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The High Ridge Scrub Natural Area is a fragment of a large ridge of predominantly scrub habitat that ran north-south between Lake Worth and an inland lake/marsh system that contained Lake Osborne and the former Lake Webster. The first major disturbance on this ridge was the clearing in 1890 of a sand road that ran between Lantana in present-day Palm Beach County and Lemon City at the north end of Biscayne Bay in Dade County. This road started in the vicinity of Hypoluxo Road and ran southward along the eastern edge of the sand ridge that was a half-mile or more inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The sandy path of this road is still visible in the County-owned Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area that is 0.75 miles east of the High Ridge Natural Area. Other sections of the 1890 road became part of Federal Highway (U.S. Highway 1) or local streets such as NE 4th Street in Boynton Beach. Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad was constructed in 1895, approximately one mile east of the project. It was followed in the early 1910s by Dixie Highway, which was built east of and mostly parallel to the railroad.

In 1915, the Lake Worth Drainage District (LWDD) was formed and began to dig a network of canals to drain the area west of the coastal ridge and east of state Road 7/U.S. Highway 441 that lay between Okeechobee Road and the Hillsboro Canal. Major north-south canals were dug every 2 to 2.5 miles and were called equalizing canals. Equalizing Canal 4 (or the E-4 Canal) was dug through the lake/marsh system one-half mile west of the Natural Area, lowering surface water levels from approximately 15 feet to 8.5 feet. This canal cut through Lake Webster, and drained it completely, causing the lake to disappear. Lowered water levels in Lake Osborne caused it to shrink in size, and ground water levels in the Natural Area also were reduced.

In the mid-1920s, the Seaboard Airline Railroad (present-day CSX Railroad) was constructed along the eastern border of the site. A drainage swale was dug on the western border of the railroad right-of-way to provide fill to elevate the railroad bed. At about the same time, U.S. Highway 1 or Federal Highway was built along the Atlantic coast of Florida. In most of Palm Beach County, it generally was built on a different route than Dixie Highway, but in the vicinity of the Natural Area, it took over the route of Dixie Highway.

The first aerial photographs of the Natural Area were taken from a blimp by the U.S. Army in 1928, and were compiled into a coastal map by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1930 (USCGS 1930). These photographs are no longer in the public domain and were not available to ERM. Within the Natural Area, the coastal map shows an orchard occupying the southern portion of the area that would be later sand mined. Other orchards in the vicinity dating back to the same time are currently occupied by old mango trees, so it is likely that this orchard consisted of mango trees. The Natural Area orchard was accessed by a sand road that ran southward from Hypoluxo Road along the eastern edge of the sand ridge near the Seaboard Airline Railroad tracks. It was also accessed from a jeep trail that ran eastward to land on the east shore of Lake Worth. Both the mango orchard and the lakefront land were owned by the Brown family of Hypoluxo in the 1950s and it is likely that they also owned it in the 1920s. Hypoluxo Road at that time was a dirt road that extended along the north side of a LWDD lateral canal from Military Trail to Federal Highway.

The 1930 map shows the rest of the Natural Area as containing native vegetation dominated by "shortleaf pines" (sand pines). Other clearings for mango groves and other agricultural activities are scattered around in the vicinity of this site. The first aerial photographs available to ERM were taken in 1940 by the U.S. Army Air Force (USDI 1940). They do not show many changes from the 1930 map. They show additional clearing in the Natural Area north of the mango grove, but still within the footprint of the future sand mining area. Hypoluxo Road between the Seaboard tracks and Federal Highway had fallen into disuse and was little more than a footpath, creating what was essentially a 0.8-mile roadless gap.

Prior to 1940, very little development occurred in the vicinity of the site. After World War II, development accelerated. In 1946, the County Commission accepted a public right-of-way for High Ridge Road that ran southward from Hypoluxo Road for I mile along the section line, where it connected to a right-of -way for Miner Road that crossed the Seaboard Airline Railroad tracks and ran east to Federal Highway. These right-of-ways were cleared and sand roads were established. In 1948, the State acquired a 300-foot right-of-way east of the Seaboard Airline Railroad for a limited-access highway. In 1951, James and Harriet Brown sold the twenty acres of the Natural Area containing the mango grove to Brinco, Inc. of Tampa. Brinco apparently started the sand mining on the site. Long time residents of the area have said that the sand was used to fill in submerged lands in Manalapan.

