Rancho

The term "rancho" refers to a small fishing camp used by the spanish and others as a base for fishing. A rancho could consist of anything from a single hut of palm fronds to elaborate multi-building complexes. They were not usually occupied year round as the fishermen would typically fish for a time and then leave to sell fish in Havana.

Spanish fishing ranchos dotted the west coast of Florida, to include what is now Manatee County starting in the early 1760s and were prevalent until the mid 1830s when spaniards left due to Cholera and the Second Seminole War. After the 1830s, New England fishermen of European descent moved into the area to fish.