The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-04-15
(By Frank Whitman in The Florid
Grower.)

l1dhG Ol6dIliS, INC lOMng 10 NV Il
new one, although folks have not
lived here a great while at that-but
the county is new, having been sliced
off of old DeSoto but recently. In
this operation DeSoto County lost
o. great deal Of its citrus lands-most
of the hills, at any rate. 1t hasn't
been so long, either, since this sec
ton of Lake Stearns. was considered
to be very much "in the wilds." The
hum of the trolley line is not heard
there as yet, but there is every prom
Use of thriving town on these beau
tiful hills. Oh, have tramped them
and rode over them behind mules ann
horses, and in the lowly flivver!
There is no guess work in this arti-
Gle, for il is written from first-hand
knowledge gained through sleeping
cut in tent when the very first de-
velopment was started, through fish
ing the lakes and mingling freely with
some regular buddies | have there.
From the primitive forest that COW
cred the hills to the present stage Of
magnificent citrus development I
have known Lake Stearns. I have
watched the houses go up in the town
site, almost one by one. Have not
ed the razing of the woods to make
way for groves that stretch away now
seemingly to the farthest skyline.
Seen little sticks that represented so
many orange trees replaced by tiny
trees that in turn have begun to
grow up strong rugged and covered
with bloom and with glossy leaves.
And yet this is not a citrus story.
except in the sense that citrus Auit
f9as built and will continue to build
4 foundation under the towns of
Lake Stearns as solid as any in all
history. Nor is this all the found
alton by any means. There are 9TH
err things that 7 will take up in turn
that are altogether interesting and
delightful.
Quite few folks are of the opinion
that a town or CITY is one Of those
places that should rightfully have
been a skyline cut by skyscrapers,
and foul smelling stacks, roaring
trucks and scurrying people, Not for
me, and not for the vast majority |
assure you. Give lis beauty; give us
those places where the deer Turk. thu
wild turkeys feed and the bass "plop',
The winding woodland trail whore the
wild things are seen occasionally ana
where the Towering vine sends its
sweet incense abroad to the vagrant
breeZes has an appeal that goes right
down to the soul of you. Such
place is the district of Lake Stearns.
Look at the pictures on these pages
and sigh for big noisy cities if you
dare.
Some of the larger lakes in the
vicinity are StearnS, Serena, Blue
Clay, Huntley, and, but six miles
away. Istokpoga. The first two
touch upon the town site and the last
is of the dark, mysterious lIind.I have
written before of this one and could
give you a story of battles with min
ature whales that would fairly curdle
the blood of q fisherman-if I related
my very last adventure on this huge
body of water. Lake Stearns is the
kind and beneficent lake that gives
the districe perfect frost protection.
1t runs around in crescent shape
for quite a few miles to the north
west and east of the town site. A
voyage around this lake is like 60
ing abroad by water. Along the
town site the banks are very high.
thus assuring practically ideal build
ing sites.
/ am more or less attempting to
describe the wild places. because 7
think they are distinct assets to the
whole, and it does not take a very
obtuse person to figure that where
there are densely wooded tracts lakes
and hills, there exists soil fertility -
and where this exists, things can be
grown with a medium amount of
effort and expense. There can be
no question of doubt that land values
are present at Lake Stearns and
in the immediate section surrounding
it, and where these are a town Of
suitable proportions is as bound to
come, even as the night follows the
day-especially in Florida, where the
thousands of inquiries are coming in
daily and where development is max
ing such rapid strides. Climate also,
contributes so per cent to soil values
and you have it here to a superla-
tive degree.
III Lake. Stearns sets squarely on the
railroad, with a frequent train ser.
vice. 1t is on the projected state
road that will come through here con
meeting with the asphalt road that
\ starts at Haines City and ends at
Mort Pierce. The surveyors were
X at work on this road at the time
gathered the data for this story and
the road may soon be an actuality.
Then we may logically look out for
a jump in the values of land and
4 il that is not limiting at things, then
/ am not familiar with the method of
K doing just this. There are some
good looking homes already on the
site. two stores. postoffice and some
of the best fellows of my recollection.
4 This last may not mean so much to
you as it does to me, to whom it in
8 fers much. Anyhow l am quite GER
tain that anyone would rather live in
community with such people than
4 in one that has-well, the other kind.
There is an extensive acreage of
~ - L.