By rail to Cedar Key, the terminus of railroad communication, thence by the boats of the Tampa Steamship Company to this place. A boat leaves Cedar Key on Monday and Friday afternoon of each week, and arrives at Braidentown early on the following morning. Fare, $8. The above is the advertised programme, but it is sometimes changed to suit wind and weather. Captains Jackson and Doane are thorough seamen, and do everything in their power to render passengers comfortable. Whatever may be the opinion of travelers in regard to the speed and accommodations of the boats, they will unanimously agree that the fare—$8 for a distance of less than 100 miles—is first-class. A line of light draught, modern-built and comfortably fitted-up steamboats, between Cedar Key and Braidentown, would be liberally patronized. Shall we have the boats? Echo repeats the question.
CHAPTER VII.
Florida Letter Published in a California Paper—Editorial Remarks—The “Fountain of Youth”—The Manatee River and its Surroundings—Tropical Fruits—Game and Fish—The Sportsman’s Paradise—Letter to the Editress of the “Philadelphia Sunday Times”—The Land of Promise—Sunstroke and Hydrophobia Unknown—Cool Nights During the “Dog Days”—Preparing the Land and Planting an Orange Grove—The Florida Orange—Route to the Manatee—Climate of the Gulf Coast of South Florida—Record of Thermometer and Rainfall for the Year 1880—No Frost—Report in Relation to the Effects of the Freeze on the Atlantic Coast in December Last.
AS the following letters and communications have a direct bearing on the Manatee region, the reader will pardon their republication. Among the chaff perchance may be found a few grains of information that will pay for the perusal. The first letter was written to a personal friend in the city of New York, who forwarded it to the San Francisco Examiner. It was first published in that paper with the following editorial remarks;
“Old Californians are not unfamiliar with the name of Mr. Samuel C. Upham, an editor upon this coast in the early days, and, of late, the author of a work entitled Voyage to California via Cape Horn, and Scenes in El Dorado in 1849 and 1850. We are permitted to copy a letter from that gentleman, written in his humorous style, and addressed to an old Californian friend, which may prove of interest to others.”
Philadelphia, June 16th, 1879.
Friend C—— : I owe you a letter, and the following is what I have to say: You are aware that I went South last winter for the benefit of my health, and that I returned in the spring as frisky as a lamb. The late hot weather has pulled me down considerably, and I sigh for the Land of Flowers, where Ponce de Leon searched for the fountain of youth, and Upham found it. I was so charmed with the climate of the Gulf Coast of South Florida, that, while there last winter, I purchased 225 acres of land on the Manatee River, fifty miles south of Tampa, and Mrs. U. and myself are going down to that land of promise the coming fall, to plant an orange grove, and sit under our own vine, orange and eucalyptus trees. It is a delightful country, away down below “frost line,” where the pine-apple, banana, guava, sapadillo, pomegranate, date, cocoa-nut, orange, lime and lemon grow almost spontaneously. The rivers are overflowing with fish, and the forests are overrun with game. Roasted wild turkeys run about with carving-knives and forks sticking in their backs, and ask to be eaten. The country now is a trifle wild, but will soon become tamed and civilized. The people are hospitable, and welcome all classes of strangers, with the exception of “carpet-baggers.” They have been tried and found wanting.
I shall locate in the village—if two stores and four houses can be dignified by that name—of Braidentown, Manatee County, Florida. The place is scarcely twelve months old, but is bound to be heard from—after I locate there. The climate is delightful—sort of an earthly Paradise. The thermometer during the winter months ranges from 70° to 75°, and in summer rarely exceeds 90°, with a sea-breeze blowing constantly either from the Atlantic or the Gulf. The nights in summer are invariably cool, and one can lie comfortably under blankets during “dog days.”
I do not expect to make money in Florida, but I do expect to enjoy better health than in this city; hence the reason of my exodus. I shall, first off, plant an orange grove of 500 trees, which, in eight years, barring accidents, ought to yield me a handsome revenue. Should I “shuffle off this mortal coil” before these orange trees commence bearing, I shall feel disappointed—that’s all. I think the change will give me a renewed lease of life; and, as I intend to plant three-years-old trees, I think the chances are rather in my favor. The Good Book says: “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own life?” I am not prepared to “hand in my checks” just yet; hence my change of base. I have been watching and praying the past four or five years for the “good time coming” to put in an appearance, but it has not arrived, and will not, I fear, during my sojourn in this vale of tears. I have a mortal dread of the poor-house. In Florida that institution is unknown. My eldest son will take charge of my store and laboratory in this city, so the business will go on without interruption. As I have spun out this letter to a great length, I will say domino.
Truly yours,
S. C. Upham.