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The History of Palms West

Although bugs, birds, beasts and Seminole Indians were early custodians of the Palms West communities, they were not the first. Beneath the Seminole hunter's deer runs and fox trails, lay an ancient seabed, its shells and coral are still only a few feet down. While few vestiges of Indian life remain, their dialects grace Florida's map with descriptive names such as Okeechobee, Big Water, Hypoluxo, Water all Around - No Get Out, and Loxahatchee, Turtle Creek.

In the early 1900s, Southern States Land and Timber Company bought 2 million acres of wet, lush wilderness in western Palm Beach County for 25 cents an acre. George Bensel, Southern State's local manager, and T.G. Thorgeson, company engineer, initiated early plans to develop a farming community. In 1917, a system of canals was constructed for water travel and land drainage. A Loxahatchee Groves resident and historian described the difficulty of the task.

The canals had to go straight through swamps, wooded areas interwoven with tree roots, and sandy stretches that concealed enormous boulders.
--Ellie Hope, Loxahatchee Groves - Up to Now

Homes were built on reclaimed swampland and crops were grown in the ubiquitous, black fertile muck. Bensel planted acres of orange trees and formed the Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company, which soon expanded into fruit packing and shipping. In 1918 a dairyman, A.R. Nielson, arrived in Loxahatchee Groves with his family and a herd of Guernsey cattle. A school opened for eight children, with Mrs. Nielson as teacher. Although they had no telephones, indoor plumbing or electricity, the settlers were pioneers and enjoyed the rugged lifestyle.

There was good hunting and fishing, we had good lamps and stoves, and we didn't miss that other stuff. We could go away for a month and not lock a door.
--Sam Allen, Loxahatchee Groves - Up to Now

Citrus thrived in the groves. In 1921, the Palm Beach Loxahatchee Company packed 20,000 boxes of fresh fruit. The Palm Beach Canal, which stretched from Lake Okeechobee to West Palm Beach, served as the prime thoroughfare and shipping route until 1924, when an east-west road was constructed from muck, sand and crushed rock. In Loxahatchee, a combined grocery, gas station and post office opened. Land parcels of 640 and 320 acres sold for $1.25 and $1.50 an acre in the area now known as Wellington.

Rightly called the Storm of the Century, the hurricane of 1928 destroyed the small settlements that surrounded Lake Okeechobee.

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