The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-02-23
.FLOR|DA'S CLIMATE
SUITS THE CURRIERS'
BUT FREEZE OF FEB. 2 WAS VERY
DISASTROUS
Letter to The Messenger Tells of the
Beauties of the Thriving City
of Sarasota
Sarasota, Fla,
Feb. 14th, 1917.

Feb. 14th, 1917.
Mr.. G. II. Reed,
Clio, Mich.
Dear Sir: How swiftly the winter is
going, ten weeks since we left home.
In the meantime misfortune has over
taken Clio, yourself and others in the
recent fire. Accept our sincere SYM
pathy. Main street must look badly
mutllated with this scar added to the
one acroes the way, the old hotel site.
We are glad to hear Mr.. ID. is to re-
build. Florida, too, has suffered loss in
the bad freeze of Feb. End. Sarasota
was gorgeous in bloom, poinsetta, hy-
discus bangainvilla Japanese paper
fiower) begnonia or blame vine, roses
and other flowers too numerous to men,
tion. Orange and grape fruit trees
had put out new shoots, five and six
inches long and would soon have been
in blossom. Now everything looks as
though touched by fire. The papers
claim 80 per cent of the fruit is hurt
also, oranges the worst, the thicker
skin of the oranA fru;t stands moro
cold. We are below the frost belt you
know, frost seldom ever reaching Man
atee county, the last freeze was in 1895.
The weather certainly has been delight
full up to the End, just like our June
month.
Two vs we were disanno;nted
it was IA HSrn or as much sun
shine as ef lpected. but this win
ter it l1a{lBssn ideal Florida. has lived
UP to fts Ixfls IN land of sunshine
and M <S arasota is beautifully
situa tefI SS9i : Sarasota Bav which is
twelve ilesjonr and three wide. We
can see thes III roll up on the gulf
three miles 60 Strom city dock when
the wind 1t was the fine water
front thaU 1900 us 10 the ,place two
years ago. " cams thirteen miles of
asphalt pavement inside of city limits
and between two and three thousand
population: has four fine. large hotels.
large modern school building and six
or seven churches. Out in the bav two
and one-half miles lies Siesta Kew. The
city is building a bridge to this island
Tor autos ana foot passengers. Siesta
has two fine hotels. Bav Island Hotel
and HigelhursE and few residences.
property selling high on said island
The hotels have boats which meets pas
senger trains to convey guests across
the bay to hotels. Sarasota has under
consideration. also. a pleasure pier to
be built out in bay, with dancing hall.
swimming pool and other attractions
You can imagine these improvements
make taxes here very high. One man
told US the other day shat his taxes
were seven hundred and eighty dollars
on his fine, large house and two story
brick store.
was told Yesterday ha,V Sarasota
Bay got its name. In shott the story
runs (whether legend or history. | am
not sure) that Chich- Okobee. an Indian
chief of the Seminole tribe. was about
to be taken captive by HERNANDEZ De
Soto when mis- eyes fell upon Sara De
Soto. the beautiful DAUGHTER of Her
mando De Soto. Her face was so beau
tiful he allowed himself to be taken
captive that he might feast upon her
beauty during his captivitv. He was
taken sick and was given nm TO die but
Sara pursed him hack To health After
wards she sickened and died and he
begged her body and. escorted bv her
father. Hermando De Soto. and a band
of hundred Indians. buried her body
in the waves of Sarasota Bay. hence its
name.
The last of this month they hold here
the Sara De Soto Carnival in celebra-