Steamboats plying the nearby Apalachicola River added to the economy.
Wewahitchka became famous for the excellent fishing and hunting in the Dead Lakes, streams and forest. The early 1880's saw a rapid growth of the community. Some of these early families were the Richards, Keyes, McDaniel, Stone, Strange, Maddox, Bell, Burgess, Mitchell, and Smith. First paper was the Calhoun Times in 1883. Citrus groves, apiaries, livestock and timber supported the early settlers. Richards in 1875 upon completion of the log church and school built to serve approximately 25 families. Wewahitchka (Indian name for water eyes), first permanent settlement in now Gulf County, was named by Rev.
(side 1), Fort Place, or Richard's Fort, five miles south, erected in the early 1800's is considered as the forerunner of Wewahitchka.