River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-04-06
Extracts OF Letters from Laura w.
peCkham.
PAIN BEAoH. Fla. March. 1899.
a. "a 81. .Iohn nnd ILldinn 80.

On the 50. John and hfdjan rivers.
We arrived at Palm Beach last evening at
7S0-we left Jacksonville at $3.50 p NJ Thurs
day 1t was beautiful day The boat was
very nice only small The gulls followed as
from Jacksonville we fed them from the deck,
it was fun to see them swoop down for the
bread. I don't see how they can stand it to
Fly SO far from land There was not much to
see except water the first night. But the next
morning got up at $50 and it wen repaid me.
The river was very narrow and the banks
bordered with cabbage palms and live oaks
hung with the grey moss. The reflection in
the water was beautiful. I saw my first mistle-
toe. Turkey buzzards crows and heron few
about and l saw a cardinal, not the kentucky
one, but of Florida. The water is very high, so
the dshermens huts are surrounded by water
They are primitive affairs, built OF poles,
matched with palmetto leaves, You have
seen pictures Of African homes built on stilts
They look like them. The men We're out TAX
ing in their nets. Saw my first orange grove
but it was killed by the frost. The river was
nearly cholged in places BY the hyacinths Con
gress you know has appropriated money TO
have them removed We reached Sanford at
SPIN 1t was little deserted village. more
location we got lunch here wanted some
lemonade, but as he made il from sulphur
water it did not improve the taste we had to
go from Sanford to TituSyile at 3 p. NJ The
train took us right to the boat
The Purser was very kind invited us in TO
eat fresh pineapple 1t was the most de.
licious thing 1 ever tasted Most of the piner-
les along have been frozen. but we saw some
where the little new ones were started, they
were beautiful red At the beginning of the
Indian river 1t s as large as lake The shore
looks very far away, but I was awakened in
the morning by the sun shining in my eyes. and
the river had grown narrower There was
large sand-bar and on it were hundreds OF peli-
cans and gulls. The river kept getting narrow
err and narrower. We went upon the pilot
house ana caught our first glimpse Of the
mighty ocean
The shores were lined with mangroves They
were so interesting to ne as their roots are
way out of the ground Then there we're date
and cocoapalus also. Inever saw such winding
river There was a light house on one side
and we made so many turns that we saw the
same light house from every side Of the GOAT.
We passed great oyster beds too. The smell
Of the salt water was so good Saw two small
alligators in the water When any one yelled
gator all rushed to the side to see The
Captain was very Baron Munchausen for
the yarns he told were certainly imaginative
The river kept growing narrower and narrower
and at last about two miles below the Lake
North we had to leave the steamer and take
the Fighter then we made picture-chairs
were put on raft and thirty-fve people got
on there, a negro at each end to pole us along,
f,,,sf how IN 10
it more interesting it rained in torrents and
we had to raise our umbrellas, but there were
so many and so close together tn, he water
ran of them right down our backs. It took us
two hours but everyone was good natured
and the captain spun his yarns We saw two
large soft shell crabs.
Palm Beach proper has only those extrava-
giant hotels. the Ponciana Palm Beach Inn,
etc, 500 per day and up-mostly up.
never saw anything so beautiful as it is
down here. We have a cottage of two rooms
all to ourselves. with path that leads down
20 the sea a quarter of mile, right behind our
cottace. Bananas are growing. Right in
front mulberry tree as large as an apple tree
and the berries are larger than black berries,
but look like them and taste like them. too
III try 10 send you some orange blossoms off
''our' orange -ree,-oh' they are so sweet
There is a " mole grove Of cocoanut palms right
back of us can't begin to describe the mag
nifcent hotel Pouciana There are acres of
land just laid out in immense parks The
hibiscus tree is in fun blossom. You can i'm
agine how gorgeous the trees are-some are
pink We went over Sunday evening to listen
to the Sacred concert in the hotel
Right back OF the Poncana and connected
by a walk bordered on either side with pal
metto palms and oleanders and hibiscus is the
Palm Beach Inn. This is right on the ocean
am sitting on the shore now getting beautiful
freckles on my hands and burn on my face
watching the waves come in.
After dinner we went down on great pier
that goes out in the ocean a quarter Of mile,
where we could see shark and smaller fish
swimming around. We happened into the ex-
citement of the season for man caught a
saw-hsh while we were there that was four
teen feet long and weighed several hundred
pounds They had hard work getting him to
shore. Had to make slip nooses of rope and
put around him. Now he is in a tent on the
beach and you have to pay ten cents to get in.
1 walked right along by Joseph Jetferson-he
Is staying at the Inn.
1 am back at our cottage and as we came
back from the shore. we stopped in the hotel
grounds. All the children were having a party.
Fifty of the most beautifully dressed children
you ever saw They were on a platform in the
midst of the palms, band playing and they all
marching with flags 1t looked like Fairy
Land. All the elegantly dressed mammas
looking on. Then they set the tables on the
platform and all the children sat down.