Roads Through the Everglades: The Building of the Ingraham Highway, the Tamiami Trail and Conners Highway, 1914-1931

by Bruce D. Epperson

Overview

In 1915, the road system in south Florida had changed little since before the Civil War. Travelling from Miami to Ft. Myers meant going through Orlando, 250 miles north of Miami. Within 15 years, three highways were dredged and blasted through the Everglades: Ingraham Highway from Homestead, 25 miles south of Miami, to Flamingo on the tip of the peninsula; Tamiami Trail from Miami to Tampa; and Conners Highway from West Palm Beach to Okeechobee City.

In 1916, Florida's road commission spent $967. In 1928 it spent $6.8 million. Tamiami Trail, originally projected to cost $500,000, eventually required $11 million. These roads were made possible by the 1920s Florida land boom, the advent of gasoline and diesel-powered equipment to replace animal and steam-powered implements, and the creation of a highway funding system based on fuel taxes. This book tells the story of the finance and technology of the first modern highways in the South.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476664798
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	07/04/2016
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Bruce D. Epperson is a retired attorney who has written technical works on urban transportation planning (including bicycles) for the Federal Highway Administration, the Transportation Research Board and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He lives in Highland, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Other Peoples Money 1

Part I The Ingraham Highway

1 "Weariness is no name for the suffering I underwent" 13

2 "Roads should be built so the land can be shown" 28

3 A Habit of Asking Favors, Leniency, etc. 44

4 "This you failed to do" 60

5 "A rather superficial excuse" 74

Part II The Tamiami Trail

6 Not Such a Terrific Job 87

7 The Only Dry Ground for Twenty Miles 104

8 Careful, There's a Little Shine on That Bottle 120

9 "Innumerable complications" 133

10 "All was sweet and everything was sitting pretty" 148

11 When Do We Cross? 166

12 As for Business, There Hasn't Been Any 182

13 A Pullman Car Named "Convict Labor" 197

Part III Conners Highway

14 Don't Call Me Fingy 211

15 "Plenty of grease, gumption and gasoline" 223

Chapter Notes 235

Resources and Bibliography 262

Index 269

Editorial Reviews

illustrations wonderfully convey the technical challenges associated with these roadbuilding projects in the state’s swampy terrain...Epperson provides a window into the nature of Florida’s economy and psyche in the early 20th century...solid research”—Florida Historical Quarterly; “Epperson provides an extraordinary detailed account of the funding and actual construction of these three roadways. His research is voluminous and thorough...a great resource for anyone interested in the remarkable engineering achievements of these three roads which profoundly reshaped Florida’s River of Grass”—H-Net Reviews.

From the Publisher