The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-01-13
Our Olio.
Home Life IN Florida.


da, and extending from north to south over
nearly four degrees of latitude, the daily
life of the few widely-scattered settlers is as
foreign to that led in other portions of the
South as though it belonged to another
people, The most striking point of differ
ence is in the absence of negro element,
for here a colored person is as much Of
rarity as in a remote New England village.
Outside of Key West negroes are neither
wanted nor tolerated in these southern
counties, and the necessity of performing
all their own labor, out-of- doors and in, has
produced in this section of country class
of men and women whose self-reliance and
independence is in marked contrast to that
of the majority of Southerners.
A decidedly foreign element is also in
troduced by the exigencies of their sole
business, which is that of raising and ex-
porting beef cattle to Cuba. Hence their
medium of exchange is Spanish money, and
instead of dollars, one hears Of and sees
onzas, half and quarter onzas, and many
silver coins of minor denominations. Then,
too, many Spanish words have crept into
their vocabulary, and Havana is the city of
which they hear most frequently, and the
one which those of the younger generation
most ardently desire to visit.
At the intersection of the four counties
named lies the great mysterious lake Okee-
chobee, south of which to the coast stretch
the impenetrable and unexplored fastnesses
of the Everglades. To the west Of the
Everglades, in the Big Cypress Swamp,
and to the north of these, over the vast
prairies that extend from coast to coast, are
the ranges where hundreds of thousands of
cattle roam, in company with deer, wolves,
bears, panthers, and other wild animals.
This prairie region is intersected by the
great river Kissimmee, which, rising near
the head-waters of the St. Johns, flows
southerly, through widespread area of
swamp and inundulated lands, into Lake
Okeechobee. Along its course through
these lonely swamps are occasional islands
of higher land, rich soil, and hardwood
timber, known as "hummocks," and it is
on these that few settlers have built their
log cabins and established their homes.
Along the entire length of the Kissimmee
River, 125 miles as the crow flies, and near
Iy 300 in actual distance to be travelled,
on account of its marvellous crookedness,
there are about six houses to be seen, until
when within fifty miles of Okeechobee by
water, or twenty by land, the settlement of
''Shake Rag" containing in itself as many
families as are to be found on all the river
above, is reached. Shake Rag is only a
year old, and occupies the last pine hum
mock, or strip of pine woods, on the east
bank of the river, all below it being dreary
wilderness of swamps, occupied only by
Indians and wild beasts. Opposite Shake
Rag is Fort Bassinger, founded during the
Seminole war, and the oldest settlement on
the river. The term "fort'' is a misnomer,
and was applied to every temporary encamp-
ment of troops around which stockade
was erected. Atpresent Fort Bassinger is
the home of John Pierce, large cattle
owner, and consists of log dwelling house
with it's accompanying out-buildings, and a
little log store, which is the centre of trade
for both whites and Indians from the coun-
try for fifty miles around. Here the whites,
''cow- hunters" as they are called, collect on
Sunday, riding in over many weary miles
of prairie from their distant and lonely log
shanties, to exchange gossip, making their
weekly purchases of -four, bacon, sugar,
coffee, or tobacco, pair of boots or a fan
mel shirt, a box of cartridges, Or maybe a
few yards of bright calico for the wife, or
her who occupies that position at home.
The store receives supplies of goods by the
little stern-wheeled steamer Gertrude, that
looks like a big ry-goods box set on scow,
and which tries to make monthly trading
trip down the river from Kissimmee City.
Its arrival and departure and return of the
men who drive the herds or 'bunches" of
cattle to Punta Rassa, hundred miles
away, for shipment to Cuba, and an occa-
sional tiger (panther) hunt, organized on a
grand scale when the ravages of these saw
age animals among the cattle become un-
bearable, form the sole breaks in the mon
otony of life at Fort Bassinger.
From this settlement Shake Rag, though
across the river, is five miles away, and only
to be reached by ferrying in scow across
the main channel of the river, and wading
waist-deep for mile or so beyond. Five
miles to the southwark lives the nearest
neighbor on that side of the river, and he
is the last settler ON the river, as south of
him there is no more hummock land.
Life at Fort Bassinger begins at daylight
or before, when the shrill voice of the mis-
tress of the house calling from the women s
room, divided by thin partition from that
occupied by the men, arouses the latter, and
scatters them on their round Of duties.
The main house is a low log structure con-
tanning but two large rooms, one of which
is devoted to the inmates of either sex.
Along the front of the house runs broad
piazza, which is the family sitting room,
wash-room, and general gathering place.
The house is raised on blocks couple of
feet from the ground its walls are of round
logs only notched sufficiently at the ends to
hold them in place, and having between
them spaces large enough to thrust hand
through. These admit light and air, and
do away with the necessity for windows.
There is no chimney nor fireplace in this
house, all cooking being done in small
detached kitchen at one end, beyond which,
in another detached building, is the dining
room.
The morning duties of the men and boys
are to feed the cattle, groom the horses,
fetch wood and water, and make ready for
the days work, while the women light the
fire, milk the cows, and prepare breakfast.
This meal, like all others, is an immovable
and unchanging feast. 1t is always eaten
at sunrise, and the table always bears the
same dishes-coffee, boiled pork or fried
bacon distinguished from all other animal
food by the generic term "meat," a dish
of boiled collard or mustard green's, homi-
ny, and corn-bread. In addition, this fam
lily enjoys two luxuries that we found no
where else in South Florida, namely, milk
and butter for although cattle are plenty,
the arts of milking them and of making
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