The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-19
THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA
XIII.

XIII.
In the big statehouse at Washing
ton is corridor called the National
Statuary Hall. In it each state is en-
titled to place the statues of two OF
its most distinguished deceased cltl-
Gems. 1t is assumed that each state
will select it's two men distinguished
in the superlative degree. Some OF
them have and some of them haven't.
Florida chose DIR. John w. Gorrie, IN
ventor of artificial ice, and E. Kirby
Smith, who had been general, first
in the United States and later in the
Confederate army The selection OF
Gorrie was good. He was one OF the
men who have conferred great benefits
on the human race. But Smith was
decidedly an inferior selection. He
was a good man and a good soldier,
but nothing extra as either.
The man whose statue should hold
Florida's second place in National
Statuary Hall was Napoleon B. Brow
ard, the discoverer of the Everglades.
People knew the Everglades were
there centuries before Broward was
born, but he discovered them, so far
as their worth is concerned, and start
ed the work that is fast making them
one of the garden spots of the world.
Broward had the courage of soldier,
constructiveness of statesman and
the vision of a prophet. Broward was
one of two or three of Florida's great
est men.
However, it isn't so bad, for the
statues in the hall are dead, while in
Florida Broward has living, lasting
monument to his name-Broward
county, the gateway to the 'Glades, of
which Fort Lauderdale is the capital.
If / am run out of Ocala before |
die / am going to Fort Lauderdale. |
have asked some of the best folk there
and they say it will be perfectly all
right.
Somehow, Fort Lauderdale seemed
nearer home than anywhere else on
our East Coast journey. Of course,
that was owing in a large part to the
kindness of our immediate hosts.
Even with that discount, l believe
the town would have had the edge on
other places.
Fort Lauderdale was established
during the Seminole war, and was
named after an officer in the regular
army. After that war, it dwindled,
till for many years it consisted of the
homes of only a few settlers. Then
Flagler touched it with the iron wand
of his railroad and it began to grow.
1t is now about half the size of Ocala
and will pass our town before the
next census if we don't look out.
It is advantageously situated on
both sides of the New river, which is
also part of the East Coast canal. The
river and another canal connect it
with Lake Okeechobee, Florida's in
land sea, and this and another canal
pass thru some of the richest sections
of the 'Glades. The river empties into
the sea; there is water enough to float
good-sized vessels and in time Fort
Lauderdale will have docks lined with
ships from the seven seas.
The business center of the town is
about two miles from that four.
hundred-mile long shore line I've beer
telling you about, and when ships anC
yachts, in years to come, steam anc
sail along that apparently endles.
city, they will know when they com,
to Fort Undertakes share. A gooC
deal of intervening land is high, AM
is already cut into building lots, mos
of which | expect to see covered wit
handsome dwellings if | go back Their
in 1882. And close to the shore, O.
the river banks. they are buildin
land. They clear off the mangrov
scrub and fill in the marsh with fir
dirt and rock. In one place, fine res
dencas are standing where mangrove