The Florida star., 1909-09-24
HISTORICAL NOTES
OF INDIAN RIVER
Few Settlers of Forty Years Ago
Are Now Living. Notes on
Gales and Pineapples

Editor Of The FLORIDA STAR.
When we grow old, as one great
Georgia philosopher, Bill Arp, used
to say, our minds can but go back
and "ruminate" over the past; and
as my mind is in state of "ruminat-
ing" today, it occurs to me to jot
down things of the past as they come
before my minds eye.
First | will mention the names of
men who were then living on Indian
river, who were pioneers in this will
derness and who are now living on
the river, when first saw the Indian
river, Feb. 18th, 1868, which was at
the location where Titusville now is.
Since then / have seen this rivers
great progress. / have seen rough
places made smooth and the wilder
ness made to blossom like the rose.
A little more than forty7one years
ago, commencing at Lagrange and
Titusville in going south, at La
Grange, where first settled, there
are none of them living now. At
Titusville there is Mr.. ]. R. Watson,
who came here at the same time l
did, no other. At Canaveral there
are Capt. Henry Wilson, o. A. Quar-
terman and his brother, George.
Capt. R. A. Hardee and his brother.
Senator G. S. Hardee, had been here
and located their lands at Rockledge,
had gone back to Georgia, but came
back afterward. Then there is Capt.
Jno. Houston, at Eau Gallie, and Mr.. c.
L. Stewart, now living at Banyan.
Charlie Stewart was then a boy.
Then come Messrs. James and Tho
mas Paine and James Russell, at st.
Lucie, then known as Ft. Capron.
Then Capt. Jas. Armour, of Jupiter.
None of the places mentioned above
were named then with the exception
of Canaveral and Jupiter.
This sums up twelve of us-the old
settlers of the old times-if my men,
Ory serves me right. None of us so
bad but what we might have been
worse; each trying to do the best he
could in a new country according to
his lights.
And now another thought occurs
to me. 1t is thought by a great many
that Capt. Richards, of Eden, land
by the way, the man who gave that
place its name) was the first man to
grow pineapples on the. East Coast.
| knew Capt. Richards well-knew
him to be a grand good man-and l
know he never made this claim for
himself. The truth is, that the first
pineapple plants he ever owned or
set out, he purchased from Capt. M.
o. Burnham. They were the variety
known as the Egyptian Queen, and
were grown on Capt. Burnham's
place five miles from Canaveral
lighthouse. do not remember what
year, but it was in the latter sixties
or early seventies. The agricultural
at Washington sent Capt.
Burnham two dozen plants of the
Egyptian Queen variety, and those
two dozen plants were the foundation
of the great pineapple industry of
the East Coast of Florida, and Capt.
Richards became the king among the
growers of his day. Capt. Burnham
sod many, many pineapples before
Capt. Richards ever saw Indian riv-
er, and some of them were sold in
Thayer & SauPs store in Enterprise
for as much as one dollar and half
a piece. write this to correct
widespread error concerning the
earliest pineapple growing on the
East Coast, trusting some who are
interested in this will be pleased with
the facts.
And now I'll jOt down some men,
ories about the gales, as they have
visited Indian river, at least in the
vicinity of Canaveral lighthouse.
Capt. M. o. Burnham took charge
of Cape Canaveral lighthouse in
1852 and he saw no storm sufficient
to drive a vessel ashore until 1865,
when the Harriet B. Tyler, a cot