Florida Flashlights
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311 Class Book^: GopglitN? COPBRICHT DEPOSm ^6 J^/ Florida Flashlights A thousand and one facts concerning the history, development, resources and possibilities of the great Peninsula State By J. H. REESE Copyright, 1917, by J. H. Reese The Hefty Press, Miami — — Comment on 'Tlashlights" You have performed a national service. To use a hackneyed term, you Mar- have "filled a long felt want."—Moses Folsom, secretary Florida State keting Bureau, Jacksonville. publisher. It is a credit to the printer's art and highly creditable to the of the It also reflects credit upon the State.—Dr. A. A. Murphree, president University of Florida, Gainesville. You have produced a very creditable thing.—Jeflferson Thomas, presi- dent The Thomas Advertising Service, Jacksonville. "Florida Flashlights" is a most interesting and useful book.—Mrs. Kirk Munroe, Cocoanut Grove. The Metropolis welcomes it as a most valuable addition to its reference of library. It will fill a long recognized want. It should be in the hands every public school teacher, of every preacher, of every lawyer, of every politician, and of every business man who has need of information con- cerning the development, resources and history of Florida. The Miami Metropolis. The text covers every phase of information that people desire about Florida presented in a compact readable way. Information is dealt out in paragraphs and covers the whole field in a way that will prove convenient, not only for the casual reader, but for the one who wants to find out all about Florida. The Miami Herald. OEC 24 1917 ©CI,A479«7 PREFACE The person in search of information about Florida must assume the drudgery of going through voluminous official documents which frequently are not readily had, or else he consults histories and geographies that fail to afford him the desired knowledge. This volume was compiled with the idea of filling the demand for a condensed presentation in simple language of leading facts about Florida. It contains the meat of many official reports, and represents more labor than its modest form indicates. Although pains- taking efforts have been made to include the most essential information pertaining to the State's history and its varied actiAdties, no claim for absolute completeness is asserted. Unquestionably much important and interesting information has escaped this survey. It is offered on its merits with the knowledge that its defects may be remedied in subsequent editions. The compiler wishes to acknowledge obligations to the Librarian of Congress, to the State House officials of Florida, to the Librarian of the Woman's Club Library of Miami, and to numerous others who have extended him courtesies in the preparation of the matter contained herein. Legal Holidays in Florida The first day of the week, commonly known as Sunday. January 1, New Year's Day. January 19, Robert E. Lee's Birthday. February 22, Washington's Birthday. April 26, Memorial Day. June 3, Jefferson Davis' Birthday. July 4, Independence Day. First Monday in September, Labor Day. General Election Day. Thanksgiving Day. December 25, Christmas Day. The days known as Good Friday and Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) are observed as public holidays in some cities, though not generally. When- ever any legal holiday shall fall upon a Sunday, the Monday next following is deemed a public holiday. LEGAL RATE OF INTEREST The legal rate of interest in Florida is 8 per cent.; the contract rate, 10 per cent. — Know ye the land of the cedar and vine, Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine. Where the citron and olive are fairest of fruit. And the voice of the mocking bird never is mute? —Byron. )RIDA HAS EVER LURED THE Dreamer, the Adventurer le Zealot And. the..Cheva.Iler7 Leon, de Soto, Menendez and the gallsmt do ri^„To<.» ""> •Kt he many who followed thefr prototypes of i ntrf^^ r?^""/ 1^—=;the-mo8t^ eventful and thrilling hietiYf ^^'"foot ^continent. FLO r i D A t" Jane a poseession of the uni ,„^ - hundredy^^ae a State oi tiicnni ago .tie more thaJi^fiTt - id-. ago* Much has been written Vml 'He of riorlda ae a Land of Kn-^ chantment'^ ana playground fc idle rich while too 11 las vvae .^m lll\ neath the surface of Iti fertile soil. De Leon ^sought lengthened lifo> here in fabled fouxi- taina^andXiiO CUiia diedUA^U inA.LA U11151 ittempt.pporempt.ppor Ponce'Po De. foto Ipoked in or .gold on top.o. }J?hel^ Florida First In ground, and hastened Sn on -to nie death in the// mad quest. Deluded de \\\ Equable climate. Soto.' Though both failec reach came. to the_^ri|ht 1« ^aliiy for what hS moel ^- Percentage of population increase. »8ijed. Others more prag! 1^?