Exploring Snake Warrior's Island

Snake Warrior's Island was historically a tree island in the eastern Everglades, protecting what was at one time the headwaters of Snake Creek and the oldest eastern Glades settlement of the Seminole Indians. Today, Snake Warrior's Island is a 53 acre park featuring paved trail loops, interpretive signage, an elevated oak hammock, and a recreated wetlands area. 

The Snake Warrior's Island area was once the camp of a man named Chitto Tustenuggee, the legendary Snake Warrior. An important and influential figure, his camp may have been the earliest Seminole village in south Florida. The Snake Creek settlement, called the Miami Camp, is thought to have been founded in the 1820s and was the largest in southeast Florida. 

By 1896, white settlers had claimed most of the land that made up the Snake Creek camp and forced the Seminoles off the property. In the late 1940s, the Perry family bought the property and built two homes and a large dairy farm, unaware of the site’s historical and archaeological significance. A large colonial style house stood in the center of the island, but it sustained severe termite damage and was removed. The second smaller house burned under unclear circumstances. Today, only the terrazo floors of the second home remain. 

In 1989, the Snake Warrior's Island area was marked for a housing development and a shopping center, but the project never got off the ground. In 1992, the property was purchased first by the Trust for Public Lands and then by the state of Florida, thereby protecting the land and preserving its heritage forever. 

In 1999, the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division and the Broward County Office of Environmental Services came together to restore the historic wetlands of Snake Warrior's Island. Because of this restoration, many species of resident and migratory birds visit Snake Warrior's Island daily. In fact, Snake Warrior's Island is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, a collection of 489 sites in Florida that have been chosen for their excellent bird watching or bird education opportunities.  

Snake Warrior's Island is also a great place for catch & release fishing, wildlife observation, and photography. Come for some exercise, or just to relax along the trail and enjoy the rich history of this land - an island once surround by the waters of Snake Creek and the Everglades, a Tequesta burial ground, a Seminole settlement, and in more recent times, a homestead. 

Photography by Jillian Krickovich