Editing Cortez, Florida (section)

=== Cortez in the 20th century ===
[[File:Cortez Rural Graded School after the Hurricane of 1921.jpg|alt=boats tied to the porch of a brick school house after a hurricane|thumb|369x369px|Some boats landed in front of the Cortez Rural Graded Schoolhouse after the Hurricane of 1921. Photo courtesy of Manatee County Public Library System.]]

==== 1912 Rural Graded Schoolhouse ====
Prior to 1912, the young children of Cortez were educated in a one-room, wood schoolhouse. In 1912, the one-room schoolhouse was replaced with a larger, brick one referred to as the Cortez Rural Graded Schoolhouse. The Cortez Mother's Club played a large part in the construction and success of the new schoolhouse.<ref name=":0" /> The building became a community hub for Cortez and provided shelter for many during the [[1921 Tampa Bay hurricane|hurricane of 1921]]. The schoolhouse was first build with three classrooms, but in 1933 one of the classrooms was extended to serve as an auditorium. This building was used as a school for the children of Cortez until 1961. An art school then leased the building before being sold to weaver Robert Sailors in 1974. Sailors used the schoolhouse as his home and studio.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article34778508.html|title=Manatee History Matters: Master weaver called Cortez his home|last=Nash|first=Amara C.|date=January 6, 2015|work=Bradenton Herald|access-date=August 15, 2019}}</ref> After his death, Manatee County purchased the schoolhouse and began the process of restoring it in 1999. In 2006, the schoolhouse was reopened as a museum. Today, the Cortez Rural Graded Schoolhouse houses the [[Florida Maritime Museum]].<ref>Sign commissioned by the Manatee County Historical Commission in 2006</ref>

==== World War One ====
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, residents served in a variety of capacities. Ten residents are known to have served, with eight going into the [[US Army]] and two into the [[US Navy]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=WW1 Service Cards|url=https://www.floridamemory.com/discover/historical_records/wwi/|access-date=2020-07-15|website=Florida Memory: State Library and Archives of Florida}}</ref>

==== Building of the Cortez Bridge ====
Construction on the [[Cortez Bridge]] connecting [[Anna Maria Island]] to Cortez began in 1921. Anna Maria Island was not connected to the mainland prior to this and so could only be accessed by boat. Construction on the bridge came to a halt after the [[1921 Tampa Bay hurricane|hurricane of 1921]] hit, destroying any progress that had been made on the bridge. In 1922, construction began again and the wooden bridge was completed. The wooden bridge connected [[Florida State Road 684|Cortez Road]] to [[Bradenton Beach, Florida|Bradenton Beach]]'s Bridge Street. In the 1950s, the wooden Cortez Bridge was replaced with the current concrete bridge. To prove how stable the new bridge was, elephants from [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Ringling Circus]] were brought over and paraded across the bridge for all to see.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article34903533.html |title=Building the Cortez Bridge |last=Turner |first=Halee |date=2015 |website=Bradenton Herald}}</ref>

==== The hurricane of 1921 ====
In October 1921, Cortez was unexpectedly and brutally hit by a hurricane estimated to have been either a category three or four. The [[1921 Tampa Bay hurricane|hurricane of 1921]] was reportedly the most damaging to hit the Tampa Bay area since the mid-1800s. The people of Cortez had little to no warning that the storm was coming before it hit, so they took refuge in the 1912 Rural Graded Schoolhouse.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/tbw/1921/1921_hur_90th_anniversary.pdf |title=90th Anniversary of the 1921 Hurricane |website=National Weather Service}}</ref> The hurricane of 1921 almost completely destroyed the waterfront. Leaving few structures standing, the waterfront had to be rebuilt and is now barely recognizable from what it once was.<ref name=":0" />

==== Roaring Twenties and Great Depression ====
During the 1920s many new changes would come to the village of Cortez. For the first time ever shipments of seafood were delivered by road as residents got cars. Electricity would also become common in the village reducing much of the work load.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Sunday Favorites: The Fishing Community of Cortez Part 2 |url=https://thebradentontimes.com/sunday-favorites-the-fishing-community-of-cortez-part-2-p22105-133.htm |access-date=October 14, 2020 |website=thebradentontimes.com|date=August 23, 2020 }}</ref>

Cortez during the [[Great Depression]] was notably one of the only communities in the United States not to receive federal aid.<ref name=":2" />

==== World War Two ====
As with all other areas of the country, Cortez was greatly impacted by [[World War II]]. Most men in Cortez went to war whether they enlisted or were drafted, and those that enlisted largely did so in the [[U.S. Navy]] or [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]], as sailing was their way of life. Many women also went off to war, to serve as nurses and medical personnel. Those left behind during the war effort worked to ensure the survival of Cortez and its fishing industry. Although fishing prior to WWII was seen as a family business, with most of the young men and many of the women of Cortez gone workers were hired from outside of the family. Women and young girls began working and fishing for seventy five cents an hour to support their families and fill in for the men.