Everglades: River of Grass

by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 1947

Fifty years ago, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (see cover) brought to light the need for people to coexist with the Everglades. Her title accurately describes this vast wilderness, for if you have ever seen it from the air or driven across the Tamiami Trail, it truly looks like a river of grass. Douglas writes about the explorers, adventurers and conquerors; the Seminole Indian wars; drainage; human encroachment on the river's shrinking eastern edge; and finally, the fight to save this vast, beautiful area.

The Everglades Handbook

by Thomas E. Lodge, 1995

With an introduction by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Lodge's book has four sections covering the Everglades' geologic history, ecosystems, plant and animal life, and environmental issues -- which, if you read the paper or watch the news, are a never-ending story. Although I've lived in South Florida most of my life, this fascinating Handbook taught me something new and made me want to go out hiking and camping to learn more about the Everglades first-hand. Let's see, I'll need water-proof boots, a sleeping bag, a tent, a mosquito screen...I wonder where I can rent a guide? Oh, Cesar, are you busy this weekend?

Everglades: The Ecosystem and Its Restoration

Edited by Steven M. Davis and John C. Ogden

This text book goes hand in hand with The Everglades Handbook, by Thomas E. Lodge, and features a conglomeration of authors, each writing on his or her particular field of expertise. Subjects include the projects of scientists from the South Florida Water Management District and Everglades National Park on fisheries, exotic plant control and endangered species. Chapter after in-depth chapter discusses issues covered in far less detail by the press. The more I read this fascinating book, the more I understood about the delicate balance of the Everglades.

Black Orchid

by Karen Harper, 1996

Can romance be found in the Everglades? Yes, but it's no honeymoon. Against the backdrop of this famous wilderness, popular novelist Karen Harper weaves a suspenseful tale of the forbidden love affair between an orchid grower named Jordan Quinn and Seminole chairman Seth Cypress. Add the danger of being involved with finding a cure for AIDS in the blood of the Florida panther and you'll see that Jordan won't have it easy -- especially with a stalker on the loose. Many people have gotten lost in the Everglades...it's just as easy to lose yourself in Black Orchid.

She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head

by Kathryn Lasky

This delightful children's book tells the story of the Aububon society, the first organization to draw widespread attention to the destruction of the Everglades. At the turn of the century, breeding plumes from snowy egrets and other birds decorated the hats of the most fashionable ladies. Hunters in the Everglades would destroy whole rookeries, shooting the adult birds and leaving the babies to die. But two well-bred Boston cousins named Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall were outraged at the killing of birds for vanity. Fanciful illustrations show how these women confronted their showy peers, garnered support and got laws passed prohibiting the slaughtering.

Man in the Everglades: 2,000 Year of Human History in the Everglades National Park

by Charlton W. Tebeau, 1964

Written by the author of many important books about Florida, this valuable history shows a lost world. Tebeau writes about the Calusa and Tequesta Indians, who left a legacy of shell mounds. European explorers, Seminole Indians, pioneers, speculators, bootleggers, fishers, hunters, farmers, charcoal makers and pioneers in general populate the pages of this book as they once did the park area. Tebeau details the varied businesses that flourished in the early 20th century, such as a mangrove bark factory on the Shark river that produced tannic acid. Dozens of photographs illustrate Everglades National Park's fascinating human history in this essential book.

Voice of the River: Marjory Stoneman Douglas

by Marjory Stoneman Douglas and John Rothchild

The First Lady of the Everglades left this world on May 1, 1998 at the age of 108 after a distinguished writing and environmental career. Having come to Miami from New England at the age of 25, she started working as a social columnist for her father, Frank Stoneman, who had taken over a failing newspaper called The Miami Morning News-Record and renamed it The Miami Herald. Thus began a lifetime of writing. In 1945, she started research for the book that made her famous, The Everglades: River of Grass. Voice of the River tells the story of this remarkable woman and how she came to crusade for making a national park out of the area west of a what was then a small town I had trouble putting the book down. You will too!

