Church of Scientology Clearwater Presents: History of Clearwater

The many responses to Freedom magazine (published by the Church of Scientology) from local Clearwater residents show that our readers are interested in Clearwater and want to know more about it. Many residents expressed an interest in the colorful history of our city. Thus, Freedom magazine printed a multi-part series on the history of Clearwater, covering the discovery of what became known as Clear Water Harbor by early settlers through World War II. Because of the overwhelmingly popularity of that series, we are reprinting it in full on these web sites.


	The first settlers who came to Clear Water Harbor, as it later was known, found the climate gentle and refreshing, game plentiful in the woodlands and the scenery tranquil.

Gently purling from its harbor, a sulfated spring left the Gulf waters dazzling and translucent along the coastline. To fish off its shores, the first visitors to the area may have journeyed from the south, or sailed from nearby isles, or even wandered down from the northern land bridge which once spanned the continents.
While no one quite knows from whence they came, the earliest settlers by Clear Water Harbor, as it came to be known, found the climate gentle and refreshing, game plentiful in the woodlands and the scenery tranquil. They were the Mound Builders, called that because they left great mounds of mollusk shells behind.

Part One: The Beginnings Part Two: The Healthiest Spot on Earth Part Three: Clearwater Roars into the 1900s Part Four: The Good Old Days Part Five: The Gala Decade Part Six: Boom Days!	Part Seven: Hard Times Part Eight: The Road Back Part Nine: The Tides Of War Part Ten: Clearwater Pitches in Part Eleven: Local Citizens Welcomed Troops Bound for Combat
Supplement: Why Clearwater?