Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-01-31
HOW IT is In
TAMPA, FLORIDA
Tampa, Fla. Jan. 16, 1907.

the columns Of the Reporter may be
of interest to them, but the fact is
that / see so much that is new and in
tereSting to me,a newcomer in this Sec
tion, that it is rather difficult to pick
out just what will be of the most in
terest. However, / will try this time
and if l fail to succeed may try again.
We land by we, | mean, Mrs. Will
Jams, daughter Hazel and myself, left
Milwaukee on Christmas Day for this
place, not in search of gold like DeSOtO,
but to escape ice and snow and find
health and strength in the glorious
sunshine.
Nearly 400 years ago--to be exact on
May Is, 1539-- DeSoto with nine vessels
and about 700 well armed adventures,
sailed into Tampa Bay; they landed
here, and the men started North and
West lured by the glittering yellow
PARTICLES which they believed to be
hidden somewhere in streams or woods
in the direction which they went.
The only good they accomplished, as
history tells us, was the discovery of
the Mississippi River.
Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26th, we
had good view of Lookout Mountain
and Missionary Ridge, but from Chat
tanooga on southeast Through the
northern and central part of Georgia
TO Jacksonville, it was dark, and the
Railroad Guide only gave US hints now
and then of places which Sherman
crossed in his march to the sea, The
ride Thursday from Jacksonville here,
was to us very interesting. Soon after
leaving Jacksonville we began to see
orange groves and grapefruit groves,
and many patches of fresh looking
garden truck. The country however,
appeared very dry and mary fires
burned in the woods which could be
seen from the cars.
We passed by many turpentine
camps and stills, and the manner in
which the pine trees were boxed with
cup at the bottom to catch the tur-
pentine as it ran out, were entirely
strange to US. The country had just
experienced pretty severe cold spell
with some frost, which in places ap-
peared to have injured vegetation.
We passed through DeLeon Springs,
but the people who were gathered at
the depot did not appear TO be Of any
oil hau ho1 ~
drunk of the same spring that cid
Ponce did in his hunt for the Foun-
tain of Youth.
At one little town called Preston
our train was delayed for about two
hours. Across from the depot few
steps was fine orange and grape
fruit grove, and TO this nearly all the
passengers resorted and picked fruit
freely, the owner making no objec-
tionS.
We arrived at Tampa at 1000 p. m.
and what struck us as rather singular
when we got eff the cars, was that
there appeared to be no hotelrunnerS.
No one was shouting the names of the
various hoStleries, and no one clutched
at our baggage. We soon found that
there were no buses, and that rigs
used here for the conveyance of pass
epgerS from depot to hotels, were gen.
orally surveys driven by colored
gentlemen" We did not feel entirely
strangers to the place, as previous to
coming here we had correspondent with
Mr.. Thos. Pitts formerly of Wood
County, and | had also taken for sew
eral days daily paper, SO that we had
become somewhat accustomed to the
conditions here. and under the di-
rection of Mr.. Pitts, we took surrey
TO the Hillsborough Hotel, where we
stopped until we could find a suitable
place or rooms TO keep house in.
After hunting for two or three days
we were very fortunate in securing
four room cottage all furnished COM
plete, everything ready for US to step
in and begin keeping house. l might
say in this connection, that in our
rambles about the city hunting for d
place to abide in, we found the people
most Sociable and obliging. Southern
hospitality is condition and not a
theory. Though we have only been
housekeeping about ten days, Mrs.
Williams has had several callers.
The first day after our arrival was
quite cold, and in the morning, the
fire in the fireplace at the Hotel SEEM
ed very inviting, but since then it has
been very warm, the thermometer,
each day going up TO from IS to so de-
greeS in the shade. Out in the sun it
seems exceedingly hot, but as soon as
you get in the shade under tree or on
the porch or in the house, there is
cool breeze, which is very refreshing.
1t has been, and is now, very dry.
The residents here state that it is
unusually dry for this time of the
year. 1t has not rained, l am told for
weeks. Indeed, the weather report
for the month of December shows only
1-l00 of an inch of rainfall. 1t also
shows that the sun has shone all but
three days during the month. Some
of the days being little cloudy.
Since we came here there have been
no winds, and as l understand it they
have but little wind here any portion
of the year. When l say wind, l
mean that there has been no time at
which the wind has been higher tLan
six to eight miles an hour.
New Years Day was interesting to
us because it was Emancipation Cele-
bration Day and the colored people
seemed to own the town. There was
a parade, in fact, two or three of them
and five or six bands played a good
share of the. time. 1t was a regular
Fourth of July celebration. There