Ahoy there!

Part 5: One Street Project - Gulf Boulevard

Well the sun was out and the sky was a pretty blue, but it sure was cold for this Florida Girl! After my rehearsal at church, I took the longer way home and drove down Gulf Boulevard to see the water. As I was coming up on John's Pass which separates Treasure Island and Maderia Beach, I was remembering when as a teenager we used to take this pass out to the Gulf on our boat. Everything looks different now; a new bridge, a shopping center and lots of restaurants on the waterfront. One of the favorite tourists restaurants is The Gator Bar right on the water. This pirate ship is located right before the bridge and the restaurant. I guess it sits there to entice customers into their establishment. So far it hasn't work for me! I think the ship needs a little work! There were many pirate ships long time ago that did come through John's Pass. In fact John was a pirate! His full name was John LeVeque. Some say he sailed the Gulf of Mexico as a pirate collecting treasure. Others say he was simply a land owner living on land offered by the government. No matter who has the right version, what happens next is true.

On September 27, 1848, a hurricane passed through the area now known as Madiera Beach and destroyed much of the shoreline. John LeVeque was sailing his ship homeward and looking for a way to pass through to safe harbors. It is believed that he might have been looking for Blind Pass, or Pass-a-Grille, but found a more northerly opening which has never been seen before. It was from then on that the new opening was to be called John's Pass in honor of John LeVeque.

Hopefully John LeVeque's ship looked better than this one!