The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-03-02
Florida Letter.

Flowers" (Florida.)
l have been in the state since the
22nd day of December and must say
much has been seen and enjoyed since
that time. The early history and ira
ditions of Florida will, no doubt, prove
interesting reading to those who have
never visited the state, The following
is therefore, reproduced:
No state in the Union possesses a
more interesting, romantic, and diver
slied history than Florida. From her
discovery, early in the Sixteenth Cen
fury, her history has been a continuous
chapter of romantic occurrences in
which mystery and tragedy play ever
important parts.
First come the discovery by Ponce
de Leon, while in quest of the forsought
"Fountain of Perpetual YOUTH" then
the Inflated expedition of Narvaes,
searching for the tabled treasures of
A~palache:" Next the long march OF
the intrepid DeSoto, resulting in the
invaluable account of the early inhab-
itants of Florida: the early Spanish
settlement followed. then, the "Minor
cases" in Florida; che Hugenots in Flor
ida: the 'TWar of the Exiles," the Sem
mole war, and the long train of minor
and more recent events. TIE myster-
les of Everglades are yet to be fathom-
ed, s"1bterranean caverns explored,
and from the rivers of Florida, her
mineral springs, rich mineral deposits,
fossil remains of prehistoric birds and
animals, will yet come a story to rival
with its record of wealth and power,
the picturesque and exciting incidents
of the peninsula's early history.
When DeSota landed on the shores of
Tampa Bay, in 1889, there lay before
him a region unexplored and unknown
to Europeans. Florida had been dis
covered some years before by Ponce
De Leon, and later De Navares made
an ill-starred expedition to the new
country; but it remained for De Soto to
penetrate the peninsula and give to the
world an account of the region and its
inhabitants.
In the early people of Florida DeSoto
found a ace akin to hat found in Mex
leo and Peru at this period, a race far
in advance of the North American In
dians. The country was divided into
provinces, each ruled by a "Cazique,"
who exercised despotic control over
his subjects. Under the Cazique was a
headman or councillor; then came the
mobiles, commanding the army; then
the warriors, and last the v~assals, who
titled the fields and performed mental
service.
Each province had its capitol or chief
town, which was named after the Ca
zique, as was also the province. The
capitols were built as follows: 10 the
center was an immense mound. upon
which stands the temple, in which the
entire pOpulace worshipped the sun
and moon, and performed funeral and
other rites under the direction of the
headman, who had charge of the edi-
fee.
Upon this mound were also the dwell.
lings of the Cazique and his retinue
and that of the headmau. Around the
mound were clustered the dwellings OF
the subjects, and the we'll titled fields
beyond, whore the natives cultivated
maize, vegetables, fruits etc. From
the time of DeSoto's famous march
through Florida, but little was known
of the interior of the p%ensnsula beyond
the fact of it's Indian occupation, dowr
to the period of the Spanish grants
These grants we're made during the
latter part of the eighteenth or early par
of the nineteenth century, and consist
ed of gifts by the Spanish Crown Of
large tracts of land to certain subjects
VINO had b. come dist nguished in wal
or otherwise. These granters were as
tute chaps, as they always selected the
most valuable lands. The grants were
all sustained by the United States Gov.
eminent when Florida was ceded tt
the United States.
In a few instances the owners of these
grants established plantations thereon
but, as a rule, they renamed without
habiuation other than by Indians unit
after the Indian wars. Some of then
are still unsettled, while others have
been cut up into sections and sold tt
more enterprising owners.