Foreverglades_Valiente2019

Now all this is transpiring, you'll remember, in the unlighted
streets long before day on this winter morning, yet
beans are never picked before the often reluctant sun has
dried off all the dew, and this may be nine or ten, or even
later. And so you ask, what's the big rush to load? Well
I reckon Now you've all this already is transpiring, figured out you'll the remember, answer. The in farmer the un­
wants lighted to streets get his long crew before loaded day before on this some winter bidding morning, might
yet
start. beans weather Although are almost never farmers impassible. picked before used Except to the solemnly often for the reluctant agree highways, on sun a there cer­
has
tain dried are price, no off rock all there roads, often dew, so and would often this be the may somebody field be nine truck in or a hauls ten, tight or who'd only even a
raise later. partial the And load bid. so to you In the later ask, highway. what's years Here the police big they rush are took to re-loaded charge load? Well and onto
allowed I another reckon no you've truck trucks for already town. leave figured Sometimes until out their a tractor siren answer. blew pulls The at the farmer seven field
o'clock, wants truck. to If but it's get before really his crew that, bad, loaded it those may before trucks pull a sled. some would Repairing bidding start leaving
might axles,
at start. transmissions six or Although even five. and farmers clutches It was used a keeps rat to solemnly race the repair and agree a shops circus, on busy.
a to certain
After price, there pickers often would have finished be somebody and gone, in a tight there who'd
be
sure.
may
raise still be the rows bid. of In filled later hampers, years the maybe police four took deep charge and 1000 and
allowed
And so
feet long, no
the
waiting trucks
trucks to be leave
would
hauled until
leave
in their
directly
after siren
for
dark. blew
their
For at
fields,
example,
seven
a o'clock,
mile or
one day but
maybe
during before
ten
the that,
miles
war those
away.
years trucks
Always
when would
though,
pickers start
there'd
were leaving
be
some scarce
at and six
which
independent, or even
would five.
need
the It pickers was
some a
tire rat had race
repairs.
worked and
During
until a circus,
the
dusk to
depression
dark.
be
sure.
years tires were always run until worn into the
fabric, Toters so had tire carried trouble hampers, was routine. and wired The trucks on the might lids have until
been their And hauling hands so the
were beans trucks
getting from would the sore, leave field so directly until they midnight all for
left with their or fields, later, the
and a
pickers. mile anyway, or
There maybe there still ten was were
miles no half away. hurry a dozen
Always about batches getting though,
of pickers there'd
hampers,
to be
the some
each field. a
which
couple The would main of hundred need thing some was feet to tire
long get repairs.
and the six crew. During
to When ten hampers
the I was
de­
living pression
deep. over The years my contractor, service tires were station, his always
foreman my run family and until
his used worn
truck to be into
drivers wak­
the
ened fabric,
headed, every so
loaded tire morning trouble
and hauled by was the routine. jabbering them all The
to of the
trucks one, packing two, might or house,
even have
three been
finishing hauling loads at of 2 beans
A.M. hilarious The
from
drivers pickers, the field
caught their until
naps heads midnight
in nearly their or
trucks
later, even
with and
while anyway, the the window packing there sills, house
was as no my crews hurry men unloaded, about worked getting on for the they pickers tires. had to
to
the
be at field.
the The
loading main
zone thing
before was to
six.
get the crew. When I was
At the bean field the pickers string out along the ends
living Field over workers my service all were station, negroes, my family but the used packing to be house
wakened
crews, every except morning for a short by the time jabbering war of years, one, two, were or white.
even
of rows, resting, eating, or huddled by little fires which invariably
ignited the muck, but that is no concern of theirs.
three Most loads of them of hilarious lived in the pickers, government their heads migratory nearly labor
even
At the foreman's signal they start down the rows, kneeling
camp with the nearby. window Women, sills, from as my young men girls worked to grandmas, on the tires. graded
the beans on moving belts, while men moved the
in the soft and itching muck, with both hands expertly
plucking
finished
At the mature bean field beans, the filling pickers a hamper string out as they along go. the When
ends
hampers to waiting refrigerated trucks or railroad cars.
