Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-04-13
:. A. DUNN RETURNED
FROM FLORIDA


transformed into the permanent nome
of thousands who are peglnnihs -
realize that in certain parts the SUM
mer season is fully as attractive az
the winter. and who can foresee a
development that is soon 10 eAceeu
anything that has. ever taken place III
this country.
81 was no stranger in FLORIDA anu
thought that during the past hVe
wears | had been keeping fairly CLOSE
track of what was going on Inere
through perusual of the newspapers
but the things that had been accom-.
plished exceeded the widest nights OF
imagination. The transformation III
Miami alone, in that period is Deyonu
belief. Over $4,000 tourists made that
city their headquarters, and there Is no
telling how many of purely temper
ary character besides. This condition
exists all along the East Coast.
From 5000 to 5000 tourists day have
been passing through Jacksonville all
winter. and while the most OF them
were headed for points on the East
Coast. there were thousands who went
down the West Coast and other thous-
ands who scattered to the mland
towns. A steady stream of Northern
gold follows in the wake OF these
thousands of tourists and this ac-
counts for the wonderful development
in construction that is taking place.
BASED upon the knowledge | poss-
ess of what has taken place along the
East Coast in the last ten years, ana
because of the splendid road from Stu
art to Miami, l predict that that nun
dred and fifty miles will within the
next ten years be so densely popula-
ted that it will require fabulous sums
to acquire any desirable domestic.
After all, those places are but
pleasure grounds for the rich. If l
was rich they might appeal to me, or
if I was a mechanic and desired to
follow my trade, for in the wake OF
this stream of gold there is great
demand for mechanics of every kind,
but as modest, ordinary man OF Inn
tied means, felt that the atmosphere
was too artificial for me, and because
of this feeling, | made long auto
mobile trip from Jacksonville to
Cape Sable, in the extreme south end
back again by way of Kissemee and
Orlando to Gain esville, with many
side trips for observation and was
amazed at the wonderful development
taking place through the interior of
the state and the wonderful scenery
that is missed by the thousands who
stick to the official route near the
coast. A trip through this section up
sets all preconceived notions and
brings to light a territory that is
not dependent upon the Northern
money for its existence, although
| learned that Northern money was
being invested there freely How
ever it is coming from a different
class. 1t is coming largely from re-
tired farmers and business men who
want safe investment that will pro-
duce some income as well as provide
them with homes in a climate that
is unequalled anywhere. In the
vicinity of Orlando most of the
groves are being set out. Such re-
markable development it has never
before been my good fortune to see
"As we go further north and more
into the interior of the state we find
a better character of soil, soil more
adapted to general agriculture, cattle
and hog raising, and in my judgement
the very best of this is found in the
eastern portion of Alachua county and
in some parts of Polk, Clay and Brad
| ford counties, in what is known as the
Lake Santa Fe district. While this
| is the garden spot of Florida, rich
soil, high rolling lands, innumerable
beautiful lakes, well drained and free
from malaria, very little Northern
money has been attracted to it,. This
| ascribe to the fact that the roads are
not good and few tourists attempt the
| journey. and the further fact that the
people are too we'll contented with
| their lot and have never put forth any
| concerted effort to attract to that sec
| ton even a small fraction of the thou
| sands of homeseekers who have been
coming to the state for years, and
most of them would have done much
| better right here than where they did
| go.
| Farmers here are depending upon
the staple crops, cotton, corn, cane
peanuts, cOwpeas, forage crops pota-
toes (sweet and Irish) cattle and hog
raising, and certainly for this latter
more ideal conditions could not exist
Everybody has few orange trees and
few peach trees, but as a rule they are
| not raised upon commercial scale
and have not been since the "big
freeze" in 1894, although-the fact that
there are four or five of the finest
orange groves in the state to be found
in this vicinity should be a sti.
muius to revive this profitable indus.
try
| However, there is no use TALKING
that to the farmers now The more
progressive ones are setting out pecan
groves, and as frost cannot iniure
these trees and as the yield from a de-
yeloped grove is beyond belief, running
as high as a thousand dollars an acre
a year, do not know as l blame them
| Yes, l too. have fallen for the lure
of the land and the pecan and have
purchased fifty acre grove on the
banks of Lake Santa Fe, at carlton
Thls grove is just coming into bear
ing and l consider that l was especial
ly fortunate in securing it. 1t was an
unlocked for combination of circum-
stances that gave me this opportunity
l have about twelve hundred feet OF
lake front with hard white sand beach
a gently sloping hill to the lake and
upon which are couple of hundred
orange trees, and as the lake affords
good bathing, fishing and boating. !
feel that | have the opportunity for a
home equal to any to be found in the
state of Florida. | have had the
grounds plowed and planted to crops
and early this fall will start by auto
with Mrs. Dunn for our new home as
we desire to be there during the time
we are having our bungalow built. af-
| ter which our doors will be open to
any of our Wausau friends who may
desire to get a true insight into the
life of 4 real Florida cracker"