A 1953 U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph shows a paved Hypoluxo Road extending from Federal Highway to Military Trail, and a paved High Ridge Road extending one mile south of Hypoluxo Road (USDI 1953). The photo also shows that most of the mango grove within the Natural Area had been cleared, indicating that sand mining was well underway. In 1953, Brinco sold the 20 acres to the Hoysgaard family, who would expand the mining operation to the west and to additional land to the north that they also owned. Although the initial mining may have been for fill material, later mining may have focused on the orange subsoil. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was believed that the orangish subsoil found in Paola soils had special nutritional value, and it was widely used to top-dress and level lawns. It is now known that the orange color comes from iron stains, and the subsoil has little nutritional value for plants. It is clear that the Paola soil areas were the target of the sand mining activities. The western border of the mined area is also the western border of the Paola soil type. No attempt was made to mine the adjacent St. Lucie soil, which has a white subsoil, although it is unclear whether this was because of the subsoil or because the St. Lucie portion of the sand ridge was lower in elevation and contained less sand. The mined areas were excavated to approximately 20 feet above sea level or until they hit outcroppings of the coquinoid limestones of the Anastasia formation. Up to 30 feet of sand may have been removed in some areas. The areas mined in the 1950s and 1960s have been classified as disturbed scrubby flatwoods (Figure 2) because of the lowered elevation and the character of the recolonizing vegetation.

The sand was removed from the Natural Area via the old 1920s road along the Seaboard Airline Railroad tracks. This road had been improved with shellrock to enable it to bear the weight of the dump trucks. No attempt was made to access the site via High Ridge Road, probably because the dump trucks couldn't climb the sand ridge between the mined area and the road. At that time, Hypoluxo Road had a very steep hill between High Ridge Road and the Seaboard tracks where it crossed the sand ridge. Fully-loaded dump trucks probably could not make it up this hill when they started from a dead stop at the High Ridge Road intersection. By using the old 1920s road, the dump trucks avoided crossing the 40-foot sand ridge on their trip to the coastal communities where the sand was delivered. The construction and paving of Hypoluxo Road between the Seaboard tracks and Federal Highway was probably the impetus for the starting of sand-mining operations. For the first time, it provided a short, convenient way to bring sand to the coastal areas where it was sold.

In the 1950s, residential development also started. The 1953 photograph shows that clearings and houses are present on the west side of High Ridge Road. The roadbed for Tom-a-toe Road has been cleared, but no houses are present. The Hatcher family has established an mango orchard and residence on the sand ridge just south of Hypoluxo Road. Additional development would come to the vicinity of the Natural Area in the late 1950s. A Food Fair supermarket was constructed at the northeast corner of the Seaboard Airline Railroad tracks and Hypoluxo Road, while the Lincoln Memorial Park (present-day Palm Beach Memorial Park) cemetery was established in the southeast corner. By 1965, additional changes were visible in an aerial photograph (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser 1965). The sand mining had ended, and vegetation was beginning to regrow in the mined areas. Small slash pines are visible in the southern end of the mined area, which had been mined first and had the longest time to recover. The southwest and west central portions of the Natural Area west of the mined area show signs of a recent wildfire with sparse low vegetation and abundant bare sand patches. Virtually all of the land bordering the west side of High Ridge Road has been divided into residential lots, and numerous houses are present.

