Town of Davie, FL - "The Davie Dilemma"

Davie, Florida was a lovely rural town of some 2,000 in the early 60's when my husband and I first saw it. Young people on horseback sauntered along tree-bordered banks of the New South River that flows through the heart of the village. The air was filled with the fragrance of orange blossoms from the nearby groves, and cattle grazed contentedly in surrounding fields. This was just the kind of town we were seeking as we reached the time for retirement, when the New York winters seemed too long and severe, the crowds too close.

Having spent some 40 years as a teacher and administrator of the Ethical Culture Schools in New York City, I was ready for a change, and my husband even more appreciated the slower pace and sunny climate of this town. We both had a special interest in history, so we wondered how this settlement happened to be here on the fringe of the Everglades some 10 miles west of the Gold Coast skyscrapers on the Oceanfront. When we inquired, we found the story more colorful and fascinating than we had anticipated.

The greatest appeal to us was the people themselves and their style of life. Unlike the communities to the east, this area was not a tourist haven, but a settlement of homes and families without a single hotel or condominium. The men and women here produced the food and constructed the buildings for others who were less permanent. They were strong, energetic workers, whether in farming, ranching or construction.

I wondered why they seemed so different, where they came from and why they had chosen this spot. In the small town library I found nothing to answer my questions, but Esther Prytherch, the volunteer librarian, suggested that some of the first settlers still lived in Davie and would be the best source of information. They were indeed the best source and very generous in their help. The story of any one of them would make a chronicle of heroism worthy of recording in detail. I have gathered from them memories, recorded facts and hearsay to save the stories from oblivion as the character of the settlement now changes. This is not a definitive history, but a tribute to those who came when the only access was by water, and not a home had been built.

Now this town, with a character of its own, is in danger of becoming like every other neighborhood. Even more serious, the food it had produced will no longer be available to meet the needs of the increasing South Florida population. When first settled, the land was devoted entirely to agriculture; now, only about 40 percent is used for this purpose. Some of the richest soil is sold for housing. This is true in thousands of towns throughout our nation.

Camelot Farms on Orange Drive in Davie, where James Bright bred and trained the first thoroughbred horses in the state in the 1930's, is now in the hands of a real estate developer and Jim has died. He is remembered not only for introducing the horses which have brought so much pleasure to the families of Davie but also for having started Hialeah Race Track. Perhaps most affectionately of all, he is remembered by those who recall how he walked about the town even in his nineties, always the gentleman, attired in riding pants and alligator boots and with a large jar of peppermint candies under his arm.

His introduction of throughbreds received such an enthusiastic reception, that a special way of life resulted with large hats, high boots and a popular rodeo. Davie became known as "horse country." Many Davie families own a horse almost as a member of the family. One young mother said recently, "I have three children and three horses. The one gift I asked for my birthday was a pitchfork to help care for the horses."

A horse may occasionally be seen grazing contentedly on the front lawn of a small home in the town or tied to the hitching post of McDonald's, Mister Donut or other favorite eating places of the younger set. Ten gallon hats and blue jeans are very much in vogue, as teenagers ride bareback and barefooted along the banks of South New River in the heart of town. The young people and their horses seem completely at ease as they enjoy this experience together.

Many early residents say their most pleasant memories of childhood in Davie are of riding freely about the town on their favorite horse. But now the main roads are too heavily traveled for safety, and horseback riding has to be restricted. Even the cherished rodeo, which has been such fun since it was begun about 194O, may have to be abandoned.

Other problems have arisen. The simple structure built some years ago as an arena for spectators has been condemned as unsafe. The town is debating whether to rebuild the stands or give up one of Davie's most colorful activities. The problem is complicated by the fact that there is no room for parking the automobiles and vans at the present site behind the Town Hall.

The cattle, too, are disappearing. Martin Woodward, one of the last of the big ranchers, still retains about 10,000 head grazing on land leased from the Arvida Real Estate Company while they are awaiting development of the tract. Each year, Woodward and his trucks move his herds farther west and north to Alabama or Lake Okeechobee. Now, as you drive along University Drive past the new shopping mall, you can dimly discern a few stray cows in the fields. The shopping mall has space for parking 5,000 cars, but none for grazing cattle. The cattle seem unable to comprehend this change in their lives and drift back at nightfall like ghosts returning to their previous haunts. One night recently the watchman for a new water slide installed for the entertainment of shoppers' children discovered that the cattle had slid down a slide, to their surprise and the watchman's. Police assistance had to be called.

