Foreverglades_Valiente2019

34 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
120 120 28 BELLE GLADE FROM SW SW AMP TO TO TO SUGAR BOWL
POLITICS IN THE SW AMPS 121
before part this, of this, the the stream business was dredged establishments out some had had five consisted years later
of
of
only only to become two two stores, a part one one of gas the gas Thirteen station and and Mile one one Canal hotel. which That Disston
was
was
all. all. had But But intended during to this this continue year, by on by to jingoes, Shark the River. the settlement It now had forms
had
begun part to of to the grow. Miami More canal. people As had had this come stream here, was and and new typical new houses of the
and and lake's stores dead had had rivers, been including built. We We now the now Democrat, had had two two let's hotels, see three what
gas gas it was stations like.
(one (one of of them was was mine), and and four grocery
stores, and and that that was was mighty convenient. When a a fellow used
up his
"The river at
at one
its mouth is about 100 yards he
wide, the
up his "credick" at one store, there were others he could
depth of water being about eight feet. To say that our
go go to.
to.
little party was overjoyed would but poorly express it. We
do So So not now now go one some hundred folks were yards talking before of of we incorporating hear exclamations
the
the
settlement, from the just members just to to keep of the ahead party of of in Chosen. praise of the beautiful
scenery Now, in in which case case greets some Doubting the eye on Thomas every may may side. wonder There how
how is no
come perceptible it it that that I current I can can relate so far this this as story we in can in such discern. detail, The I I water reckon is
I'll I'll clear have as to to crystal, set set you you the right. banks In In the fringed the year with of of 1949 a dense this this tropical
town
decided growth to to of celebrate trees, presenting its its 21st 21st anniversary to the view a with solid a a green broadcast wall,
on on impenetrable the the First town's church new new house to the radio in Belle eye. station. Glade, This West Part wall 2nd of of is the Street the formed program and Canal. by was vines,
was
to to which be be a a reconstruction have twined around of of this this the incorporation trunks and meeting. branches Those of the
still he still trees, could here here and who be who the have had had most interlaced been profane, present and most got got wound insulting together themselves several and most around
times ef­
for fective for each to to try other try opponent to to until recollect you they the could the form events ever a hope screen of of that that not which day. to day. tangle I is I busily almost up took with.
took suf­
notes ficient Now, and and to those wrote shut plotters, out a a script the light or from progressive of day. which, Looking on citizens, on the the behind whichever
broadcast, us we
you each find man want man that to could we call are repeat them, followed his had his planned original by innumerable that remarks. a good So alligators, So now way now I I can pull
can who
give the give are teeth it it swimming to to you of you those near lazily men about who along word opposed in for our for the wake. word. incorporation From all sides would we
be see In to them that get them plunging elected in of into the water, town remain council. under In that for a few way few
In that spring of 1928 there were mighty blamed few
who they seconds, couldn't rise to buck after the we government, have passed only the and old that's join the exactly crowd the behind
it us. M. worked We do C. out. not go two miles before the river begins
who wanted to incorporate, only the old settlers, Walter
way Greer, M. C. "Billy" Eggleston, and and of of course C. C. E. E. to who had There get narrow, had out been and we a a previous find ourselves acre meeting a in in little stream
Riedel,
hotel, only
who had staked out a twenty acre townsite in these custard
so
everybody a few yards knew in width, what was was the sunlight C. B. being proposed, completely a and shut on out that by
apple woods. Another was C. B. Lozier, a but Sunday the branches we night the of trees church and the house vines, was which
vegetable
jammed have Dr. with interlocked
buyer,
but we mustn't overlook the newcomer, Dr. William those
J. J.
who and wanted twined for I to around head each it off. other that Mr. until he Greer a perfect was had the been roof chairman is formed
the ... other After meeting, going half so he a mile, took we charge find of we this are no one. longer in
Buck, for I wouldn't doubt that he was the master mind
of at of the whole dark plot.
a First stream, he but made winding sure how around many in dark, were registered sluggish water, voters. the
who of the Of roots the
Those
76 and who
in branches the
were
settlement,
most of the opposed
72 trees were forming were
now
some
present. a barrier of the
He to mer­
told our
chants, Lou C. who had a B. V. the further Lou
purpose progress C. Betzner
of the ... meeting As who we had
and return a grocery,
outlined we examine B. V.
the boundaries more Pace closely with
of
a a and L. who ran a sup­
the the furniture
proposed vines which store and
town, grow Frank
which so luxuriantly, L. Franz who
as had been and rumored, find ran a that farm
included they supply
and also a who a
Chosen,
are
ply a species place, and
and
of
then
gourd, also Roscoe
he
with
called
innumerable Braddock, a
for discussion.
gourds farmer hanging who lived from a
mile mile them, away, perfectly practically round, in in and Chosen. about But But the the the size one one of a most billiard ed by
dread­
ball.
Pace, his the furniture was the
man, jumped up "What's the use
ed The by his vines opponents run all was over the vegetable trees, and buyer, on the Lewis ground Creech.
form
to
When talk of boundaries? by his First let's and vote a on whether bait of we want
a mat fortified two by three his feet education deep." and a good bait of liquor,
to incorporate or not!"
Big Ben tractor and experimental plow.
I was one of them, set up camp there, and in a few years
Okeelanta became the biggest town, except for Moore
Haven, (a;d of course, Davie, back of Ft. Lauderdale, the
first one of all) in the whole dad burned Everglades. At
first, though, it looked as if Glade Crest was likely to
eclipse Okeelanta, but floods and frosts and frontier hardships
like to have finished them both. Glade Crest has
vanished without a trace, but Okeelanta has survived -
well, to a certain extent, that is.