The 1965 photograph also shows several residences on the east side of High Ridge Road, with two of them on the northern border of the Natural Area. South of Hypoluxo Road, Grace Presbyterian Church has been built on the east side of the sand ridge just east of the Hatcher mango orchard. North of Hypoluxo Road, the McKeral family has established as orchid growing range on top of the sand ridge, and a small group of industrial buildings were present next to the west side of the railroad tracks. South of the Natural Area, Tom-a-toe Road has been paved and several houses and cleared areas are present. A 1970 aerial photograph (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser 1970) shows additional houses and buildings are visible along Tom-a-toe Road and at Grace Presbyterian Church. The lots west and south of the Hecht tract in the southeast toe of the Natural Area have been cleared and a home and a mango orchard is present. The persons who cleared these lots also cleared adjacent portions of the Hecht tract, creating the disturbed scrubby flatwoods present there today (Figure 2). The roadbed for 71st Street north of the Natural Area has been cleared, but no houses are yet present. At the Natural Area, off -road vehicle trails are visible in the sand-mined area, and scattered Australian pines are visible for the first time.

In the mid-1970s, Interstate 95 was built to the east of the Natural Area on the 300-foot state-owned right-of-way between the Seaboard railroad tracks and the Palm Beach Memorial Park cemetery. Hypoluxo Road was widened to four lanes and elevated to cross the interstate and the railroad tracks. The hill on Hypoluxo Road was partially leveled and the dirt used to build the approach ramps for the interstate overpass. Frontage roads were built on either side of the western Hypoluxo Road approach ramp to provide access to the existing properties. Grace Presbyterian Church lost its front parking lot, and some the industrial buildings north of the road were demolished. On the other side of the intersection, the access ramps eliminated most of the parking lot for the former Food Fair grocery store, which was now a vacant Pantry Pride store. A new frontage road was built to reach this building, which has since become the Cabot House furniture store. The 1977 Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's aerial photograph shows additional changes. North of the Natural Area, the land that would become the High Ridge Heights subdivision was cleared, as was the land to the south of the site that would become the Cedar Ridge subdivision. The High Point retirement community southeast of the Natural Area was nearing buildout, while the Lake Worth Christian School had its first building and sports fields. There were houses on most of the lots along 71st Street and the roadway has been paved. The clump of suckering Australian pines in the northeast corner of the Natural Area is visible for the first time.

In 1981, the Hoysgaard family sold the southern 8.83 acres of their 35-acre ownership to the Francis Realty Corporation, which was affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. This property was transferred to the church's Diocese of Palm Beach in 1984. In the early 1980s, the High Ridge Heights subdivision was platted and Finn Hill Road was paved. The Seppala tract of the Natural Area south of the subdivision had its understory vegetation removed at the same time, creating the disturbed scrubby flatwoods area in the northeast corner of the site (Figure 2). The 1984 Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's aerial photograph shows that four homes were built in the High Ridge Heights subdivision. During construction of these homes and others in this subdivision, piles of construction debris were dumped along the northern edge of the Natural Area.

Also in the early 1980s, the Hoysgaard family attempted to reopen the sand-mining operation. The old haul road along the railroad tracks was realigned to meet the end of the frontage road south of Hypoluxo Road, and an area of a little more than an acre was cleared just north of the previously-mined area. Local residents rose up in opposition to the renewed mining and the site was shut down. The 1984 aerial photograph shows the newly-cleared and partially-mined area, which is currently classified as disturbed scrub (Figure 2). Additional buildings and sports fields are visible at the Lake Worth Christian School. The McKeral family's orchid growing range north of Hypoluxo Road has been sold, and a gas station and a never-completed office building was erected in its place.

In the mid-1980s, work began on the Cedar Ridge subdivision south of the Natural Area. Roads were cleared and paved, and a temporary sales office established. This project occurred at the time that savings and loans were financing poorly-conceived and even fraudulent development projects. Whatever the reason, the Cedar Ridge development failed before the first house was built, and the abandoned subdivision became a hangout for illegal dumpers, off-road vehicles, and underage drinking parties. Off-road vehicles would leave this site, travel northward along the railroad tracks, and enter the Natural Area. At about the same time, a self storage warehouse complex was built east of Grace Presbyterian Church. These warehouses were built on top of the old haul road and, combined with the easternmost houses in the High Ridge Heights subdivision, ended access to the road from Hypoluxo Road. The portion of the haul road that crossed the Natural Areas no longer went anywhere, and was no longer used and became quickly overgrown with vegetation. However, a considerable amount of dumping occurred along this road while it was still open. Hypoluxo Road was widened to from two lanes six lanes in 1989.