With the opening of stores such as Burdine's, Sears and Jordan Marsh, the traffic has tripled and new access roads must be built. Many of the earlier residents of the area think back with nostalgia to the time when there were no roads, all trade was carried by water, and the pace of life was slower. Now Martin Woodward, making a temporary stand with his cattle at Bonaventure, west of Davie, says, "You can see the people coming like a wave."

An even more serious aspect of this changing scene is pointed out by Broward County Agricultural agent, Lew Watson. He says that in the last 10 years in Broward County, productive agricultural land has been converted to another use at the rate of 5,OOO acres a year. At the same time, an additional 5,0OO acres a year of non-productive agricultural land (so zoned but not used) has been converted into homesites.

The early Indians-Calusa, Tequesta, and now Seminole-have used the open Everglades as a great highway of travel. Airboats, still a favorite in Davie, are frequently seen parked in side yards of local homes, but the Indian dugout canoe has never been excelled as a means of transportation in this river of grass-the Pay-hai-o-kee or great grass water as the Indians called it.

But how did all these people get to such a spot in the heart of this strange region? It never had the glamour of the tourist-oriented Gold Coast. Life here was simple, rural, and made many demands upon its settlers. only the strong and hard-working could survive. This area of southern Florida until 1905 was considered an impenetrable swamp of mangrove and palmetto. A map of the period shows the Everglades extending as far east as 1-95. When the first settlers arrived, the area was inaccessible except by New River. Then why did settlers come, exposing themselves to snakes, alligators and mosquitoes? Only those of courage and initiative would attempt it. The man who stimulated and encouraged these pioneers was Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Governor of Florida from 1905-9.

"One hundred million acres of the richest land this side of the Nile delta, and it is in our own back yard," Broward proclaimed in his campaign speeches. He urged that the Everglades land be sold for $2 an acre and that the money be used to drain and channel the water that frequently covered the land. So effective was his presentation that after his election he was able to have the necessary laws enacted to carry out the plan.

Why did Governor Broward feel so strongly about this project? He had vivid memories of the stories his grandfather told him when he was a young boy about the Indians, the Spaniards and the history of his own family related to both. Francis Broward, the first of the family to come to America, was a native of Provence, France, one of the Huguenots who settled in South Carolina. According to Napoleon's grandfather, Francis served under Count Pulaski in the fighting around Savannah during the American Revolution.

When the conflict was over, the family moved to Florida where Spain offered generous land grants to settlers. Francis Broward received a grant of 300 acres in East Florida. The entire peninsula at that time was sparsely settled with only a few dozen families of the sturdiest pioneers, chiefly from Georgia and the Carolinas, a few Spanish settlers and occasional fishermen. The Spanish governor in Florida made a "water sawmill grant" to any settler who would build and operate a sawmill. John Broward received 16,0OO acres in different tracts.

When Florida was organized as a state in 1845, John Broward represented Duval County in the first State Senate. Furthermore, he was on the committee that returned a favorable report on draining the Everglades. No wonder Napoleon Broward was so effective in presenting this cause. He had a family heritage of men who cared deeply about this country and felt a responsibility for contributing to its progress. Napoleon Broward believed that draining the Everglades would release resources of value to all the people of the country. Fortunately, the first decade of this 20th Century was a vigorous period. Theodore Roosevelt was president and gave enthusiastic support to such conservation efforts.

On Independence day, l9O6, the dipper dredge, Everglades, moved up New River in Ft. Lauderdale and began digging a canal to Lake Okeechobee. There was rough going from the start. Even in draining the land which might seem rather a prosaic engineering project, there was adventure, danger, and error. In 1909, the dredge Caloosahatchee started south from Lake Okeechobee, expecting to meet the Everglades, halfway. Surveyors wore heavy canvas aprons because the Glades mosquitoes chewed any exposed flesh, and the sawgrass cut it. The water was deep and the soil soft, so surveying instruments would not hold. The engineers had to lengthen the legs and attach metal flanges near the bottom so the legs would hold in the muck.