Swamp Song

By Ron Larson, 1995

Florida is called the Sunshine State, but author Ron Larson shows that the "Water State" might have been a better nickname. For example, he mentions that one-third of Florida is covered with swamplands like cypress domes, wet prairies, mangroves and sawgrass glades; only Alaska has more swamps. Larson writes, "I will never forget the first time I waded knee-deep in the cool, dark waters of Fakahatchee Strand. Unfortunately, not enough people realize that such places exist, or even that swamps are worth experiencing." Indeed, he notes, 2,000 square miles of Florida's wetlands have been destroyed since 1975. A biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Larson is especially able to take the reader into the physical make-up of swamps and all the creatures that occupy them. This book gave me a better idea of what I see when I visit the Everglades and its inhabitants.

Totch: A Life in the Everglades

By Loren G. "Totch" Brown, 1993

Totch grew up wild and free on Florida's last frontier, the Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades. Fortunately, he put together these memoirs before he died last year. I got very wrapped up in reading about living (or surviving) in the Everglades. Some of Totch's stories reminded me of summer camp away from the big city as I read about sleeping in shacks made of tin or palmetto fronds. The old-timers ate white ibis meat, or "Chokoloskee Chicken," and swamp cabbage, so called due to its smell, but quite tasty. When times were real bad, manatees were eaten to survive. Over Totch's lifetime, he worked as a commercial fisherman, professional fishing guide, songwriter, singer, crabber, poacher, and marijuana and rum smuggler.

Forty Years in the Everglades

By Calvin R. Stone, 1979

Calvin Stone had just married in 1931 and was honeymooning in Miami with Mary, his wife. He fell in love with the area and they decided to stay. Stone was invited by a friend, who had lived here all his life, to go deer hunting in the Everglades in 1934. And so began a forty-year trek in the wilderness. In his book, he talks about carrying an injured friend who weighed almost as much as his biggest deer, lost New York tourists, stuck swamp buggies, turkey hunting and Indians. The stories last for nearly four decades and take you into the heart of the raw Everglades country as told from a first-hand experience.

Freedom River

by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 1953

This book for children is about children. One, a Miccosukee Indian; one, a black slave; and one, a white settler. The three become friends as they and their families fight for survival in the 1840s before Florida attains statehood. The three also encounter ethical issues, some of which continue to cause arguments over 150 years later. The book could have taken place in the 1990s and the boys would still encounter the same problems. Any child reading this book will recognize situations he or she can relate to in today's newspaper and television stories.

Swamp Screamer

by Charles Fergus, 1996

Call it what you like, panther, cougar or mountain lion, the Florida panther's numbers are limited. Wildlife technologists have devised high-tech "captive breeding" strategies in hopes the animals will breed and multiply. Charles Fergus follows these scientists and about 50 panthers and encounters sportsmen, developers, theme-park owners, and radical animal lovers who either rally for their cause or see the panthers as a threat to their own greed. Throw in a little history of the vanishing wilds and you have a very interesting book.

The Seminoles of Florida

By James W. Covington, 1992

Covington's scholarly book goes into great depth tracing Seminole history in Florida. The tribe was originally part of the Creek Confederacy in Alabama and Georgia. At the end of three long and costly wars with the United States, the Seminoles, as with all Native Americans, found their lands dwindling and were forced onto reservations. The author discusses the effects of World War II and how Christianity was introduced to the Indians. The book then takes the reader through changes in the school system, tribal government, agriculture and business ventures over the last three decades. Filled with personal accounts and speeches by key Seminole figures, this book provides the serious student of Seminole history and culture with solid, thorough research material.

Swamp to Sugar Bowl: Pioneer Days in Belle Glade

by Lawrence E. Will

Both a devoted resident of Belle Glade and a noted local historian, the late Lawrence E. Will wrote this collection of stories, told "cracker style," about the area around Lake Okeechobee's southeast quadrant. You'll learn how Belle Glade became Florida's "white gold" capital, a city grown from sugar cane fields. My favorite story is about the city's wandering post office. You'll read about a mystery farm and enjoy a trip from Belle Glade to West Palm Beach before turnpikes, expressways or paved roads. Follow up with a visit to the Lawrence E. Will Museum at the Belle Glade Library. Will's many South Florida history books are available next door at the Chamber of Commerce.

