Georgia native, adopted son of Florida, U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, U. of Miami graduate, attorney, founder of the Florida Nature Conservancy, member of Tropical Audubon, South Florida Orchid Society and self-trained field biologist, he . . . — — Map (db m169197) HM
Covering 1.5 million acres across Collier and neighboring counties, Everglades National Park, established in 1934 and dedicated in 1947, preserves the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. As the first park created to protect a fragile . . . — — Map (db m306926) HM
Barron G. Collier Founder of Collier County Admired for talents Esteemed for vision Beloved for kindness Whom the nation owes the Tamiami Trail Erected by Board Commissioners Collier County To commemorate opening of the Tamiami . . . — — Map (db m213651) HM
This pleasant 4-lane avenue was laid out in 1923. An electric streetcar ran from Dupont down Copeland Avenue and then along Broadway to the river.
The median had a goldfish pond and dish were replaces frequently after the raccoons feasted on . . . — — Map (db m213485) HM
Bulit in 1923, the first Collier County jell was located on this site, the southwest corner of the Circle. It was a small, wooden structure that housed a few dozen inmates on the first floor and included living accommodations for the sheriff and . . . — — Map (db m267644) HM
Hours: April to November 9:00-4:4:30
November to April 8:00 -4:30
Come upstairs to the National Park visitor center for information, park maps, exhibits, videos and more!
Along
The Tamiami Trail
Things to see and do (From West to . . . — — Map (db m106245) HM
This building was completed by April 1940 on land donated in May 1939 by the estate of Barron Gift Collier, founder of the county which bears his name and its largest landholder. The congregation at that time was Presbyterian, officially . . . — — Map (db m309606) HM
Everglades National Park is known for stunning wildlife viewing and it unique mix of temperature and topical plants and animals. Its diverse habitat are a refuge for many endangered species. Take time to discover this subtle landscape by walking . . . — — Map (db m309604)
Monday, October 24, 2005
In the hours before dawn Hurricane Wilma made landfall just a few miles Northwest of Everglades City at Cape Romano.
Leaving Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category I storm, she moved into Southwest Florida as a . . . — — Map (db m213650) HM
The Ochopee area was founded in 1928 as a tomato farming community and included a prosperous town of homes, packing house, and a general store with Post Office (established in 1932).
This building was originally a cattle barn and then became a . . . — — Map (db m184177) HM
This building was completed in 1928 to be the first seat of government for Collier County which was founded in 1923 by entrepreneur and landowner Barron Gift Collier. The Town of Everglades was also headquarters for the building of the Tamiami . . . — — Map (db m309607) HM
The first permanent white settlers arrived in this region in the late 19th century. A community dependent on hunting, fishing, and farming soon emerged. The land upon which Everglades City now stands was acquired in 1921-22 by Barron Collier, a . . . — — Map (db m309605) HM
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) ran between Immokalee (40 miles north) and Everglades from 1928 to 1956. It carried passengers as well as freight and was an important link for the tomato farms in the area.
The station, in typical . . . — — Map (db m190702) HM
This site was the home of William Smith Allen who settled here in the 1870s. He sold the property to George Storter, Jr., in 1889 and it was expanded to include a Post Office, trading post, and warehouses for the thriving sugar cane syrup trade. . . . — — Map (db m190547) HM
The Tamiami Trail links the two great cities for which it was named -- Tampa and Miami. It bridges the Everglades, tying together south Floridas Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Its official opening on April 28, 1926, by Governor John W. Martin . . . — — Map (db m115634) HM
Bunkhouse
This bunkhouse was originally constructed in the 1930s as two separate buildings on another site. They were moved here and connected to each other in 1946 to house the family's hired cowmen. No cooking was done inside the small . . . — — Map (db m282966) HM
Cane Mill
The Roberts, as well as other South Florida pioneer families, pressed and boiled sugar cane to provide syrup for their own use or to trade for other necessities. Cultivated since ancient times, sugarcane was introduced . . . — — Map (db m282894) HM
Cattle Ranching and Immokalee
The open grasslands around Immokalees were an abundant hunting ground for the Caluas Indians and later, for the Seminole and Microsukee peoples. Cattleman Charles W. Hendry is thought to have . . . — — Map (db m284379) HM
Chicken Coop
Keeping chickens for the family's use was, and still is, a common practice on American farms and ranches. An excellent food source, chickens also helped keep insects under control and provided fertilizer for the family garden. . . . — — Map (db m283008) HM
Cooks House
Cleaning house, cooking for the family and hired hands, canning, smoking meat, carrying water, sewing, washing and mending clothes, gardening, tending to the sick, and minding the children and grandchildren, were just some of . . . — — Map (db m283036) HM
Farm Equipment
Most of the equipment displayed here was tractor drawn and was used to clear land and maintain the orange grove.