West of the Natural Area and the homes along High Ridge Road, the High Ridge Country Club and the High Ridge Terrace nursing home were built in the mid-1980s on the large tract of land lying between Hypoluxo and Miner Road. The Newport Place assisted living facility would be added to this site in 1990, with an entrance road that connected to High Ridge Road. In 1990, a wildfire burned approximately 2 acres in the east-central portion of the Natural Area. In 1989, the northern portion of the Palm Beach Memorial Park tract was developed as a commercial property with a Sam's Club warehouse store and several fast-food restaurants. In 1996, a Inns of America hotel was added to this commercial development.

In 1995, a reviving housing market caused new interest in the Cedar Ridge subdivision. The subdivision was purchased from the Resolution Trust Corporation, and houses began to be built. Also in 1995, Florida Affordable Housing, Inc. became interested in the 8.8 acres of the Natural Area that were owned by the Diocese of Palm Beach, and secured a purchase option on this tract. They proposed to build an affordable housing project called the Ravenswood subdivision. The proposed development would have smaller homes at a higher density than that of the surrounding neighborhood, and was opposed by neighborhood residents. The new developer of the Cedar Ridge subdivision obtained an option on the remaining 26 acres owned by the Hoysgaard family in the Natural Area in 1996. His surveyor bulldozed east-west strips 100 feet apart across the entire Hoysgaard tract, which was a violation of the County's environmentally sensitive land regulations. Off-road vehicle use of the tract increased as ORV operators could now access the site from High Ridge Road at many points. The County began enforcement action against the developer and he agreed to barricade the strip openings at High Ridge Road as part of a violation settlement. ORV users, however, either tore down the barricades or drove around them and continued to access the site.

The combination of the proposed Ravenswood development and the strip clearing on the Hoysgaard tract caused the neighborhood residents to mount a campaign to have the High Ridge Scrub purchased as a County environmentally-sensitive lands preserve. The County's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Acquisition and Selection Committee voted to add the site to the priority purchase list in January 1997, and to authorize appraisals. In April 1998, the County purchased the 26.52-acre Hoysgaard tract for $1,085,000, and followed this with the purchase of the 2.57 acre Seppala tract for $100,000 in July 1998. The County submitted an application for matching funds for the entire site to the Florida Communities Trust Preservation 2000 program in April 1998, but the application did not receive enough points to be funded.

During this time, the Ravenswood project had been working its way through the approval process. It was almost ready for construction when the developers discovered that the numerous specimen trees on the site would require far more mitigation that they had anticipated. Florida Affordable Housing agreed to sell their interest in the site to the County. In July 1998, they purchased the 8.83-acre site from the Diocese of Palm Beach and resold it to the County for $535,000. The County completed the acquisition of the Natural Area with the purchase of the 1.43-acre Hecht tract for $45,000 in January 1999.

In May 1999, the County submitted an application for matching funds for the Seppala, Hecht, and Ravenswood tracts to the Florida Communities Trust Preservation 2000 program as the High Ridge Scrub Addition FCT Project (ERM 1999). The Hoysgaard tract was no longer eligible for matching funds and was not included. The application received enough points to be funded, and FCT has given preliminary approval for $285,600 in matching state funds.

In 1998, an asphalt pathway was constructed on the east side of High Ridge Road from Miner Road to Hypoluxo Road. This pathway is on the western border of the Natural Area. In the spring and summer of 1999, ERM staff arranged for the removal of dumped debris from the Natural Area, and the clearing of perimeter firebreaks and exotic plant concentrations. The dumping debris was hauled off-site and properly disposed of; the exotic vegetation was chipped into mulch and spread on site. The entire site was then fenced to keep ORV vehicles out. In 2000, a Hess gas station was constructed at the southeast corner of Hypoluxo Road and High Ridge Road, and the remaining vacant land in the Cedar Ridge subdivision was being filled with townhomes. In the spring of 2000, ERM staff arranged for live oaks and cabbage palms salvaged from a road building project to be planted in the disturbed scrubby flatwoods in the northeast and southeast corners of the site.

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