Legends of the Seminoles

by Betty Mae Jumper

This is a collection of stories and old legends that have been handed down from generation to generation of Seminole Indian children. I consider them "bedtime" stories, with a twist: The young Seminoles were told these tales as they were being tucked into their mosquito nets at night. In the colorful pages of this beautifully-illustrated book, I had a chance to meet the Deer Girl, the Eagle and the Corn Lady. I learned the dos and don'ts of the Seminoles, read what makes up a village and enjoyed an interpretation of the complex pattern of a patchwork quilt. Each pattern is unique to its particular tribe. Adults will enjoy this book just as much as children will. I did! Don't miss out on Legends as an alternative to Mother Goose, the Brothers Grimm or Aesop's Fairy Tales. You won't be sorry!

South Florida's Wetland Wilderness: Big Cypress Swamp and the Ten Thousand Islands

By Jeff Ripple, 1996 (photographs by Clyde Butcher)

This book is most useful for those doing research. The reader discovers the Big Cypress Swamp and what makes it up in the way of wildlife. Ripple writes about marshes (wet, dry, freshwater and salt) and prairies, as well as hardwood hammocks. He takes us into mangrove swamps in the Ten Thousand Islands and discusses the effects of nature such as fire, flooding and hurricanes, in addition to the human influences of hunting, logging and clearing the eastern edge for the encroaching city. Besides Everglades National Park and Big Cypress Preserve, Ripple covers other protected areas like Fakahatchee Strand State Park and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. A list of trees, shrubs, orchids, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects and their scientific names closes the book.

Dispatches from the Land of Flowers

by Jeff Klinkenberg, 1996

Klinkenberg, columnist for The St. Petersburg Times, has put together his second collection of Florida anecdotes (the first was Real Florida), according to the Sunshine State's four subtle seasons. In the section entitled "Fall" he describes the Desert Inn restaurant in Yee-Haw Junction and the rare Okeechobee gourd. In winter, there is stargazing near Lake Kissimmee and wildlife-viewing near Gainesville along Route 441. Spring brings Dr. Wilfred Trammell Neill, the snake man, anthropologist and archeologist, and the Seminole Indians on the Big Cypress Reservation. Summer reveals the lightning-stalker known as David O. Stillings and our own Cesar A. Becerra's search for logging camps in the Everglades. Reading this book is like traveling Florida's back roads without having to drive all that way. Just sit back and enjoy. I certainly did!

Sabal Palm: A Native Monarch

by Barbara Oehlbeck, 1996

Some call it the cabbage palm. The Seminole Indians call it shee-lah-mah-shee-kee-tahl-cho-bee. But whatever you call it, the Sabal Palm is one of Florida's few native palm trees. It looks like a rough-hewn utility pole with a huge floppy dust mop on top. We learn from Ms. Oehlbeck's book that Florida's state tree has many uses, the most common being the Seminole Indian chickee hut. The trunk is used for the walls and the fronds for the roof. The heart of the tree is called swamp cabbage, historically eaten by Indians and pioneers alike. Bees make honey out of the nectar from the Sabal palm's sweet-smelling, cream-colored flowers. This interesting book includes many photographs by Clyde Butcher and contributions by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and Seminole Tribe Chairman James Billie.

True Tales of the Everglades

by Stuart McIver, 1989

This collection of South Florida stories lets the city dweller learn how hard life was for the region's pioneers. In "Tamiami Trail Blazers," McIver, the historical columnist of The Sun-Sentinel, details the back-breaking work of building the Trail. "The First Airboat" tells about "Scooter," the original vessel made just for swampland travel. The story of the clam industry is told in "Clam Diggers of Marco Island" -- including how bushels of clams sold for only 25 cents. "Working on the Overseas Railroad" describes the challenges Henry Flagler's famous project in the Keys, such as fighting diseases and nature's furious storms. Then there's "The Centenarian Hermit of Panther Key." Incredibly, Panther Key resident John Gomez was born in 1778 and died in 1900! He also served under Zachary Taylor at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee. These are just a few of the interesting tales in this book.