it of is rows, filled, resting, the toter, eating, after or huddled shaking by little down, fires presents which invariably
and ignited then carries the muck, the but hamper that to is no the concern row's end. of theirs. Some
a
Although they never began work till noon, they worked
ticket,
until the last beans arrived, far into the night. Since pack­
of At these foreman's tickets may signal be traded they start at the down sandwich the rows, wagon kneeling for
ing houses had no walls, that northwest wind on a win­
a in bottle the soft cold and drink itching or muck, a sandwich. with both The hands remainder expertly are
ter's night could get most ungodly cold.
cashed plucking in mature some beans, certain filling store a in hamper town.
as they go. When
it is But filled, how the about toter, those after bean shaking pickers, it after down, they presents return
a
to ticket, town? and They then jam carries the the dim hamper streets to of the the row's negro end. section,
Some
reluctant of these tickets to crawl may into be the traded cubby at holes the sandwich which contain wagon their
for
bed a bottle and suitcase. of cold drink In the or street a sandwich. the crowd The drifts remainder about, some
are
cashed in at some certain store in town.
36
BEAN PICKERS NEVER SLEEP 195
BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
34 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
194 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
Soon trucks begin to haul filled hampers to the packing
house near the depot in town, if they can make it, for
Lauderdale, yet it wasn't very popular. The locks were six
field roads at the very best are soft and rutted in wet
miles from town, and since the water below was too shoal
to navigate, all goods had to be transferred from the locks
over a rutted sandy road through the piney woods to Deerfield.
But good gosh, when you got there, except for the
railroad, you still hadn't got nowhere! Yet by the spring
of 1915 there already were some 72 starry-eyed enthusiasts
camped at Glade Crest, the most I wouldn't doubt, who
ever lived there at one time. But friend, they were having
their troubles.
Glade Crest was in the pure old peat of the sawgrass
Everglades, new and raw. I know exactly what they had
to contend with, for I was having the same problems at
the very same time in Okeelanta. Water no longer covered
the land, but it wasn't far below the surface, and clearing
that sawgrass was a terrific task, for no machines which
we had could do it.
The land salesmen had told us all, "Just mow off the
sawgrass, then plow the ground with a hand push plow."
Mrs. Daniel has said that they even had told her. "A family
of four could make a living on a single acre, since four
crops could be grown each year". Oh yes, they even said,
and backed it up with government reports, "Frost has
never been known to damage the tenderest vegetation."
And gee whiz, they even claimed there were no mosquitoes,
either!
That first winter, according to Herman Herndon, there
were fifteen frosts and freezes from December till April
5th. Farmers tried to protect their little crops by burning
piles of sawgrass, but the heat mostly went straight up,
so some plants were scorched while the majority simply
froze. Anyway, by the second night, there were no more
sawgrass piles. Then they tried covering the plants with
muck. This worked fine once or twice and with small plants,
but the covering and uncovering was near about as damaging
as the frost.
Since the first tractors couldn't clear the sawgrass, all
this had to be done by hand. Sawgrass first was chopped
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,
196 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
silent with fatigue ( or wine), others are laughing, flirting,
hugging or squabbling, for as the negro author, Zora Hurston,
said of these bean pickers, they "work all day for
money and fight all night for love". At street corners some
huddle around fires in trash barrels for a modicum of
'
persuaded him to try his luck at share cro
196 BELLE GLADE FROM er Island. SW AMP Moving TO SUGAR his family BOWL by wagon
by barge across the lake, he farmed on
silent 196 with BELLE fatigue GLADE ( or wine), FROM others SW AMP are laughing, TO SUGAR flirting, BOWL
hugging or squabbling, for as the negro author, Zora Hurston,
said with of fatigue these ( bean or wine), pickers, others they are "work laughing, all flirting, day for
50
silent
hugging money and or fight squabbling, all night for for as love". the negro At street author, corners Zora Hurston,
said around of these fires bean in trash pickers, barrels they for "work a modicum all day for of
some
huddle
money warmth. and Lunch fight rooms, all night pool for halls love". and At jook street joints corners are some jammed.
huddle Dark around figures fires sip in wine trash at barrels the for in front, a modicum tables of in
warmth. the rear are Lunch well rooms, occupied pool by halls card and players jook joints at their are games jammed.
