Lake Island Ford
SWFWMD structure at the northwest end of the lake. The lake also is connected to Lake Crescent to its northeast through a second SWFWMD structure. Like Keystone, the region around Island Ford is steeped in history. An excellent compilation of this history exists on the Hillsborough Watershed Atlas.
To quote from this document, “The lakes in the Odessa area serve as reminders of times gone by. They no longer are rimmed by as many cypress, the sand pine and palmetto choked shores are now the home to many families commuting elsewhere for work, rather than the sawmills and scattered homesteads of the past. The lakes, though, help to perpetuate memories of times gone by for those still with us and help to remind us of those who have passed on.” The many lakes within the Brooker Creek watershed represent much more than a natural water resource. The represent both the history and the future of the human population of the region.
You can learn more about Lake Island Ford on the Hillsborough County Watershed Atlas at: http://www.hillsborough.wateratlas.usf.edu/lake/default.asp?wbodyid=5049&wbodyatlas=lake