4
1.1 Introduction
For an estimated 5000 years, water in southern Florida Peninsula once flowed freely
from the Kissimmee River southward to Lake Okeechobee and over low-lying wetlands leading to the estuaries of Biscayne Bay, Card Sound, the Ten Thousand
Islands, and Florida Bay (Davis and Ogden 1994; Gunderson and Loftus 1993;
Lodge 1994). This slow-moving, shallow expanse of water covered almost
28,500 km
2
, and for thousands of years this complex hydrologic system created a
finely balanced ecosystem of ponds, sloughs, sawgrass marshes, hardwood hammock woods, and forested uplands in the southern half of the state (Gleason 1984;
McVoy et al. 2001; White 1970). However in 1847, only two short years after
Florida was granted statehood from the Union, the first known proposal to drain the
overflowed lands of the Lower Peninsula was put forth (Light and Dineen 1994).
This proposal was based on the reconnaissance operations of Generals William
S. Harney and Thomas S. Jessup, who were responsible for exploring areas that
included the Everglades, Kissimmee River Valley, and Peace Creek (Fig. 1.1). Using
these findings as leverage, the Secretary of the Treasury, H.J. Walker, under the
administration of President James K. Polk, moved forward with drainage plans by
appointing local St. Augustine resident, Thomas Buckingham Smith, the task of
making a general inspection of the Everglades area and to report his findings to
Congress (Light et al. 1995). Although Smith was neither a trained engineer nor an
educated scientist, he accepted the challenge in June 1847. The results of five weeks
of investigation include vivid descriptions of wildlife, as well as, detailed measurements and careful analyses of the terrain. Smith described the pristine Everglades
with poetic prose:
Imagine a vast lake of fresh water, extending in every direction, from shore to shore, beyond
the reach of human vision; ordinarily unruffled by a ripple on its surface, studded with
thousands of islands of various sized, from one-fourth of an acre to hundreds of acres in
area…
Smith wrote of lilies and “other aquatic flowers of every variety and hue.” He
described the sensation of drawing near an island by saying “the beauty of the scene
is increased by the rich foliage and blooming flowers of the wild myrtle and the
honeysuckle” (Davis 1943). Obviously touched by the beauty of the Everglades, he
also commented on the solitude and solemn silence pervading the marsh. He commented it all “awakened and excited curiosity feelings bordering on awe.” Although
Smith was captivated by the magnificence of the Everglades, he remained stubborn
in his recommendation to drain the swamp and use it to grow citrus, sugar, and other
produce usually imported from the West Indies at that time. He envisioned that the
drainage of the Everglades would lead to a coast-to-coast canal, much as St.
Augustine’s founder Pedro Menéndez had once described. When Smith reported to
the United States Senate in June 1848, he lobbied that the Everglades could be
reclaimed with a sensible system of canalling and by deepening the various streams
that flowed both east and west to the coasts (Light and Dineen 1994). He believed
that drainage would insure the growth of a new agricultural empire in south Florida.
C.W. Finkl and C. Makowski
1.1 Introduction
For an estimated 5000 years, water in southern Florida Peninsula once flowed freely
from the Kissimmee River southward to Lake Okeechobee and over low-lying wetlands leading to the estuaries of Biscayne Bay, Card Sound, the Ten Thousand
Islands, and Florida Bay (Davis and Ogden 1994; Gunderson and Loftus 1993;
Lodge 1994). This slow-moving, shallow expanse of water covered almost
28,500 km
2
, and for thousands of years this complex hydrologic system created a
finely balanced ecosystem of ponds, sloughs, sawgrass marshes, hardwood hammock woods, and forested uplands in the southern half of the state (Gleason 1984;
McVoy et al. 2001; White 1970). However in 1847, only two short years after
Florida was granted statehood from the Union, the first known proposal to drain the
overflowed lands of the Lower Peninsula was put forth (Light and Dineen 1994).
This proposal was based on the reconnaissance operations of Generals William
S. Harney and Thomas S. Jessup, who were responsible for exploring areas that
included the Everglades, Kissimmee River Valley, and Peace Creek (Fig. 1.1). Using
these findings as leverage, the Secretary of the Treasury, H.J. Walker, under the
administration of President James K. Polk, moved forward with drainage plans by
appointing local St. Augustine resident, Thomas Buckingham Smith, the task of
making a general inspection of the Everglades area and to report his findings to
Congress (Light et al. 1995). Although Smith was neither a trained engineer nor an
educated scientist, he accepted the challenge in June 1847. The results of five weeks
of investigation include vivid descriptions of wildlife, as well as, detailed measurements and careful analyses of the terrain. Smith described the pristine Everglades
with poetic prose:
Imagine a vast lake of fresh water, extending in every direction, from shore to shore, beyond
the reach of human vision; ordinarily unruffled by a ripple on its surface, studded with
thousands of islands of various sized, from one-fourth of an acre to hundreds of acres in
area…
Smith wrote of lilies and “other aquatic flowers of every variety and hue.” He
described the sensation of drawing near an island by saying “the beauty of the scene
is increased by the rich foliage and blooming flowers of the wild myrtle and the
honeysuckle” (Davis 1943). Obviously touched by the beauty of the Everglades, he
also commented on the solitude and solemn silence pervading the marsh. He commented it all “awakened and excited curiosity feelings bordering on awe.” Although
Smith was captivated by the magnificence of the Everglades, he remained stubborn
in his recommendation to drain the swamp and use it to grow citrus, sugar, and other
produce usually imported from the West Indies at that time. He envisioned that the
drainage of the Everglades would lead to a coast-to-coast canal, much as St.
Augustine’s founder Pedro Menéndez had once described. When Smith reported to
the United States Senate in June 1848, he lobbied that the Everglades could be
reclaimed with a sensible system of canalling and by deepening the various streams
that flowed both east and west to the coasts (Light and Dineen 1994). He believed
that drainage would insure the growth of a new agricultural empire in south Florida.
C.W. Finkl and C. Makowski