of "skin" Dark and figures the piano sip wine bangs at the loudly bar for in front, a few tables dancing
couples, the rear and are everybody well occupied is having by card fun, players I reckon. at their games
of "skin" and the piano bangs loudly for a few dancing
Long after midnight the mob begins to drift away,
couples, and everybody is having fun, I reckon.
some to their dingy rooms, others, after waiting until the
places Long close, after stretch midnight out the on benches mob begins and to floors drift in away, pool
rooms some to and their jooks. dingy One rooms, time others, I remonstrated after waiting with until a labor the
contractor, places close, himself stretch a out negro, on benches that the and jook floors joints in should pool
rooms close earlier and jooks. so those One poor time bean I remonstrated pickers could with get a labor more
sleep, contractor, but he himself replied, a negro, that the jook joints should
close earlier so those poor bean pickers could get more
"Mistuh Will, dese nigguhs picks beans all day, and
sleep, but he replied,
dey jooks all night. Dey don't neveh git no sleep. De best
bean "Mistuh pickers Will, in Belle dese Glade nigguhs don't picks never beans sleep from all day, N ovember
until jooks May!" all night. Dey don't neveh git no sleep. De best
and
dey
bean And pickers I reckon in Belle he was Glade telling don't the never stomped sleep down from truth! N ovember
until May!"
Soon trucks begin to haul filled hampers to the packing
house near the depot in town, if they can make it, for
field roads at the very best are soft and rutted in wet
GLADE CREST 37
weather almost impassible. Except for the highways, there
are no rock roads, so often the field truck hauls only a
partial load to the highway. Here they are re-loaded onto
another truck for town. Sometimes a tractor pulls the field
truck. If it's really bad, it may pull a sled. Repairing axles,
transmissions weather almost and impassible. clutches keeps Except the for repair the highways, shops busy.
there
are
After no rock
the roads,
pickers so
have often
finished the field
and truck
gone, hauls
there only
may
a
still partial load to the highway. Here they are re-loaded onto
be rows of filled hampers, maybe four deep and 1000
another truck for town. Sometimes a tractor pulls the field
feet long, waiting to be hauled in after dark. For example,
truck. If it's really bad, it may pull a sled. Repairing axles,
one day during the war years when pickers were scarce
transmissions and clutches keeps the repair shops busy.
and independent, the pickers had worked until dusk dark.
Toters After had the carried pickers hampers, have finished and wired and gone, the there lids until
may
their still be hands rows were of filled getting hampers, sore, maybe so they four all deep left with and 1000 the
pickers. feet long, There waiting still to were be hauled half a in dozen after batches dark. For of hampers,
example,
each one day a couple during of hundred the war feet years long when and pickers six to ten were hampers
scarce
deep. and independent, The contractor, the pickers his foreman had worked and his until truck dusk drivers
dark.
headed, Toters had loaded carried and hauled hampers, them and all wired to the on packing the lids house,
until
finishing their hands at 2 were A.M. getting The drivers sore, caught so they naps all in left their with trucks
the
while pickers. the There packing still house were crews half a unloaded, dozen batches for they of hampers, had to
be each at a the couple loading of hundred zone before feet six. long and six to ten hampers
deep.
Field The
workers contractor,
all were his negroes,
foreman but
and
the his
packing truck drivers
house
headed, loaded and hauled crews, except for a short time
them
in
all
war
to
years,
the packing house,
were white.
Most
finishing
of them at 2 A.M.
lived The
in drivers
the government caught naps
migratory in their trucks
labor
camp while
nearby. the packing
Women, house
from crews unloaded, young girls to grandmas,
for they had
graded
the beans on moving belts, while men moved the finished
to
be at the loading zone before six.
hampers Field to workers waiting all refrigerated were negroes, trucks but the or railroad packing house cars.
Although crews, except they for never a short began time work in war till noon, years, they were worked
white.
until Most the of last them beans lived arrived, in the far government into the night. migratory Since pack­
labor
ing camp houses nearby. had Women, no walls, from that young northwest girls to wind grandmas, on a graded
the night beans could on moving get most belts, ungodly while men cold.
moved the finished
hampers to waiting refrigerated trucks or railroad cars.
winter's
But how about those bean pickers, after they return
Although they never began work till noon, they worked
to town? They jam the dim streets of the negro section,
reluctant until the to
last
crawl beans
into arrived,
the far into the cubby holes which
night.
contain
Since
their
packing
bed and houses
suitcase. had no
In walls,
the street that
the northwest
crowd drifts wind
about, on a
some
winter's
night could get most ungodly cold.
