Foreverglades_Valiente2019

30 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
A VEG ET ABLE EMPIRE 209
DEMOCRAT A VEG ET ABLE RIVER EMPIRE 31
20930 B
34 BEL
big and delicious potato, but it is hotter than seven hundred
Major Williams concludes his report by stating that big and delic
firecrackers. Although CHAPTER I had THIRTY-ONE
ELEVEN seen men taste wampee,
the Everglades "are nothing more nor less than a vast dred firecrac
I decided to be smart CHAPTER and boil THIRTY-ONE
the poison out. After cooking
and useless marsh, and such they will remain for all time I decided to
one in several waters until the lavender liquid no long­
to come in my estimation." Good golly, he should see them ing one in se
er showed, I took one cautious bite and spit it out. In a
now!
er showed, I
few seconds my mouth felt like a thousand burning needles,
few seconds m
And so that was the first trip ever made .from Lake
and the sensation lasted until next day. Scientists say that
and the sens
Okeechobee southward through the length of the Everglades,
yes, and the last one too, until the Miami Canal
wampee juice contains microscopic balls which expel innumerable
tiny needles with great force. Great grief, I
numerable ti
Vegetable Empire
was surveyed some thirty years later.
wampee juic
know that's so, A
Ice
and Vegetable those
Delivery
needles are Empire
F.O.B.
red hot to boot! Yet
know that's
strangely enough, wild hogs used to love the root, and got
But let's take a closer look at what Democrat River was strangely eno
unbelievably fat on it. A sawgrass hog would eat a wampee
like in those primeval days. The scribe of this expedition unbelievably
and squeal in pain, but then he'd root up another. Even
gives us a detailed account, though curiously enough, he and squeal i
the jackdaws which used to follow us as we grubbed up
never mentions those ancient mounds at the river's fork. the jackdaws
A fleet of tractors turning the muck.
sawgrass roots, would peck on a wampee, then gape their
Maybe the jungle A growth fleet of tractors was so turning dense the that muck. they weren't sawgrass roo
bills toward Farms the here sky in while these their Everglades tongues nowadays cooled off. are large.
even ground noticed. as fast as it could be pumped off, and dikes collapsed.
as
bills toward
Large? Farms After all
Good here these
golly, in these years
they're Everglades I reckon everybody
huge! Right nowadays has
near Belle are forgotten
large.
ground
Glade
You fast
could as it
pump could
water be pumped
off your off,
land and dikes
but there
collapsed.
"On the You 10th could day pump of November," water off he your relates, land "ere but there
As the party penetrated the Everglades they seemed
alone, just to name a few, we have the farms of Mrs. Ruth
were not sufficient outlets for it to reach the sea. Water
As the p
Large? Captain Good F. M. golly, Benjamin, they're which huge! is Right not strange near Belle to be Glade sure,
also to have been oppressed by the uncanny silence.
Wedgeworth, Sam Senter, Sam Knight and Double D. Each
ran into windows in homes on the coast, cattle drowned
also to have
alone, for his just solitary to name claim a few, to fame we have was the his farms one premature of Mrs. Ruth attempt
at progress.
first were streaks not sufficient of dawn, outlets every man for in it to camp reach was the astir." sea. Water The
"All around us reigns a death-like stillness unrelieved
Wedgeworth, one is over 5000 Sam acres, Senter, Belle Glade
and Sam A. Duda Knight in those
and and days,
Sons Double and
farm D. Chosen
18,000.
Each
boats ran were
or starved. into loaded windows and
It was in for
a homes a few
tragic situation, hundred the coast, yards
to be cattle were
sure.
drowned rowed "All arou
by any sound of animal life of any description. The croak­
They all diversify with cane, cattle and vegetables, and of
Two years later the Central and Southern by any sound
one too, is back over in 5000 1922 acres, were and nothing A. Duda but and the Sons scattered farm clearings 18,000.
up or the starved. stream. It Then was the a tragic oars were situation, stowed to away be sure. for the last
Florida
ing of a frog, the hoot of an owl, or the bellow of an alli­
course, there are thousands of acres of sod farms which
Flood Control District was organized. It immediately ing of a frog
They of a all few diversify brave souls with in cane, this cattle custard and apple vegetables, swamp. and Roads of
time "for Two poles years will later have the to be Central used for and many Southern miles to come. Florida went
gator would be a relief." This caused a "feeling of depres­
also raise cattle.
to work, enlarging our main canals, erecting dikes, and gator would
course, and railroads there are weren't thousands thought of acres of yet of but sod still farms there which were
The Flood river Control has narrowed District down was organized. to a stream It immediately not more than went installing
many enormous pump stations, one being the larg­
sion we cann
sion we cannot avoid."
The present prosperity of the Glades is due to two
also some raise women, cattle. and those women craved for ice. Across the
five to or work, six feet enlarging depth, our main dark, canals, sluggish erecting and with dikes, a slight and installing
lake As
events The they in
which present Okeechobee progressed,
followed prosperity and the in water
those of Moore
disasters the in Haven places Glades became were
of floods, is due big somewhat
events for deeper. icing
high to plants
taxes
two
perceptible est in the many current
world. enormous running
Now the pump north.
