History

Phosphate Mining

In 1881, the discovery of phosphate rock in the Peace River near Ft. Meade initiated the mining of the Bone Valley Deposit, the world’s largest deposit of phosphate rock. Phosphate is an essential nutrient for plant growth and a key ingredient in agricultural fertilizers. Tenoroc is part of an area where high grade ore lies close to the surface. The area was extensively surface mined between 1960 and 1978 by the Coronet Fertilizer Company (the name “Tenoroc” is “Coronet” spelled backwards), the Smith-Douglass Company, and Borden, Inc. In September 1982, Borden, Inc. donated 6,058 acres to the State of Florida. Two additional tracts were acquired through purchase: 341 acres with funds from the Non-Mandatory Reclamation Trust Fund and Preservation 2000 in 1998, and 986 acres through the Preservation 2000 Inholdings and Additions program in 2000.