1. Bush Hog: Invented in 1950, the Bush Hog is a rotary blade mower used to cut . . . — — Map (db m282857) HM
Fertilizer Spreader
Although primarily a cattle ranching family, the Roberts' also grew oranges as a cash crop. This fertilizer spreader dates from about 1940 and was used to apply chemical fertilizers, minerals or pesticides to . . . — — Map (db m282887) HM
Garage
Southwest Florida's early pioneers traveled on horseback, in canoes, mule wagons, ox cart and on foot. Roads were few and far between and were often nothing more than a deeply-rutted trail in the sand.
Collier . . . — — Map (db m282993) HM
Hide House
This hide house was built around 1950 and replaced an earlier log smokehouse. Here, cowhides were stored before being sent away for tanning.
The hides were salted and stacked together tightly to allow the rock salt to . . . — — Map (db m282963) HM
Cowmen kept their horses in this four-stall barn, along with their riding tack carlier barn that was on the property when the Roberts family arrived.
The cowmens horses were descendants of those that were brought to Florida by Spanish . . . — — Map (db m283044) HM
Horse Ramp
Trucking the cowmen and their horses out to the cattle herd saved time and spared the riders many long hours of travel in the saddle. This loading chute or horse ramp was built in the late 1940s and was used to walk horses onto . . . — — Map (db m282968) HM
Horse Stall
This freestanding horse stall was built in the early 1940s. Horses were tied to the stall by lengths of rope that permitted the animals to lie down and get up easily.
A cowman would tether his horse in these . . . — — Map (db m282836) HM
The Roberts family was one of four families that made up Immokalee's first Baptist congregation. The church was organized as a mission in the fall of 1916 by Reverend A.M. Bennett and Reverend Peelman with seven charter members, including . . . — — Map (db m282824) HM
Kitchen
This kitchen was built soon after the Roberts family arrived in Immokalee in 1914 and is the oldest building on the homestead. It was originally placed on an east-west axis and was connected to the Roberts' log pen home . . . — — Map (db m282862) HM
Log Pen
Many of Immokalee's early white settlers built their first homes from pine or cypress logs that were notched at the ends and stacked to form the walls of a single-room cabin or pen. These logs are all that remain of the . . . — — Map (db m282898) HM
Outhouse
This outhouse or privy is typical of those built by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s to improve health and living conditions in rural areas of the United States. Between 1933 and 1945, the WPA built 2,309,239 . . . — — Map (db m283034) HM
Pole Barn
This pole barn was built in 1943 to store and protect farm machinery. The roof is original and now shelters equipment that was once used to maintain the Roberts' orange grove. A small grove had already been planted . . . — — Map (db m282843) HM
Roberts Family Home
Robert Roberts (1884-1963) and his wife, Sarah Jane Cordell Roberts (1882-1966) came to Immokalee from Ona, Florida, in 1914 with their seven children. Two more children were later born in Immokalee. . . . — — Map (db m284381) HM
Smokehouse
In the days before electricity and refrigeration, meat was cured with salt and smoked over a fire to keep it from spoiling. The women of the Roberts household were responsible for salting the meat, hanging it to dry, building a . . . — — Map (db m283038) HM
Sugarcane - Boiler
This brick sugarcane boiler was built in 1921 and strengthened with an old buggy spring. It was repaired in 1944 and has a chimney, firebox, and cast iron cane vat or kettle.
Boiling raw sugarcane juice . . . — — Map (db m282858) HM
Truck & Tractor Shed
Trucks, tractors and other equipment saved the rancher precious time in a chore-filled day. The Roberts built this shed in the 1940s to shelter their tractor and horse truck.
The tractor was used to cultivate and . . . — — Map (db m282977) HM
Wash Shed
The family moved their laundry from the old log pen to this site when their new home was completed in 1926. Water to do the washing was pumped by hand from a nearby well.
