The earliest Euro – American Pioneers arrived in the park area by the 1890s. Augustus “Sawgrass” Miller bought land and planted citrus trees there in 1892. He sold his Grove, and eventually it was purchased by George W. Lainhart in 1896. Other pioneer families included the Dimicks, the Potters, and the Brelsfords. The Loxahatchee Groves were so successful that their fruit was exhibited and they Chicago worlds fair in 1893. The Lainhart Groves and Packinghouse and the Rhys Groves became thriving businesses, surviving until the 1990’s.
Another noteworthy resident was Judge Curtis Chillingworth. He was a fishing buddy of Trapper Nelson's. The two men had cabins on the Loxahatchee. The brick chimney of the house of the judges neighbor, Dr. Jansick, still stands in the park. Judge Chillingworth‘s hunting cabin in the park burned shortly after his death, but it’s ruins could still be seen there as late as 2007.
Palm Beach County acquired Riverbend Park’s 684 acres in 1977 as part of a plan to conserve the Loxahatchee River. It was then extensively surveyed for cultural resources, and in 2010, as a result, a 63-acre section of the park was designated as the Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park.
FTF Honors go to Rnrgrl, Froggy Girl, Zeke The Peak.
All historical data and photographs are courtesy of the historical Society of Palm Beach County.
