Citrus Kingdom of the Lagoon

The citrus kingdom of the Indian River Lagoon: In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Indian River Lagoon region was one of the most important citrus-growing areas in the world. Groves everywhere: Citrus groves covered thousands of acres along the lagoon — on Merritt Island, and on the mainland from Titusville south through Cocoa, Rockledge, Grant, and beyond. The lagoon's humid microclimate and the well-drained hammock soils were nearly perfect for citrus. Why citrus grew so well here: Citrus trees like the warm days, cool nights, and moderate humidity that the lagoon's climate provides. The sandy, well-drained soil of the oak hammocks (richer pockets of soil under oak trees) was ideal. And the lagoon itself provided transportation — first by steamboat, then by rail — to ship the fruit north. The scale: At its peak, the Indian River Lagoon region had thousands of acres of citrus groves, dozens of packing houses, and a whole economy built around growing, packing, and shipping citrus. Small towns like Clifton, Aurantia, City Point, and Shiloh existed almost entirely to serve the citrus groves around them. Pickers, packers, grove managers, and railroad workers all made a living from citrus. The citrus kingdom was the economic heart of the lagoon corridor for nearly fifty years — until a single, catastrophic event changed everything.