Clothes had to be boiled to remove the dirt, scrubbed . . . — — Map (db m283040) HM
Water Tower
The main house was originally built without running water or modern indoor plumbing. Later, the Roberts family supplied their home with water that was pumped from a well and stored on top of a water tower. A windmill . . . — — Map (db m283006) HM
Well
Every permanent homestead on the Florida frontier needed a readily available source of fresh water, such as this well near the Roberts' original home site. Before the days of modern plumbing and running water, drawing . . . — — Map (db m282859) HM
Named by first settler, Johnny Roberts, Goodland was built on Calusa shell mound by early settlers.
Clam Shell Access Road was built almost single-handedly by pioneer, Harry Pettit, circa 1940. — — Map (db m277553) HM
Originally The Heights (51 feet) highest elevation in SW Florida;
Site of The Heights Hotel - 1908.
Home of J.M. and Tommy Barfield. Mrs. Barfield was very important in the development of Caxambas, Marco Island and Collier County. . . . — — Map (db m277338) HM
1901-1906
Early agricultural venture; plantation and warehouse on Caxambas Ridge.
Hurricane with salt water surge destroyed crops and soil. — — Map (db m277552) HM
Vacation home and plantation house built by Captain John F. Horr (1843-1906) who, together with his family lived on the island from 1877 to 1920. During that time the island was a thriving community with a pineapple plantation, packing plant and . . . — — Map (db m277312) HM
This walking dredge, built by the Bay City (Michigan) Dredge Works, is the earliest known survivor of its type. Designed for use over swampy terrain where wheeled or tracked vehicles would bog down the machines weight was distributed over shoes. To . . . — — Map (db m195057) HM
How the Bay City Walking Dredge No. 489 was saved
Bay City Walking Dredge No. 489 was built in Bay City, Michigan in May, 1924 and was shipped to W.R. Wallace & Co. of Fort Myers, Florida. The dredge was later sold to Alexander, Ramsey . . . — — Map (db m195018) HM
Once, occupied by the Caloosa Indians and the Spanish, it was the last refuge of the Seminoles. The region is drained in a north-south direction by creeks, rivers, sloughs and swamps. Abounding in wildlife, trees, plants, shrubs and flowers, most of . . . — — Map (db m194947) HM
This site possesses exceptional values as an illustration of the nation's natural heritage and contributes to a better understanding of the environment. — — Map (db m268153) HM
This "Back Bay" area was settled in 1915. As Naples' first sheltered mooring, it became the community center for the pioneers building the Tamiami Trail as well as the fishing industry. The first pharmacy, the first newspaper, and all the important . . . — — Map (db m127760) HM
Born December 28, 1891, in Winchester, England, Ernest George Rogers came to the United States in 1913 at age twenty two. In his early years in the U.S., he became head of the accounting department of Remington Arms Companythe major supplier of . . . — — Map (db m278631) HM
In plan view, the dredge machinery is mounted on a rectangular frame with the boom and dipper attached at the center of the "front edge (Fig. 3). The dredge normally rests on four skid-like shoes, one at each corner of the frame each shoe is . . . — — Map (db m194950) HM
William Dutcher was the first president of the National Association of Audubon Societies, appointed in 1905. He helped shape the organization and worked tirelessly for bird protection. He was instrumental in establishing the Audubon warden program . . . — — Map (db m164918) HM
The Baker-Curry tree is named for two individuals whose unlikely partnership saved Corkscrew and established it as an Audubon Sanctuary. It started with passionate citizens who came together to stop the logging of the last remaining old-growth bald . . . — — Map (db m164919) HM
Aldo Leopold is considered the father of the modern conservation ethic. He lamented the toll wrought on the landscape in the name of material progress, and the ever widening disconnect between society and land. Where John Muir was inspired by . . . — — Map (db m164909) HM
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States (1901-1909) is known as the "conservationist president" for creating the Division of Forestry and protecting 230 million acres of federal land. He was a member of Florida Audubon during . . . — — Map (db m164912) HM
Guy Bradley is one of the heroes of Audubon and one of the most colorful characters of its history. He was the first warden to be deputized by Audubon, a strange fact due to his passion for hunting birds for their valuable, fashionable plumes. When . . . — — Map (db m164913) HM
The Rhett Green tree is an iconic, massive individual, rugged like its namesake. It has withstood the test of time. In 1912, Rhett Green was hired as an Audubon warden to protect plume bearing birds such as egrets, herons and roseate spoonbills . . . — — Map (db m164914) HM
In the early 1800s, the Seminole tribe sought and found refuge deep in the bald cypress forests of Southwest Florida during the Seminole Wars. This tree bears the Seminole name for big cypress, Asteenahoofa. It is straight, solid and free of . . . — — Map (db m164916) HM
Green
The "Rhett Green" is an iconic, massive tree.