The canal was cut due south from Lake Okeechobee for about eight miles, and this is where a six-mile error may have begun. The crew's chief engineer surveyed the curve for the canal, then left for Ft. Myers, having instructed the crew to begin work the next morning at a certain compass reading. The compass seemed very erratic the next morning. Later, a severe electrical storm developed which may have caused this trouble, but in the meantime, the crew was off course.

Taking two canoes and three men, they decided to meet the dredgeEverglades, coming in from the coast. They struck out through the sawgrass, and cutting and chaining as they went, marked a trail. At night, the boats were lashed together, and the men slept on wide boards at either end of the boats.

But still another problem faced them-they ran into shallow water. The boats had to be abandoned. Their food was almost gone, but they sloshed on through the wet grass. Finally they saw smoke which they believed to be from the dredge Everglades,, but it was not where they expected to find it. They were finally rescued by the crew of the dredge, who found them exhausted by their efforts and lack of food. There is still a jog in the North New River Canal at State Road 84 at Andytown as a result of the compass error. But, in spite of the irregularity, the water can now flow unobstructed from Lake Okeechobee to the sea.

Governor Broward's message in l9O5 urging a giant reclamation project stated that: "Such work would reclaim millions of acres of highly valuable land...It is my opinion that it would be the best sugar land in the South and also excellent for rice and corn. It could, in that latitude, be made valuable for raising tropical fruits."

Financing this huge drainage operation was difficult until the sale of land was authorized by the state. The first large sales were to R. P. Davie of Colorado and to Richard J. Bolles of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Both had carried through similar projects elsewhere and were eager to undertake this one. In l9O8 Bolles bought 50O,OOO acres at $2 an acre. During the process of selling off the acreage, he was accused of using the mails to defraud, but few of his customers concurred; he was brought to trial and exonerated.

In 19O6, millionaire R. P. Davie bought about 27,5OO acres. Construction of irrigation and drainage canals was begun and smaller parcels of land, usually 10 acres each, were sold to persons all over the country. Brochures were sent out advertising "The First Improved Town in the Everglades", and the settlers began to arrive, attracted by the cheap land, warm climate and rich soil.

The first permanent settlers arrived about 1909. Dean and Emil Cross and the four Hill brothers came from Michigan. They were joined by the Griffins from Kentucky and workers returning from the Panama Canal Zone. Finding the terrain and its problems similar to those just left in Panama, the settlers called the new town Zona. Then came the William Hammer family after a long and arduous trip from Alberta, Canada. With eleven children, one an infant in arms, they traveled by train to Jacksonville and then had their first experience traveling by water. According to Mrs. Mary Lloyd, one of the children on that voyage, the boat was an old Mississippi River steam boat and not adequate for the surge of the ocean as they moved out of the St. John's River and into the stormy water beyond. The boat creaked and groaned, but the children, coming from the plains of Canada, thought all boats sounded like that, and anyway, were too seasick to care.

Tony Salvino, who lives across the canal from Mrs. Lloyd, remembers when his father, a farmer from Illinois, saw an ad for the First Developed Town in the Everglades and made a trip to see it. He found the soil rich, moist and good for raising vegetables. Having a large family, he was impressed with the possibility of running two farms, one in Illinois and one in Florida. The children could help, he thought, and together they would produce vegetables year around.

"So," says Tony, "in 1914, my Dad bought 10 acres for $1500. The next year, 195, he came again and brought my older brother. Then in 1916, he brought the rest of the family. We came by train to Jacksonville via the Illinois Central Railroad. There was no connecting train south the day we arrived, so we walked about the city and enjoyed the sightseeing. The following day, we took the Florida Coast Railroad to Ft. Lauderdale. From there a boat carrying both passengers and freight ran to Zona. There were no roads at that time and very few families to use them.

"The Hammers had already come from Alberta, Canada, in 1912, and Ed Hammer was a good carpenter and mason. Lumber and tar paper were used for the first homes until the '26 hurricane forced us to develop houses of concrete blocks. Dean Cross had come in 1911 to work on dredging the canal and decided to stay on. He, too, was very helpful in those early years.

"And then the church started," he continued, "represented by the Sunday School. One characteristic of American people," he comments, "is that they do not live long in any territory without the church. The first Sunday School class met in a packing house located on the south side of the canal just east of the Davie bridge. The seats were bean hampers turned bottom up, or planks across the hampers."