Adventure Guide to the Everglades and Florida Keys

by John and Joyce Huber, 1994

The Hubers did their homework when it came to putting Adventure Guide together. This book was an adventure for me...and I live in South Florida! There is so much information in this guide, one doesn't know where to begin. There's advice for tours and where to go, how to get there, where to stay and what to bring with you. Disabled facilities are listed as well as rental agencies for bicycles, cars, taxi cabs, boats and private planes. You'll find out where to catch trains and buses. There are sections on the various parks, sanctuaries and reserves, the best places to see the only coral reef in the continental U.S. and camping information. You'll even be given a run-down on local chambers of commerce, banks in the area, what credit cards to bring and where they are honored. If you're new to South Florida, John and Joyce's book is a must-have and will be your Bible. Don't come down without it!

The Art of the Florida Seminole and Miccosukee Indians

by Dorothy Downs, 1995

There are many books on the various Indian tribes of North America. In this one, Downs goes into the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes. They were recognized as separate tribes in 1962. The book talks about the evolution of the tribal dress and its changes. The technique and significance of the intricate, colorful patchwork cloth used for making garments is described as well as fingerweaving, beadwork and silverwork for jewelry, pottery for cooking and storing food, basketry and doll-making. The book also explains how the men take care of woodcarving and all village construction. While some of the information found here might be repeated elsewhere, it is still a very detailed book.

Killing Mister Watson

by Peter Mathiessen, 1990

I love a good mystery, especially if it allows me to drift away into another world without leaving town. Southwest Florida's Chokoloskee Bay Country forms the backdrop of this unsettling novel based on the murky story of E.J. Watson, a real-life pioneer who homesteaded in the Ten Thousand Islands at the turn of the century. In the live-and-let-live atmosphere of this sparsely-settled world among the mangroves, rumors that Watson killed outlaw Belle Starr don't attract a posse of vigilantes. undue attention. Watson sets up a sugar plantation and as it grows, becomes well-liked in the community. But then word gets out that he supposedly killed Belle Starr, the famous woman outlaw. Suspicions arise amid an atmosphere of fear. Did he kill her? Did he kill others? If he did, how many? Was E. J. a devoted husband, father, gifted farmer, a man of progress with a grand scheme for making a fortune in the Everglades or was he a cold-blooded killer? Was he destroyed by fear and envy? Or by greed? You may not want to put this book down. This is a must for those looking for a good mystery with a local twist.

(review by Maud Dillingham)

Exploring Wild South Florida

by Susan D. Jewell, 1997 (2nd Edition)

Gleaned from 11 years in Florida with the National Park Service, Audubon Society and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Susan D. Jewell's field experience sets this guide apart from less comprehensive travel tomes. She explains that the subtle nature of the region's beauty must be explored to be appreciated -- not just driven through. An introduction to habitats such as mangrove, cypress, hard-wood hammock and dune precedes descriptions of wildlife, including tree snails and manatees. Natural areas in Broward, Hendry, Lee, Palm Beach, Dade, Collier and Monroe Counties are listed, with recreational opportunities outlined. There are also historical anecdotes, a wildlife checklist and a crucial bibliography for any outdoor enthusiast interested in South Florida.

For further reading on the Everglades:

Beardsley, Ruth R. Pioneering in the Everglades.

Blackard, David. Patchwork and Palmettos.

Briggs, Betty Savidge. Cracker in the Glades.

Caulfield, Patricia. Everglades National Park.

Dodson, Pat. Journey Through the Glades.

Fritchey, John. Everglades Journal.

George, Jean Craighead. Everglades.

Harris, Bill. The Everglades: A Photographic Journey.

Kersey, Jr., Harry A. Pelts, Plumes and Hides.

Lewin, Ted. World Within a World: Everglades.

Lourie, Peter. Everglades: Buffalo Tiger.

Matthiessen, Peter. Killing Mister Watson.

Oeffner, Barbara. Chief.

Shroder, Tom. Seeing the Light.

Willoughby, Hugh L. Across the Everglades.