1950’S JOHN HUTTER TRAVELOGUE FILM

welcome to chateau hutter for another travel adventure let us see where our journey will take us the florida keys extend south westward from miami to key west which is about to 130 miles from miami we will also visit the everglades national park which is approximately 40 miles from miami one does not have to travel far out of miami to visit a key the rickenbacker toll causeway leads to key biscayne within sight of miami's colorful skyline as we make our way over to biscayne key we pass many people fishing in biscay bay from the bridge and from their boats a miniature railroad provides the best means of exploring this island for a key is an island the word key is a corruption of the spanish chicago meaning island no island in the south seas or central america seems more tropical groves of bamboo and thousands of coconut palms dot the key the countryside around port lamont in costa rica or puerto berrios in guatemala has the same general appearance as biscayne key coconut palms are not native to florida they were brought in from the caribbean islands by speculators who thought that they might have a future in raising coconuts in florida they soon found out that there was no money in raising coconuts but the trees have remained to beautify this great winter resort area of southern florida while the coconuts bring only a small return the raising of coconut palms is very profitable if you have sufficient money you can landscape a new home in a day full-grown coconut palms and other trees are transported by fast truck from the nursery and planted in a few minutes the coconut trees and white cap surf provide an excellent background for northern visitors who wish to impress their friends back home with their photographic skill it hardly seems possible that a 15-minute drive will take one from the business district of a taming metropolis to a south sea island paradise we start southward for our trip to key west the road mileage is greater than the air distance so we will travel 157 miles before reaching the southernmost city of the united states in 1912 the florida east coast railroad extended its line to key west this extension was a notable engineering feat because most of the distance was over water in fact except for the portion traversing the keys it was a continuous bridge many millions of dollars were poured into the enterprise but its operation did not prove a great success at key west the railroad cars were loaded aboard ferries for the 90-mile trip to havana now they are loaded aboard at port everglades north of miami in a much more efficient and profitable operation all tropical areas of the world are subject to hurricanes which usually strike the florida area in the fall of the year in 1935 an unusually severe hurricane struck the keys and huge waves swept over the islands drowning many workers and destroying most of the railroad it was never rebuilt the railroad provided the only transportation to key west by land during its operation communication with the key west was essential so the pwa financed the great task of remaking the railroad into a highway every part of the railroad right-of-way and equipment was utilized the rails became a railing to keep cars from driving overboard for the most part every habitation on the keys including the city of key west must be provided with the water light power and telephone from miami carried over this submarine highway all supplies must also be hauled over the single land link with the mainland it certainly is a very strange experience to go to sea in an automobile nowhere else will you find the highway like this florida is credited with more kinds of fish than any other part of the country an estimated 700 species have been identified the waters surrounding the key seem to have most of them hundreds of people on the keys and bridges are busy trying to catch as many of them as possible and they are never disappointed likewise the pelicans and other birds that get their living from the sea have an easy time satisfying their appetite all forms of marine life is abundant in fact the keys and a good part of florida has resulted from the coral shells deposited over thousands of centuries the city of key west is located on key west island its principal industrial occupations are fishing sponging the canning of turtle soup and the manufacture of cigars it also is the servicing point for an important naval base key west is quite different from the cities around the miami area it is more like a city in cuba or jamaica it has the warmest all year round climate in the united states and former president truman found it ideal for a winter vacation key west has not been primarily a winter resort and the most homes reflect the fact that most of the residents are not over prosperous however the publicity of recent years has brought in a great many more tourists and attractive homes and motels have been erected not only on key west but also on most of the keys all the way to miami the keys form the boundary where the gulf of mexico and the atlantic ocean join the gulf stream flows northward between key west and havana and is the principal reason why miami enjoys the very fine warm winter weather during the tourist season this warm winter weather provides a winter haven for the birds that migrate from the north as well as the thousands of birds that make their home in the tropics the year around to protect the abundant wildlife and to provide facilities for visitors to observe it the everglades national park was created in 1947 and it contains well over a million acres it not only provides enjoyment and recreation for the tourists but in addition it provides an ideal laboratory for school children to study plant and animal life in its natural environment soon after entering the park anhinga trail is reached this elevated wooden trail is named after the anhinga or water turkey which lives here this elevated boardwalk permits easy access to a typical everglade slough here the visitor can observe at close hand garfish alligators american and snow egrets wood ibis and countless other interesting forms of wildlife walking along the boardwalk we are very surprised to find that the wild birds are just as tame as they would be in the city zoo this was not true prior to the time the park was established before the federal law prohibited their sale the egrets were almost exterminated by hunters seeking to kill them for their showy feathers the hunting of coot ducks and other game birds naturally made all of the creatures of the everglades wary of man wildlife is just beginning to lose its fear of him after many years of persecution these wild creatures form a very close alliance to their environment and nature has given them a protective camouflage so they are not easily seen after standing still for a few minutes we can observe that the area is teeming with wildlife there is an uneasy peace in the everglades for in their wild state most creatures are in constant danger of being eaten alive by their neighbors fish are thicker than they would be in an aquarium here we see gar swimming around without a care in the world except to get enough food to satisfy their appetite a hard shell turtle is unconcerned for the gar can't eat him and he can't eat the gar perhaps they would be more concerned if they knew a six foot alligator was prowling in the neighborhood with protection alligators are becoming a more frequent site along freshwater streams sloughs and canals in the park during the winter season alligators tend to concentrate in places like taylor slew on the anhinga trail their camouflage is good and it takes a little time for the visitor to spot a gator american crocodiles also inhabit the park but prefer saltwater habitats and are seldom seen they may be distinguished from the alligator by their lighter color and long slender snoot neither the alligator nor the crocodile is dangerous unless molested or harmed they should never be approached closely it is difficult to follow the movements of the gator as he slips silently beneath the surface of the water the amazing ability of these wild creatures to blend with their environment and seemingly disappear is illustrated by this heron which would be very conspicuous in the zoo but almost invisible at times as it glides through the everglades we never fail to enjoy a visit to this our most unusual national park and so we bring to a close another travel adventure you