Distict stations, The boughs
is at work one being of the
in the the trees
Kissim­
largest
over
As they p
and the which catfish, On
Great followed the 21st but
Depression, those they no
which disasters fish found were ponds
I mentioned of ever floods, in which shipped
earlier. high their
taxes from
lap First
mee in River the world. water,
Valley, Now the
the the vines
source Distict form
of most is a at perfect work of our in network
flood the Kissimmee
our
to what deeper.
waters.
boats and was
Belle the could
the
Glade, Great float
Murphy
which Depression, and
Law,
should that day
by which have they
which I stopped mentioned made
large
his a mile
tracts earlier. dream and
could First right a
bar be
In the River progress,
Upper Valley, and
Glades the to all source appearances
600,000 of
acres most when
have of our we
been flood approach
set waters. boats could
apart
half. was there, On
bought the but the
for Murphy Captain 24th the
very little. Law, Benjamin first
The by dry which had ground a notion
other large was
was the tracts that discoveredabout
bought in Belle five
an
first could ice plant
compre­
be
these In
and the barriers
protected Upper it seems Glades as
for farming, 600,000 if the
while acres end of
1325 have the water
square been set course
miles apart half. On the
beyond
protected reached,
hensive for feet Glade
and very square, might
practical little. and make
flood The on him
control other the an 28th was honest their
plan. the buck. first
Those first island,
big comprehensive
five
has and been
developers
who and acres
are reserved for but
to farming, with a few
conserve while strokes
water 1325 of
for cities square the machetes,
on miles the coast,
beyond
and
about five fe
some bought practical in extent.
under flood However
the control
on
Murphy plan. December
Act Those had big 3rd
to developers
who bought under the Murphy Act had to install
resumed for
the
axes install
for recreation, are hatchets reserved our
and to way conserve is cleared,
incidentally, water
to for and
keep cities our journey
the on
muck the coast, is some five ac
from
islands Just were why
their own more he
water numerous was called
control systems, and Captain the water nobody
ditches, courses rightly
dikes and deeper seemed
pumping
stations, plentiful. Of course and On he that had
burning. recreation, for a few
And too, and yards
the incidentally, until the next
great Herbert to obstruction keep Hoover the Dike muck is reached,
burning. sometimes
now from islands were
encircles
the And a
and to more know.
they thought day a boat, they a
that made thirty-six
they fifteen foot
were miles, cabin
their own water control systems, ditches, dikes and safe. pumping
stations, and they thought that they were of safe.
But
lake too, sunken
to the prevent great log, the
another Herbert roots
hurricane Hoover of trees Dike extending
disaster. now encircles
the
and more ple
So
and cruiser on
bless December named Lil,
goodness, 6th
in they but heck,
1947 travelled unless
South Florida thirty-five, was had one for a licensed they
the worst
But
across now the the whole
flood lake channel,
problem to prevent or the
seems another branches
to be hurricane of trees
licked.
disaster. which
So and on Dece
then steamboat were in man Shark or River, at least which the skipper they descended of a mailboat, to its a
bless floods goodness, in its history. in 1947 In South the Glades Florida and had on one the of coast, the worst
reach now the
water
If the surface
you're flood problem of the water.
interested seems We
in farming, to be have licked. gone a couple of then were in
and who isn't, let's
mouth man at didn't the scarcely Gulf of rate Mexico. that title Here here. they But boarded regardless, the
floods stood in over its the history. land In for the weeks. Glades It and was on four the coast, feet deep water
miles when
at
take If a you're we discover
look at interested that
how these in the farming, river no
Glades farmers and longer who exists,
operate. isn't, but
let's mouth at th
You
schooner Captain which he was, had a come sour to old meet bachelor them with for a the sad return moustache to
stood Okeelanta, over the where land I for was weeks. desperately It was trying four feet to save deep my
at
has take lost
might a itself
get look in
a at the
few how dense
surprises.
these swamp Glades of farmers custard apples. operate. Our
You schooner whi
civilization. who lived aboard The entire his Lil, trip and from what Lake times Okeechobee he wasn't making had
Okeelanta,
1000 acres where of farm I land was and desperately pasture. trying Water seeped to save under
my
compass might is
Don't get now,
take a few and
my surprises. will be until the end of our voyage, civilization.
word for it, just look through the files
taken a trip 27 days to Lauderdale and their with average a jag speed, of eggplants except for or the potatoes day
our only of guide.
U. S. We
Fruit are
and now
Vegetable penetrating Market a
News. portion of
You'll the
1000 acres of farm land and pasture. Water seeped under
Don't take my word for it, just look through the files taken 27 day
find
in Shark River, had been only 31208
three 28 miles a BELLE day. GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR state of BOWL which U. S. has Fruit never and been Vegetable done before DEMOCRAT Market by News. any RIVER white You'll man,
find in Shark Riv
208 75
concludes his report by stating that part of this stream was dredged out some five years later
When I first came to this lake thes
re nothing more nor less than a vast to become a part of the Thirteen Mile Canal which Disston
plentiful in the custard apple forest,
and such they will remain for all time had intended to continue on to Shark River. It now forms
were less luxuriant than the moon vine
34 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL GLADE CREST
B
I was one of t
Okeelanta bec
Haven, (a;d o
first one of al
first, though,
eclipse Okeelan
ships like to
vanished witho
well, to a cert
Holland an
Bolles, but ha
States Land an
ship 44 and R
This land they
unseen", to pe
arrived the lan
the following f
In later years
Master of Mas
coast, arid sub
On this job
the crew got
swim the cana