Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1915-02-04
Tells Of FLORIDA
AND ALSO STATE
PARK At THE LAKE

Jan. "a, 1876 Editor News: I re-
ceived the Baraboo News this rainy
Sunday morning and looking over its
columns it occurred to me that many Of
your readers would like to hear some
thing about Florida. I wish | could
draw the picture that is before me so
that your readers could see it as I see
it now. | am in my room in the third
story, facing south, of the Graystone
hotel, Kissimmee, Osceola county,
Florida. Directly south about half a
mile away lies beautiful Lake Kissim-
NEE about 8 miles wide, thence bear
ing south and west through lakes
and rivers into the great lake
Okeechobee, thence west through
the Caloosahatchee river to Fl. Myers
or east through the drainage canal to
Miami on the east coast. So you see from
my window can see all of these things
and much more. Near the lake are the
hotel gardens with all kinds Of
green vegetables for the table,
Strawberries also. In the hotel
grounds are pine apples, oranges, lem
ons, grape fruit, kumquats, guavas and
roses of all kinds for central lower Flor
ida is the garden spot of the world and
the home of the grape fruit and orange.
1t took me five years to travel up and
down the state to find this out. don t
like either the west or east coast, to me
they seem damp, foggy and cold. The
lower central part of the state is mild
er, better soil and more healthful. The
everglades about Okeechobee are too
low and as yet undrained. If that can
/ be done, however. (which is disputed)
it will be one of the richest spots in the:
world. The "Wonder Town" of Florida,
St. Cloud, is about eight miles east of
Kissimmee. 1t is the G. A. r. town.
1t originated and has been
built up by soldiers. It's one of the
lliveliest towns in Florida. In four years
they have built up a modern city of
nearly 5000 and it is still growing rap
dly. Those who are making homes
there are from the north and are men
Of some means, able to build and main
tain good homes. They hail from every
state in the Union and are good class
to carry on any enterprise anywhere.
What / have said will explain partly
| T Id 70 10
in St. Cloud, at least in the winter. /
have beautiful little orange grove
loaded with grape fruit and oranges
there that would be difficult for any
one to leave for good, but other reasons
than those have mentioned caused me
to give up my home in Wisconsin which
I loved. When sold my place at Dew
| lis Lake | did so reluctantly and at a
loss. 1t was valuable property, but |
realized that | was getting old and
could not expect to care for it as it
should be. So when the park commits
sion, governor and others pictured the
brilliant future of the state park, the
fine roads and park maintained by the
state, the care of the birds and trees
and everything maintained in health
full and sanitary condition where |
could live in peace and comfort the
rest of my days, concluded to sell,
trusting in the good faith and truthful
ness of the promises thus made. The
property thus acquired by the state was
gotten under false and fraudulent pre-
lenses. The promises made to induce
me to sell were not carried out in any
particular. On the contrary the man
agement of the park has been a dis
grace to the state. 1t may be that it
was and is intended to be so bad that
the Ijfeowners at the lake will leave in
disgust and I think they may, also all
others who have visited and loved the
lake for many years. The terms for
parties wishing to lease the hotels are
so arbitrary that no responsible party
will venture to lease them. The
sanitary conditions for the public
are vile. Noxious weeds prohibited
by law are over running
my place. The spring and we'll where
the people must get drinking water are
neglected. The road from the depot to
the lake is rutted and quilted out by
the rains and entirely neglected. The
money of the state has been spent
badly and so uselessly in buildings not
required and in management that the
results amount to nothing. Henry
Ringing did some work on the road at
the lake; that is about the only good
work that has been done there. un-
derstand it cost the state nothing. Is
it to be wondered at that l should
lose interest in such Estate Park" as
home?
E. T. HOPKINS