^ have found In Flo- Variety fruits and vegetables. riaa wl;iat they ml seed Construction of good roads. "•o fho3u8£ind6j and thousands Production of phosphates and ful- vaiBOalso haveh found wealth in .her forest e. farme and mire lers earth. \The^vaIue or her, products p •acre of tilled land Is -reater than any other Area of standing timber. state can claim, andtHe ivaviety of crope grown Conservation of bird hfe. • here has neveaS yet been recorded. Florida is Drainage of rich lands. not only the rich roar^l > pi ay ground; it ie more Extent of coast line. truly the poor meui'e ^^paradise There^leThere^ls ^no land beneath Lthe which -de bundndant f°yit/ ^!§!?f|e^lj tiueoa Florida's Remarkable Growth (Extract from a speech made by the Honorable Frank Clark, represen- tative in Congress from the Second Florida district, in the House of Repre- sentatives, February 26, 1912.) Blessed by the Creator with an incomparable climate; with a soil as rich and productive as the world-famed "Valley of the Nile"; with a sea- coast of more than twelve hundred miles; with inexhaustible mines and magfnificent forests; with such a diversity of agricultural and horticultural products as can be found in no other Commonwealth, and above all, peopled with as intelligent, energetic and patriotic a citizenship as inhabits the earth, it is not surprising that Florida has kept step to the music of our advancing and progrressive civilization. (Applause). The census returns for 1910 give to the State of Florida a population of 752,619 people as against a popula- tion of 528,542 in 1900, which is an increase of 42.4 per cent., and which establishes the fact that only 11 States have made a greater comparative gain than Florida, while Florida made a greater percentage of gain than any other Southern State. Notes on Florida Geography Florida's total area is 54,861 square miles. Of this, 3,805 square miles are occupied by lakes and rivers. Florida has the largest area of any State east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of Georgia only. An accurate survey of the many islands along the coast would no doubt put it first. The greatest length of Florida, north to south, is 450 miles. The greatest width is about 400 miles. The average width of the peninsula is 95 miles. The Florida keys are a succession of small islands dotting the waters and curving westward in a semi-circular chain from the termination of the mainland for a distance of two hundred miles. Many of the keys are extremely fertile and produce fruits and vegetables of a fine size and quality. The word key in this sense comes from the Spanish cayo, meaning a small island. Florida has 1250 miles of coast line, more than that of any other state. Florida has 54 counties. Tallahassee, Leon County, is the capital. Jacksonville is the chief city. Tampa is the chief port and headquarters of the customs district of Florida. Florida's Population in Paragraphs The population of Florida as given by the State census of 1915 was 921,618. The Federal census of 1910 was 752,619. The figures that follow are based on the State census. White population, 559,787; negro, 360,394. Urban population, 408,157; rural, 513,461. Population per square mile in the State, 16.7; rural, 9.3. The area of Florida is 54,861 square miles. The largest county in area is Lee, 4,641 square miles. Population per square mile in Lee county is two persons. Duval county has the largest population of any Florida county, 94,794, divided as follows: Whites, 47,727; negro, 47,067. Hillsborough has the largest white population of any Florida county, 65,754; negro, 17,880; total, 83,634. The State Census of 1915 shows 129 Indians, and 1,082 state convicts in 8 FLORIDA FLASHLIGHTS Florida. Palm Beach county is credited with having 74, the largest number of Indians. There are 264,571 men of voting age in Florida, 160,107 white and 104,404 negro. The total vote cast by Florida in the presidential election of 1916 was 80,803. There are thirteen cities in Florida of five thousand population, or more, as follows: Jacksonville, 66,850; Tampa, 48,160; Pensacola, 23,219; Key West, 18,495; Miami, 15,594; West Tampa, 7,837; Lakeland, 7,287; St. Petersburg, 7,186; Gainesville, 6,736; Orlando, 6,448; St. Augustine, 5,471; Ocala, 5,370; Tallahassee, 5,193. There are sixteen cities in Florida having 2,500 to 5,000 population; forty-two having 1,000 to 2,500; one hundred and twenty-three of 1,000 and under. Between 1905 and 1915, the rural population in Florida increased 34.8 per cent.; the urban population, 74.6 per cent. The towns showing a hundred per cent, increase or more during this period were: St.