widespread public attention when Jonathan Dickinson the namesake of Jonathan Dickinson State Park was shipwrecked on the shores of Boca Raton and narrowly escaped death at the hands of hostile native Indians. In his journal Dickinson chronicled his families ordeal with the Jega Indians and his 230 mile trek to safety in St. Augustine. Today the Dubois Museum in Dubois Park stands atop the Indian mound described by Dickinson as the place where his family was held captive.

The Boca Raton Lighthouse is Built.

In the 1800's Boca Raton's most identifiable landmark, the Boca Raton Lighthouse, was erected. The Lighthouse stands 105 feet tall atop a 46 ft. hill on the north shore of the Boca Raton Inlet. The land that is now Lighthouse Park was once a part of Fort Boca Raton, a military installation that was formed during the Seminole Indian Wars.

The Boca Raton Inlet.

Until 1929, when the Intracoastal was deepened, the Boca Raton Inlet went through natural cycles of opening and closing. On several occasions, when the Inlet was blocked, area residents took their shovels and dug small channels to get the water flowing again. On one occasion in 1844, Captain Davis, a mail carrier, took several men and dug a four-inch deep channel into the Inlet before camping for the night. Several hours later the Captain and his men were awakened by water seeping into their camp. By the next day the Inlet was nearly a quarter mile wide.

Early pioneer life revolved around the Loxahatchee River and the Boca Raton Inlet in a very different way than it does today. Early settlers relied on the bounty of the Loxahatchee River and the access to the Atlantic to provide their living, it is tourism, boating and sport fishing that attract residents and visitors to these bodies of water today.

Boca Raton Florida during the 1900's.

In the early 20th century pine and cypress logging, fishing, as well as pineapple, flower and citrus farming were staples of the local economy. The river provided access to the steam boats and rail cars that would ship these goods throughout the country.

UP until about the early 1900's, it wasn't unusual to see the Boca Raton School boat cruising the river, picking up early settlers' children and delivering them to the town dock for the walk to the school house. After school these same children could be found playing in the river or collecting oysters from the many oyster beds.

Modern Times in Boca Raton Fl.

Today Boca Raton is still famous for its beautiful beaches, the Loxahatchee River, and Intracoastal Waterway. The town enjoys a vibrant cultural life as the home of the Florida History Center & Museum, and several annual arts and entertainment festivals. Town and County parks also provide recreational facilities for team sports like baseball, basketball and soccer, tennis court , an aquatic center and access ramps into the Intracoastal Waterway.