In 1960, Hurricane Donna knocked the top 30 feet off
both trunks of this tree. The broken limbs left cavities at
the top of the tree that gather rainwater. This creates
unique, . . . — — Map (db m267903) HM
In grateful appreciation to
Lester J. and Dellora A. Norris
Acquisition of this park was made possible when Lester J. and Dellora A. Norris arranged the purchase of the land on April 24, 1964, through their St. Charles, . . . — — Map (db m15877) HM
In honor of
Morris & Rose Nortman
And in memory of the 11,000,000
who perished in the Holocaust
1933 - 1945
The Jack Nortman Family — — Map (db m221136) WM
This house was built about 1895 by Walter N. Halderman, Owner/Publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal, as a winter residence for his good friend and distinguished editor, Henry Watterson, who spent his winter working vacation here between 1900 . . . — — Map (db m277302) HM
At the end of the 1800's, Plume Hunters slaughtered hundreds of thousands of egrets and herons for the sake of fashion. In 1886, milliners were paying $32 an once - twice the price of gold at the time - for egret plumes to adorn ladies hats. . . . — — Map (db m267772) HM
Opened in 1931, Rosemary Cemetery was originally established on twenty acres of land given by Edward W. Crayton, a prominent Naples citizen and president of the Naples Improvement Company. It served as the town's only cemetery until 1955. The graves . . . — — Map (db m15878) HM
This simple building served as the art studio of E. George Rogers. Although a modest structure, the building represents a period of Naples history that has all but disappeared. In the decades following World War II, many new residents moved to . . . — — Map (db m278841) HM
Built as the park caretakers residence about 1940. County Commissioner D. Graham Copeland managed Barron Collier's businesses and surveyed Collier County. He located the sites of several Seminole war forts, old trails, and Seminole villages. As . . . — — Map (db m194878) HM
The Naples Canal was a monumental prehistoric construction achievement. It was 4,150 feet long (0.8 miles) and bisected an area between the Gulf of Mexico and Naples Bay. The Naples Canal was dug perhaps as early as A.D. 200 by local American . . . — — Map (db m127697) HM
Built in 1926, by the Seaboard Airline, the Naples Depot welcomed Naples' first passenger train in 1927. Services continued until 1971. Shortly thereafter the Tamiami Trail was completed. These two important infrastructures successfully opened . . . — — Map (db m127761) HM
The Naples Depot, which was completed in 1927, is one of the oldest remaining structures in the City of Naples. The Depot was built to serve as the Seaboard Air Line Railway's southern-most west coast terminal. The coming of railroads to Naples and . . . — — Map (db m127698) HM
Built in 1888 as a freight and passenger dock, the Naples Pier stands as a community landmark. Narrow gauge train rails spanning the length of the pier transported freight and baggage in the early 1900s. Part of the structure as well as the post . . . — — Map (db m92802) HM
”We have to save the swamp a hundred times but we only get to lose it once.” In the 1930s lumbermen began logging bald cypress trees because the trunks were knot-free and the wood was highly resistant to rot. Lumber . . . — — Map (db m164799) HM
The first highway from Tampa to Miami, called the Tamiami Trail, was built in the 1920's. The "walking dredge was a piece of specialized equipment used to dig a canal, which provided
rock fill for the roadbed and drainage for the completed road. . . . — — Map (db m194927) HM
This Bay City Walking Dredge
in charge of
Earl W. Ivey
and
Meece Ellis
working 18 hours daily constructed that portion of the Tamiami Trail beginning at Black Water River and extending northwesterly 10 miles to Belle Meade Crossing and . . . — — Map (db m195061) HM
Tin City's legacy began in the 1920's when Henry Espenlaub, brother-in-law of Ed Frank (Swamp Buggy Creator), leased his property to pioneering commercial fishing families. They constructed docks and tin roofed buildings to serve fishing fleets and . . . — — Map (db m90088) HM
Bald cypress, the swamp and wood storks make this National Audubon Society sanctuary unique. The source of storks Wood storks come to Corkscrew Swamp during the dry months of winter and early spring. Here, in greater numbers than anywhere . . . — — Map (db m164800) HM
Madagascar is a place like no other, so much so that it is often called the eighth continent. To provide perspective, scientists who study primates divide the world into four regions: the Americas, South Asia, mainland Africa, and the Island of . . . — — Map (db m267730) HM
The Madagascar Fauna Group Helps preserve the Wonders of a fragile island nation.
