The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-08
THE EVERGLADES.
A Mistake to Call That Region Un-
known Land,

known Land,
Tampa, July 5.-A writer describes the
evergl AIDES of Florida as "A region untrod
by human foot
Florida's name being almost synony-
nous with romance, this statement is
quite in accord with her average history,
as for instance Il sober historian writes
this; Ponce de Leon in January, 1872,
might well have been intimidated, when.
landing upon the southwestern shore and
crossing strip of land two miles wide
he espied stretched out before him an in
land sea. the pay -hai-okee, or grass water
known as the everglades The flowers
were blooming in the month of January
and hence he gave il the name of Flor
ida"
Another says this: Juan Ponce sighted
land in lat 30 s and took possession in
the name OF the Castiljan sovereigns; the
whole country was in the fresh bloom Of
spring; the trees were gay with blossoms
and the fields with flowers. He named
the land Florida, but the Indian name
was Cantio." This was on Sunday
March %, l5l2 and is claimed to be the
first discovery of Florida Yes, possibly
by the Spaniards. But what of John
Cabot's voyage of exploration Of the AT
lantic coast from New koundland to the
Southern Cape (Florida), made under the
license of King Henry VII. of England in
1872 Two years later Oicda met with
English explorers near Venezuela; prob
ably they passed into the Gulf of Mexico
by way of the Straits of Florida, using
Cabot's chart
"'Tis ever thus Whatever ancient
history records of Florida there is always
something further back
Juan Ponce had no use for the Ever
gades. Cabot and the English mer-
chants cared nothing for the far reaching
stretch of flowers
Is it not strange shat in all the romance
or history of Florida there appears to be
no record of the whereabouts of the
sacred spot where Columbus first set foot
on the land Of these United States
Untrod by human foot. What must
| the survivors of the United States naval
| expeditions, who crossed and recrossed
the Everglades south of the Okechobee
| in the Indian war, think of such state
ment as THAR And what of the troops
acting in concert with them on the west
north and east sides of that lake, Did
they fly? How did they manage to con-
struct their fortsl They trod and
trod, and trod the Everglades,
| day after day, in rain and
shine, summer and winter, little think
ing that the history Of their footsteps
would SO soon be thus thrust into obliv-
| ion.
When the United States surveyors
were dividing the land, they were con
! tinually looking out for the traces Of
| those who had trod the Everglades before
| them making old United States forts and
| camps their camping grounds; and often
| making use Of places prepared by PEG
| pie who trod these Everglades at time
so remote that we have no history of
| themselves or knowledge of even their
| a
| dences of their skill, abound.
On the Caloosahatchee, near Olxeecho-
| bee, the surveyors found ancient ruins
| which were called by some, from their
| shape, old Notifications, by others, an old
canal Mounds are so placed as TO be
within signaling distance of each other
Make trip down to Charlotte Harbor,
sail down along the east side of LaCosta,
| and run over to Useppa, anchor near the
north end of the island, go ashore and
stand on the highest point of the ridge,
| look to the northeastward; tell me, what
| Is that long line that goes straight across
the Everglades and is lest beyond the
| horizonl
am told that it is the ruins of an
ancient canal
Ruins of an ancient canal! A canal
across the center of this untrod tangled
waste
That is exactly the statement, and,
taken with the other ruins, ridges and
| mounds, il dawns on the mind that at
some time in the dim past, this immense
territory of land of unparalleled fertility.
| between twenty and thirty feet above
! the tide level, was thoroughly drained
and cultivated, producing such a wealth
of provisions as would provide sustenance
for an immense population, and supply a
commerce In food and other products that
might rival that of ancient Egypt
| think it not at all unreasonable to be-
| ieve that the entire plan OF drainage and
! irrigation of the everglades might Toe re
| produced by survey, for l have found
| the old surveyors marks and lines on so
many overhowed places in Florida that IL
has become a commonplace item
But, which is generally prefera Bile. the
weird idea of a wilderness untrod by hu-
man foot; or that Of place once highly
| cultivated, irrigated drained a region Of
unparalleled productive capacity which
! has, by neglect, lapsed into a paradise of
| freedom for natures widest reverv
awaiting the coming of race who shall
! tread in the footsteps Of It's canal builders
| who may themselves have only repro
/ ducCd and set in order the works thew
! found in ruins; left by race of whose
history they knew nothing FLORIDA,
now; CANTIo, before that before
I that; and - before that
VIII some one kindly fill the blanks ap-
| proprlatelyt Jos. NOYLE.