Stealth Journeys with the Steam Mapper

Chapter 63: Myakka's Protector

A copy of the original untouched photograph taken at Myakka State Park, owned by this writer."

"But getting back to Florida Wildlife Preserves, when the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1991, Dad made his first visit to the twenty-mile designated region from Melbourne Beach to Wabasso Beach to watch for nesting turtles.  Dad enjoyed the east coast of Florida while he was at F.I.T., and whenever Mom and Dad go back to visit they have lots to tell about the changes to the area, both good and bad."

"Mom and Dad joke that they are a bi-coastal couple, because Mom's early experiences in Florida were all about the west coast, Gulf Coast.   Mom's childhood memories were about visiting Grandma Nancy and taking day trips from her grandmother's home on Anna Maria.  She not only saw lots of beautiful beaches and parks but also got special visits to the Ringling Estate, because of her Grandma's connection to the Ringling Circus.   Mom was kinda bummed about the announcement of the end of the circus era.  But glad that Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus was ending the wild animal acts.  Mom did take Dad and me to see many of the places she saw as a child and provided history about the locations."

"One of Mom's favorite parks is the Myakka State Park near Sarasota.   It is a huge park with campsites and primitive camping trails and shorter trails having different species identified with blue plastic ribbons and signage.  The Civilian Conservation Corps had built cabins during the depression and some are still being used.   A lake and waterways gave people opportunities to get out on the water, to see the aquatic wildlife.  Plenty of gators and different species of birds, gave everyone plenty to watch for and identify.   Mom used her photography skills to capture the special beauty."

"Mom has a very different kind of photograph taken on one of our trips there.  It was taken along that trail that the scouts had labeled with blue ribbons.   A huge old tree was in the middle of the trail and it was not identified.   In fact, it was long dead.  But Mom thought it looked very sculptural and took a photograph.   When the photo was developed we all saw it in a whole new light.   It was covered with monsters and heads of animals and had a demon climbing up.  And, even more mysterious, it had a woman riding side saddle coming up from behind the "Monster Tree.  She wanted to know who that was and why spirits were present in the state park.  Mom did her homework and it all made sense."

"Turns out that the woman was none other than a famous Chicago socialite named Bertha Honore' Palmer who became a wealthy Sarasota County landowner in 1910.   Bertha was born in Kentucky in May and died in Florida in May and the photograph of her ghost was taken in May, 2000.   The timing is kinda spooky, huh?

Bertha had married a Chicago hotel tycoon and traveled the world hobnobbing with the rich and famous, as well as being involved in many civic and charitable events.   Her dear friend King Edward became gravely ill and died which put all of England in mourning.  Bertha had been a widow since 1902 when her husband died leaving his entire fortune to her with no stipulations. She kept busy with work and travels for about eight years and had reached the age of 61, so naturally relocating to sunny Florida made sense then just as it does today.  Buying the land in Florida was to put her mind onto a new project, as events in Europe were going downhill fast as war broke out, leading to the Great War."

"First, after careful research, she bought property in the little fishing village of Sarasota, population 900.  She hired an architect and planned her estate, calling it "The Oaks".   In all, she purchased over eighty thousand acres in Florida.  She relied on lots of expert and local advice and brought in many people of many ethnic backgrounds to help her bring all of plans to fruition.   She was considered the one to bring a boom to Sarasota.  She liked the beauty of some rural land and bought the six thousand acres and the cattle on it from a local rancher.   That was the land that later became the state park."

"The people in the little town of Sarasota didn't know what to make of her decision to leave her status of "Queen of Chicago" to become a rancher.  But Bertha was very bright and progressive and outgoing enough to make things happen for the little town and for her ranch lands.  She did get into conflict with the Florida crackers, though.  The cowboys liked free-range cattle and didn't like her ideas of fencing.  And, they made fun of her for "dipping" her cattle for ticks.  She didn't take their nonsense and she brought in Brahman cattle which did very well."

"She tried to make friendly by giving barbecues and visiting the cattlemen wives.    But the local cattlemen harassed her workers and cut her fencing.  They would do raids in the darkness of night, shooting at her sleeping black workers.  She was quoted as saying, 'I have been greatly annoyed by the annual criminal assaults on my place and on my innocent sleeping Negroes, by cowardly bands of armed men who came at night to shoot them up and drive them away.  Every investor wants to know first of all about labor conditions, and to find a community away back in the atrocities of the lawless Ku Klux era finishes its case at once.'"

"Well, Mom thinks that the photograph shows the spirit of Mrs. Palmer riding side saddle, as she patrols her property, in the spot where violence was heaped on her workers.   It is known that she would travel about her property, so maybe so. . . Anyway, she left her ranch land named Meadow Sweet Pastures to the state of Florida, after dying of cancer in 1918.   She was born in May and died in May. She did a lot of good for Florida for having been a Florida landowner for about eight years.  Anyway, Mom learned that Bertha was born in Kentucky in May of 1849 and died in Florida in May of 1918.  Taking that photograph of her spirit in May 2000 seemed believable.  Can't argue with Mom."

"Mom has two books about Bertha Honore' Palmer.  One taught her so much about Bertha's life's story and then another book included her with other influential Florida women.  The first book was published way back in 1960 and it had a fancy title, 'Silhouette in Diamonds: The Life of Mrs. Potter Palmer'.  That one is actually available to download for free online, on an internet archive site, but Mom purchased her copy used back in the 1980s.  The other book is much smaller and includes a bunch of pioneer women and that one is called 'More than Petticoats: Remarkable Florida Women'.   Mom takes a lot of pride in finding stories about women ahead of their time."