Aripeka is a fishing village that straddles north western Pasco and south western Hernando counties. Over the years it has been a favorite hangout of well known figures including Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and James Rosenquist.
In one of the earliest records, the area was was deeded to Major John Parsons and Nannie Yulee in 1859. Major John Parsons was a major landowner and one of the founders of Bayport. Nannie Yulee was the daughter of David Levy Yulee who owned the sugar mill in Homosassa and is widely known as a member of the United States Senate.
The area was known as Gulf Key when it was originally settled in 1886. Many of the buildings were built with lumber from the Aripeka Saw Mill Company. Aripeka adopted the mill's name for the town. Aripeka received electric service in the 1940s and this helped the town to grow.
The name Aripeka is most likely derived from a Miccosukee chief named Sam Jones who also went by Abiaca, Ar-pi-uck-i, Opoica, Arpeika, Aripeka, and Aripeika. During the Seminole Wars when most of the Seminole chiefs had surrendered and agreed to be relocated to the West, Sam Jones and Osceola with a band of followers attacked Fort Brooks and freed a large number of Seminoles. Sam Jones was vehemently opposed to being relocated from Florida. He continued to fight and evade the searches for him, eventually settling to South Florida, in an area inland from Ft. Lauderdale.
The Littell Fish Camp was built in 1898. There were small fishing shacks for visitors to stay in. According to historical accounts Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth were frequent visitors at the fish camp. They are said to have enjoyed the area's fishing, especially nearby Hunter Lake and the telling of fish stories.
A popular place in Aripeka was the Osowaw Inn. It is said that Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey were frequent guests at the Inn. The Inn even used the drawing card of "The Babe slept here." The Yankee's Spring Training Facility was located in St. Petersburg at the time, so it was just a short trip up to Aripeka for Babe and his teammates.
On October 15, 1931, the Tampa Morning Tribune stated that, “Government prohibition men yesterday reported a raid on the Osa-Wa Inn at Aripeka Tuesday morning at 3 o’clock and that Louis Neeld was held for investigation.” The Osowaw Inn served as a local landmark until the 1960s when it was destroyed in a fire.
In 1976, James Rosenquist moved to Aripeka and the area received some reknown as an artist community. Over the following years a number of artists moved to the area. In the aftermath of the No Name Storm of 1993 many of the artists moved away. Mr. Rosenquist relocated to South Florida following a 2009 fire that burned his home and studio. Mr. Rosenquist initially planned to rebuild, but rebuilding to the new required standards was cost prohibitive. There are still several artists living in the area.
The great fish and beautiful views that lured many to Aripeka are still there.