Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-04-28
KEYS OF THE OCEAN.
Fertile Islands Near Florida Inhabited
Only by Beasts and Birds.

Very few of the young people who
notice what might be called the Flor
ida Archipelago have any idea. per-
haps, of what these islands or "keys"
consist, observes a contributor to the
Philadelphia Times.
Perhaps it is as well to explain here
that the word key" is a corruption.
Properly speaking it is a "cave," an
old French word signifying a small
island. To the people of the state
they are but little known, except to
sportSmen, who cruise among them
for the fishing and bird-shooting.
Imagine thousands of small islands
of every shape and size, but always of
the same rich green hue. The growth
on all is the same, the evergreen man.
grove with its seeds like slender tubers
elongating until, touching the muddy
soil, they take root.
Most of these "keys" resemble beds
of tiny oysters with the mangroves
springing from them; but very few
escape being submerged by each tide,
as they are elevated scarcely above
the water.
With the multitudinous dark streams
flowing out of the everglades winding
among them they form a perfect laby-
rinth, in which one might wander end
lessly and hopelessly.
Until few years ago, as night ap-
preached, they were whitened by null
titudes of sea birds, which roasted
among the branches; now on the
"outer keys" but few birds are found,
so ruthless has been the warfare waged
on them by bird hunters for their
plumeo, etc.
The inner keys" still are rookeries,
but to very limited extent. These
mangroye islands are habitable only
for sea birds and mosquitoes, which
latter find in them elysium.
The few settlements that have been
made are on shell mounds near the
mainland or on narrow strip s elevated
about foot above high tide, which
border a few of the creeks, near the
main, perhaps are really part of it.
These slips are of arabic land, none
of which exceed half an acre in width,
are quite fertile, and produce fine veg
etables and sugar-cane. On these and
the adjacent shell mounds are grown
many of the tomatoes and egg plants
that are found in northern markets
during the winter months, for frost is
seldom seen. and is never severe.
One of the largest of the shell
mounds is the island of Chocaluskie,
which gives its names to the entire
settlement, and also to the small, shall
low bay that surrounds it. Like the
other mounds, it is a mass of oyster
shells. among which it is difficult to
conceive how vegetables and tropical
fruits manage to exist, but the dark
fbrous soil that is intermingled with
the shells appears to be very rich.
The mound is very high in places,
with narrow gullies between the
ridges What an amount of patient
labor these vast piles of shells repre-
sent. Chocaluskie was the site Of an
Indian village before the remnant of
the Seminoles fled to the everglades at
the time that the greater part of the
tribe was removed out west.
The Seminoles, who reside in that
part of the everglades near the guilt
coast, visit the settlement every win
ter, bringing for sale venison and wild
turkeys, which they kill on the main
land. In costume they differ from all
other Indians the writer ever saw. A
long calico shirt is the principal gar
ment; sometimes leggins and mecca
sins are added, but they are generally
used on state occasions.
But the singular feature of their cos
tune is the turban-I allude to the
males entirely. 1t is composed of
small, gayly colored shawls and gaudy
colored handkerchiefs, twisted around
into a circular shape until the head
gear is about the size OF a cheese-boX.
The small opening in the center is left
uncovered and the coarse black hair
shows through. Imagine such an AZ
rangemGnt on ones head in summer.
Another characteristic of these Ind
ians is their enormous appetites. 81
Whatever hour they drop in Won are
expected to feed them, and SO they
pass on from one neighbor TO another
eating all that is offered them.
When one looks at them and sees
what fine specimens of humanity they
are and then reflects upon their gas
tronomic feats, the question cannot
but arise: How about the hygenic
rules with regard to regularity in eat
ing, both as to time and quantity?"