Holland and Butterworth, who had sold land for R. J.
Bolles, but had a falling out, bought from the Southern
States Land and Timber Company all of Section 20, Township
44 and Range 38, and they christened it Glade Crest.
This land they then sold in five and ten acre tracts, "sight
unseen", to people in the north. When the first settlers
arrived the land had not yet even been surveyed. However,
the following fall a surveyor, Cleveland W. Horne arrived.
In later years he was to have the honor of being Grand
Master of Masons in Florida. Horne ran a line from the
coast, arid subdivided the section into ten acre tracts.
On this job, while burning off the sawgrass, some of
the crew got surrounded by the raging fire and had to
swim the canal. That wasn't so bad, but a few days later,
POLITICS DEMOCRAT IN IN THE RIVER SW SW AMPS 121
121 3029
B
GLADE CREST 35
big and delic
When I first came to this lake these gourds still were
dred firecrac
plentiful in the custard apple forest, although they then
I decided to
were less luxuriant than the moon vine, a kind of morning
ing one in se
glory, which completely blanketed the tops and the exposed
flanks of the custard apple woods, making a shadowy
er showed, I
few seconds m
dusk at mid day.
and the sens
After cruising the south shore for. nine days the party wampee juic
arrived, near the southernmost point on the lake, at numerable the t
largest and longest of all these rivers. This they christened
T-D, or Times-Democrat River. After traversing this strangely eno
know that's
stream to its end, they laid a course south by the compass unbelievably
for Shark River, ninety miles away by air line. Although and squeal i
water had evidently been five feet over the land not the too jackdaws
long before, they found that it now was a scant five inches, sawgrass roo
and First First under church that house house was in in Belle fifteen Belle Glade, feet, West West more 2nd 2nd or Street less, and and of Canal. soft mud. bills toward
he So be now the they are compelled to battle the and sharp-edged
As the p
he could be the most profane, most insulting and most ef­
ef­
sawgrass, which you they had ever believed not to be to only ten up miles
also in
to have
fective opponent you could ever hope not to tangle up with.
extent, but which actually persisted clear to the headwaters "All arou
Now, those plotters, or or progressive citizens, whichever
of Shark River. At times they were able to burn the sawgrass,
but usually the way must be hacked with machetes. ing of a frog
the the teeth of of those men men who who opposed the the incorporation would
by any sound
you you want to to call call them, had had planned that that a a good way way to to pull
pull
For many days they were compelled to push and lift their gator would
be be to to get get them elected into into the the town council. In In that that way
way
boats every foot of the way, often making only a few hundred
yards in a day. On November 17th, a week after leav­
As they p
way way it it worked out.
out.
sion we cann
they they couldn't buck the the government, and and that's exactly the
the
ing the lake, a tall cypress at Democrat River was still what deeper.
There had had been a a previous meeting in in the the hotel, so
visible to the naked eye.
boats so could
everybody knew what was was being proposed, and and on on that
that
half. On the
Sunday Constantly night the they church were plagued house was was by jammed innumerable with snakes,
those about five fe
who who though wanted fortunately, to to head it it nobody off. off. Mr. Mr. was Greer bitten. had had been But they chairman were
some five ac
at at tortured the the other by meeting, mosquitoes, so so he he took leeches took charge and of poisonous of this this one.
one. wampee
islands were
plants First "which he he made produce sure sure how how a terrible many were burning registered sensation. voters. and
Its
more ple
Of Of appearance the the 76 76 in in the is the similar settlement, to the 72 72 water were lily, now now the present. leaf being He He told from
told and on Dece
the the six purpose to twelve of of the inches the meeting across, and and the outlined root running the the boundaries to a depth
of then of were in
the the of six proposed inches, town, and resembles which as as had had a shallot been rumored, in appearance. included We mouth at th
Chosen, had the and and curiosity then he he to called taste for it. for We discussion. shall do so no more!" schooner whi
Pace, Yes, the I the know furniture blamed man, well jumped they up didn't! up "What's That the the wampee
use
use civilization.
to to was talk talk a of of hellish boundaries? plant, First nobody let's let's would vote vote on on ever whether taste we we it twice!
want taken 27 day
to to Indian incorporate turnip or or it's not!" called up north. It's tuber looks like in a Shark Riv
I was one of t
Okeelanta bec
Haven, (a;d o
one of these same boys, while far from the settlement, got
first one of al
bitten by a moccasin. His ankle swelled until he couldn't
first, though,
work, so the crew abandoned surveying and began frantically
to hack a trail through the head high sawgrass.
eclipse Okeelan
ships like to
They knew the direction to the settlement but with grass
vanished witho
so high, couldn't see any buildings. It was pitch dark when
well, to a cert
they got to the canal, and they began to shout. Finally a
settler heard the racket and rescued them with his boat. Holland an
The leg was doctored with turpentine, the nearest thing Bolles, to but ha
medicine in the camp. The boy must have been pretty States Land an
tough for the leg got well, but he was promoted to be camp ship 44 and R
cook after that.
This land they
unseen", to pe
By the winter of 1914-15, besides Slade, there were the arrived the lan
families of Baker, Daniel, Elsasser, Herndon, Garrett, Metcalf
and two Bissell families and a Mrs. Chisolm who was
the following f
sister to one of the Bissell ladies. Later, Shields and his Master of Mas
son, who had some boats and barges, started a little store, coast, arid sub
and since the Hillsboro canal had just been opened, "Shorty"
Woods, in his boat Bonnie made occasional trips
On this job
down it to the coast. Although this route was far shorter
the crew got
than by way of Torry Island and down the canal to Ft. swim the cana
Sawgrass plow with mouldboard slatted for better scouring.
34 BEL
In later years
B