Old Miakka, Florida
Census-designated place
Old Myakka
Old Miakka, Florida is located in Florida
Old Miakka, Florida
Old Miakka, Florida
Location within the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°18′47″N 82°16′00″W / 27.31306°N 82.26667°W / 27.31306; -82.26667[1]
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountySarasota
Elevation
49 ft (15 m)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP code
34240
Area code941
FIPS code12-51345[1]
GNIS feature ID294873
[1]

Old Miakka (or Old Myakka) is a census-designated place in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located at the bend of County Road 780, where it changes from running north–south to east–west. The community is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The cornerstone is the Old Miakka United Methodist Church which was built in 1886. This is also where the historic marker is located. The area was named after what the Seminole tribe called the Miarca River. The name Miakka first appeared on maps in 1845.

Spelling

A letter was written in 1940 by Secretary W. Stanley Hanson of the Seminole Indian Association to Project Superintendent Claude E. Ragan of the newly formed Myakka River State Park used the spelling of “Miakka River State Park.”[2] The letter explains Hanson's attempt to discover the history and origin of the various spellings.[3] He stated Lake Myakka was labeled as “Mayaco” on some early maps. The letter also notes the origin of the word “Miami”, as “Mayaca” is conjectured by some to have the same meaning. The “Mayaimi” Tribe lived near Lake Okeechobee, named from the Hitchiti words oki (water) and chubi (big).[4] The oldest known name for Lake Okeechobee was “Mayaimi,” (also meaning big water) as reported by Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda in the 16th century.[3]

The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) ruled in December 1943 on the usage of "Old Myakka" for the spelling of the geographical name as it was "both officially and locally preferred to help distinguish it from Myakka City and vice versa."[5] The ruling acknowledged the spelling Miakka to be found on various official documents such as the USGS state maps, Rand McNally Atlas, and Official State Road Map.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Old Miakka". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 19, 1979. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ "1939 Florida Road Map" (PDF) (Map). Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County Digital Collections. Standard Oil Company. 1939. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Miakka or Myakka?". Crowley Museum & Nature Center. July 10, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Mosquito County, Florida, 1830 (map) The Okeechobee river was affected by wind and water erosion". University of South Florida. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Case Study". U.S. Board on Geographic Names. December 4, 1943. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
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