Okeechobee Waterway of Orlando and extending southward through the Kissimmee River Basin to the Everglades National Park to Florida Bay. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages five locks and dams along the Okeechobee Waterway. The St. Lucie lock was built in 1941 for navigation and flood-control purposes. In 1944, the connecting spillway structure was built for flood and regulatory flow control through the St. Lucie Canal to manage the water level in Lake Okeechobee. The Port Mayaca Lock and Dam was built in 1977 for navigation purposes, to permit the raising of water levels in Lake Okeechobee, and to moderate the
Battle of Lake Okeechobee halted before a portrait of Zachary Taylor, grinned and exclaimed: "Me whip!" There are now over four thriving Seminole Indian reservations located in south Florida, one of which is in Okeechobee County. The National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the site of the Battle of Okeechobee as one of 11 places, in the whole country, on a list of "America's Most Endangered Historic Places 2000". The state of Florida spent $3.2 million for a park. An annual battle reenactment is held to raise money for the State park. Battle of Lake Okeechobee The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was one of