Madagascar is one of the earth's top conservation priorities. Over 80% of her plants and animals live nowhere else on our planet. Her forests have already . . . — — Map (db m267732) HM
The Trees like Nowhere Else
More than 8 out of every 10 plant species on Madagascar are unique to the island, and the diversity is striking. While all of Africa has one type of baobab tree, Madagascar has six, ranging in height from the . . . — — Map (db m267731) HM
Hemenway
This tree has been home to countless raptors and wading
birds over the centuries. You can see it is sprinkled with
bromeliads and blanketed by resurrection fern; scaled by
Virginia creeper and a strangler fig; weathered, . . . — — Map (db m267683) HM
Bradley
The Everglades and surrounding bald cypress swamps
were once home to giant flocks of birds. However, over-
hunting in the late 1800s quickly changed that. The
National Audubon Society was formed, in part, to save
these birds and . . . — — Map (db m268162) HM
With roots anchored deep in rich, organic soil, the
"Baker-Currey" tree weathers adversity and continues
reaching upward and outward. Old-growth cypress trees
are favorite nesting sites for vulnerable Wood Storks. In
the early 1900s, tens of . . . — — Map (db m269633) HM
On February 22, 1936, this pine hammock was the site of a conference attended by about 275 Seminoles and several representatives of state and local governments. Florida's New Deal governor, David W. Sholtz (1933-37), had aided the state's economic . . . — — Map (db m190699) HM
The Bank received its charter in 1923 and moved into this impressive building in 1927. It was designed by William O Sparklin who was also the architect for the Court House. There were offices on the second floor.
After the Bank moved to . . . — — Map (db m213483) HM
Imagine alligator relatives dating back to the days of dinosaurs, over 150 million years ago. Gators today still look similar to their 50 foot long relatives. Present day American alligators can grow to over 15 feet and many weigh up to 1,000 . . . — — Map (db m106227) HM
Rain-the Swamp's Lifeblood
Nearly 55 inches of rain falls here annually-drenching Big Cypress National Preserve during the summer wet season.
The fresh water flowing through the national preserve replenishes the local aquifer and sustains . . . — — Map (db m106230) HM
The watery areas of Big Cypress National Preserve attract colorful flocks of long-legged wading birds that sweep across the shallow wetlands stalking their prey, while other waterbirds dive below the surface to search for food.
Anhingas . . . — — Map (db m106235) HM
Invasive species are destructive or aggressive plants and animals that greatly alter the natural balance of native area. They out compete native species for resources and reduce biodiversity.
Invasives are extremely expensive to eradicate and . . . — — Map (db m106233) HM
Things to see
Cypress Knees
Cypress trees sprout curious
Appendages called knees. They are believed to help stabilize the parent tree in swamp environments.
Florida Panther
The solitary Florida panther ranges throughout a wide . . . — — Map (db m106231)
Considered to be the smallest post office in the United States, this building was formerly an irrigation pipe shed belonging to the J. T. Gaunt Company tomato farm. It was hurriedly pressed into service by postmaster Sidney Brown after a disastrous . . . — — Map (db m90091) HM
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service. Defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done. — — Map (db m213487) HM
The watery forest was born from a slow-moving creek whose waters rise and fall year after year, flooding the shallow banks and then withdrawing.
Here brown waters reflect the tall trees, Spanish-moss and clouds in the sky. Alligators, birds and . . . — — Map (db m100647)
Wildlife & You How you behave can save The thrill of watching an animal in it native surroundings can be spectacular and awe inspiring. The memories made while experiencing such events can last a lifetime, and so can your actions.While visiting . . . — — Map (db m106229)
The first commercial oil well in Florida, located just east of this site, was drilled in 1943 by Humble Oil and Refining Company. The discovery of oil at a depth of over 11,500 feet proved that there was oil in Florida. Seventeen wells were . . . — — Map (db m271621) HM