BEAN PICKERS NEVER SLEEP 195
GLADE CREST 35
down with a machete, unless you were lucky enough to
get the cussed grass to burn. Then, with a heavy planter's
Soon trucks begin to haul filled hampers to the packing
house near the depot in town, if they can make it, for
hoe, the stubs and roots were grubbed up, and the tough,
field roads at the very best are soft and rutted in wet
rope-like connecting runners were pulled up with a potato
rake and tossed behind to dry. After the sawgrass had been
grubbed up, then the soft ground could be plowed with a
push plow. In a long, hard day (all our days were long
and hard, so it seemed), one man could grub up a patch
of saw grass about fifty feet square. That's one-seventeenth
of an acre. To get one acre ready for planting was about
a month's job for one man. Yet that first winter that's
how it all was done.
' Glade Cres
Everglades, ne
Worst of all, we learned that on sawgrass land nothing to contend wi
would grow but sawgrass ! The brown, fibrous peat had the very same
to be stirred and aerated so it could decompose into black the land, but i
muck. Plants would spring up, turn yellow and die. Yet that sawgrass
where Irish potatoes had been sprayed with lime and copper
sulphate to prevent blight, a second crop of potatoes, The land s
we had could
or nearly anything else, would grow fairly well. So that's sawgrass, then
how we learned that copper in this soil was essential and Mrs. Daniel h
we had to use commercial fertilizer, too. The land companies
had insisted that this would not be necessary, since crops could be
ily of four cou
analysis showed there was an excess of nitrogen. That and backed i
sounded fine, but what they didn't know was that this
never been k
nitrogen was in a form not available to plants. Oh boy,
And gee whiz,
there was a heap to learn!
either!
Yet in spite of all, there were some vegetables raised. That first
'l'he Ft. Lauderdale Sentinel of June 19, 1914 states that were fifteen
J. W. Bissell of Glade Crest had sold some Irish potatoes 5th. Farmers
for $1 and $1.25 a hamper, and they had yielded at the piles of sawg
r te of 150 bushels per acre. Now, to be sure, the paper so some plan
didn't state how many hampers or how many acres Mr. froze. Anywa
Bissell had, whether it was one acre or more or less. It sawgrass pile
wouldn't surprise me if it was less. In Okeelanta the five muck. This w
of us, for our whole winter's labor, had succeeded in raising
and selling only 40 hampers of potatoes, ten hampers aging as the
but the cover
of beans and a few batches of carrots and turnips. Our Since the
potatoes brought $1.50 and $1.75.
this had to b
Sawgrass plow with mouldboard slatted for better scouring.
one of these same boys, while far from the settlement, got
bitten by a moccasin. His ankle swelled until he couldn't
work, so the crew abandoned surveying and began frantically
to hack a trail through the head high sawgrass.
They knew the direction to the settlement but with grass
so high, couldn't see any buildings. It was pitch dark when
they got to the canal, and they began to shout. Finally a
settler heard the racket and rescued them with his boat.
The leg was doctored with turpentine, the nearest thing to
medicine in the camp. The boy must have been pretty
tough for the leg got well, but he was promoted to be camp
cook after that.
And I reckon he was telling the stomped down truth!
By the winter of 1914-15, besides Slade, there were the
families of Baker, Daniel, Elsasser, Herndon, Garrett, Metcalf
and two Bissell families and a Mrs. Chisolm who was
sister to one of the Bissell ladies. Later, Shields and his
son, who had some boats and barges, started a little store,
and since the Hillsboro canal had just been opened, "Shorty"
Woods, in his boat Bonnie made occasional trips
down it to the coast. Although this route was far shorter
than by way of Torry Island and down the canal to Ft.
But how about those bean pickers, after they return
to town? They jam the dim streets of the negro section,
reluctant to crawl into the cubby holes which contain their
bed and suitcase. In the street the crowd drifts about, some
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
'
''
'
36
BEL
Lauderdale, ye
miles from tow
to navigate, al
over a rutted s
field. But goo
railroad, you s
of 1915 there a
camped at Gl
ever lived ther
their troubles.