The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-06-07

Key West Democrat, June iskl
The EvoRglmAes Partially . MYTH
Nigh Rolling Fine lands In
atead-The Garden epoe Of Fer
Ida.
Capt. II. s. Duval, o. 8. deputy aurveyos and
party, reached Key West last Thursday tMay
26) They went, into the nsld on the nd Of
February aud have been constantly In the unex-
plOred regions since. The survey they made
extended east of range 81, township 81. % and
So South. The survey was continued 40 miles
from ,he Calf coast eastward TO what has been
looked upon as the Everglades and south 70
within six miles of Chucoliskee one OF the Islands
belonging 10 the thousand Isles. he states
that he had expected to iind the land all low and
wet, but what surprised him vas that further east
more high and rolling the lands became; the
cOantry marked as the Everglades, as far as he
surveyed were high rolling lands, covered
with large growth Of pine, with here and there
large bodies of hammock land which seemed
richer than he had ever before seen in the State
and he has had an experience of 81 years In sur
veying In Florida. Capt Duval comes back car
ried away with the surprising fertility of the soil
and of its high, dry character. Why! Icould
not believe that such land lay in Florida, es-
pecially where had been taught and fully be-
lieved was a morass and an impenetrable
swamp"
We then asked him his opinions of the Ever
gades.
Capt. Duval-My idea of the matter is that
they arc partially a myth, no doubt there is
something of the kind, but covering but very
INN diof oil nf thn
Ocheechobee lake, but you see Showing map
of the surveyed country that surveyed SO miles
east and west Of what is laid down as the Ever
glades and the further cast went, higher, drisr
and more beautiful the country became"
| Is there any cattle in this country?
| Capt Duval-No; the land surveyed lies
south OF what is known as the Big Cypress. 1t
is terra-incognita TO the cow-hunters They
told me that ii would be impossible for me to
| penetrate to this land but not only reached
there, but found better range by far than had
left behind, and the finest country in Florida.
Knowing the desire to have railroad terminus
as far south as possible, and finding so many ad-
vantages of soil, climate, &C. hitherto undreamed
of, acquainted myself with the bays around
Cape Sable, and found good harbor there, and
ten feet OF water only sixty miles distant from
Key West, and you might say 1t is an inland
route, as il is protected by the Keys the entire
distance. Why! l am surprised that such an
erroneous impression could have gotten out re-
garding This extreme portion Of Florida. Even
the people who live nearest seem to be as igno-
rant of this great country and its advantages as
those living at distance.
If the remainder of Florida knew one half of
the advantages of this mainland portion of Mon
roe they would fill up the country quickly
once went To Capt. Golfers place, at Marco, and
was informed by that gentleman that he had
cleared $500 the present season from an acre of
tomatoes, and another man living on one of the
Keys had made $500 in the same business from
about the same quantity of ground. /! the gen.
teman had not been so well known to me
could scarcely have credited it; and to think
that the country l have recently surveyed is
even more fertile than this.