Wingate Creek State Park
| Wingate Creek State Park | |
|---|---|
 A view of the Wingate Creek | |
  Wingate Creek State Park Location within Florida  Wingate Creek State Park Location within the United States | |
Interactive map of Wingate Creek State Park | |
| Location | Manatee County, Florida, United States |
| Nearest city | Myakka City |
| Coordinates | 27°26′48″N 82°08′36″W / 27.44662381571223°N 82.14325574918058°W |
| Area | 614.57 acres (248.71 ha) |
| Established | October 26, 1988 |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
| Website | https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/wingate-creek-state-park |
Wingate Creek State Park is a Florida state park in Manatee County, located about 25 miles east of Bradenton near Myakka City off of State Road 64.[1] The 615 acres (249 ha) park is a satellite park of Lake Manatee State Park.[2]
The property was acquired by the Internal Improvement Trust Fund on October 26, 1988, as a donation from the Beker Phosphate Corporation. The donation was a part of a settlement that the corporation, which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1985 while owing the State of Florida roughly $2.5 million in severance taxes, transferred some of their property of comparable value to the state in exchange for a compromise on their outstanding tax debt.[1] The land was originally designated Beker B and was acquired together with the adjoining Beker A parcel, which is now South Fork State Park. Despite coming from a phosphate mining company, neither parcel was mined at the time of transfer.[1]
The Wingate Creek flows south through the park out to the Myakka River. All of the waters within the park are designated as Outstanding Florida Waters.[1] Natural upland communities found in the park include scrub, scrubby flatwoods, and mesic flatwoods, while baygall and bottomland forest line the creek and its tributaries.[2] Visitors can participate in activities such hiking, bicycling, birding, and nature study, with trails accessible from a single trailhead on State Road 64.[2]
History
Archaeology
The Florida Master Site File records two archaeological sites within the park.[1] One is a Weeden Island period mound complex covering roughly two acres, and the other is Wingate Creek I, a preceramic campsite.[1]