The Dawson journal., 1883-02-22
In A Summer Land.
n TRIP FROM DAWSON TO
JACkSONVsLLE AND
THEN UP THE
ST. JOHNS

Your Junior has been SO steadi
ly "on the wing" since leaving
home that he had almost forgot
ten his promise to write to you
But then you have lost nothing by
the delay, for, while the trip thus
far has been a most enjoyable one
to him, he has seen and heard but
little that would be of interest tc
you and your readers. Besides
when he visited this section last
spIing, he gave you, as best he
could, a descriptive account of his
travels though Florida; and now to
write you a series of articles from
this section would be only a repe-
tition, in a large degree, of what
has already been said. But, at
the risk Of giving you ideas that
have heretofore been expressed,
and at your request, l will write
you an occasional letter from this
state.
Well, then, to begin, / would
first say, that the trip from Daw-
son to Jacksonville was without
event worthy of mention. At
Smithville it was my privilege
and pleasure to form the acquain-
tance of a number of "gay young
gents" who were en- route to Flori-
da on prospecting tour. This
company was, in rather a peculiar
way, extremely interesting to me.
They had been raised in one of the
larger cities of the South, and had
been raised too, no doubt, in idle
ness and extravaganza. They
seemed to have no idea Of the bus
mess cares and troubles of this
life, and, as one Of the number ex-
pressed it, they had been turned
out ON the world without a dollar
They were too proud to engage in
hard labor at home, and are now
seeking the backwoods of Florida
to begin life anew. For one time
| was made to fully realize the
Importance of training boys early
in life to work and to save at least
a part of their daily earnings.
From Thomasville to jackson
vile the ride is made at night, and
owing to the crowded condition of
the sleepers | was unable to secure
berth, SO, of couse, l TOUCHED it
out" on regular passenger seat.
The seat that l occupied was eth
er too short for me, or else l was
too long for the seat, and as a con-
sequence / have been suffering
with crooked neck" since that
night We arrived atJacksonville
at 5 o'clock and had time to see
only a portion of the city. Any
one who has never visited jackson
vile will be pleased with the place,
for it certainly has many superior
attractions. Ny recent stay there
was, of course, too short for me to
learn much that would interest
your readers. The city, with
its $4,000 or $4,000 inhabitants
possess a thriving trade, and by its
situation offords most convent
ent stopping place for the traveller.
Extensive preparation were being
made for the state fair when l
was there, and the city was crowd
ed with visitors from all parts Of
the union. It is the most impor-
tant city in Florida, and the
Northern visitors delight to spend
the severe winter months there. 1t
is also a "city of hotels" there be-
ing ten or dozen in the place,
besides as many public and pri-
vate boarding houses. A person
can secure board there at from
$500 to $500 per day, and any
thing else that he may want at
prices accordingly. Here l was
reminded of the fact that for a
pleasure trip through Florida one
must come with a large purse and
it well filed. The streets of Jack
sonville are certainly beautiful,
and many of those running parel-
lei with the river are shaded by
large trees, which present charm
ing vistas in every direction, and
the glimpses of the water and
woodland scenery on either side
combine to render the drives near
by simply charming; and the river
constantly invites rowing and sail
ing parties to trust themselves up
on it's beautiful bosom. While