The house was surrounded by well-kept citrus groves and towering royal palms. The heady, sweet scent of orange blossoms filled the spring air. A quiet, tree shaded canal flowing by gave a dream-like quality to the scene. Joe, the pet alligator, sleeping in his pool nearby and requiring 15 pounds of food a day, was evidence of the taming of the Glades, now cleared to a safe distance to the west.

"My father heard about it in Chicago in 1912," replied Mr. Viele. "He was a mining engineer and had developed serious bronchial trouble. His doctor told him to seek a tropical climate. We had considered going to South America, but when we heard about the Florida deal, we decided this would be better. We heard the governor of Florida, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, had persuaded the legislature to start draining the Everglades. The governor financed the plan by selling off large blocks of land for $2 an acre.

"At the time I was much more concerned with the troubles we were having just getting here. We came by train to Ft. Lauderdale and then by boat the rest of the way. Our furniture came by barge, and on the way the barge overturned. I remember seeing the furniture float here and there down New River. Most of it was ruined.

"We had to build our own house, but we were able to hire a carpenter from Ft. Lauderdale who came up the river and camped out with us for a weekend. We paid him $2.50 per day. Field labor at that time was $1.50 per day. Building materials had to be brought in by barge from Ft. Lauderdale.

"But it was a pretty precarious business. Our land is only five feet above sea level here, and with heavy rains or strong winds we are inundated. At first, the horses and mules had to wear "muck" shoes to keep from sinking knee deep in the heavy wet soil. Then the occasional frost finished the situation. We would have to begin all over again. It can be pretty depressing," he said, remembering those early days.

But then he smiled at a more pleasant recollection. "Gradually sandy trails became roads and we were able to buy our first Ford for $500. It was a Model T, not a Model A, and it had to be cranked each time we started it. There was also a great deal of trouble with the tires; we were always having punctures, it seemed, but we had mobility and it was fun.

"We tried to save some of our plants by moving them up to the higher ground on the canal banks, but the cattle had taken refuge there as well as the wild cats, deer and snakes of the flooded Everglades. The plants were trampled; we lost everything and had to make a fresh start."

"I am their oldest living depositor," he said with pride. "The Parkers would lend you money without collateral if you needed it for planting new stock or buying new equipment. I. T. always said of the early settlers: 'Their word is as good as their bond. When their crops are good, they will pay what they owe. We have to trust each other and God.'

"But now," Ed Viele said, coming back to the present, "the big groves here are almost gone, and the cattle are going rapidly. Real Estate is booming, and traffic is becoming unmanageable. We have homes to the west of me here priced at $150,000 with 10 acres of ground to each house. But it is the condominiums that cause most congestion, and so we try to discourage them."

As if an afterthought, but with great intensity, he added, "It is the muck and sandy soil in and around Davie which have given life to the $5 million Broward citrus industry. More publicity is given to the tourist business, but actually Florida has a greater income from agriculture. If Davie and Communities like it fail to produce crops, while population continues to increase, inflation is inevitable.

"In 1909, due to appealing ads and enthusiastic salesmen, William David Griffin, a railroad man, moved from Kentucky with his wife Sally Frances and two sons, T. M. and William Alfred (Al). The elder Griffin farmed and the sons started a boat hauling business, picking up the farmers' produce, passenger and mail, and transporting them to Ft. Lauderdale. The produce was then shipped out by train to northern markets. On their return home, they brought groceries, mail, ice, animals, furniture, fertilizer, seed, farm implements, hampers and passengers, according to what had been ordered for the needs of the small settlement.

The younger son of the Griffin Family, William Alfred, met and married Anna Zanetti, a Panamanian, who came to this area with her mother and other member of her family, from the Panama Canal Zone, to seek their fortune from the rich agricultural land. Al and Anna established their home in a houseboat which Al built. Their family grew to six sons and two daughters. In later years they banked the houseboat, and the older boys helped their father build on a basement and add extra rooms to the house. The children swam in the nearby canal, always being cautious of the snakes and alligators. In 1937, when A. D., the oldest brother was sixteen, and Jerry, the youngest was six, both parents were killed in an automobile accident. Their older sister and her husband, Anna Elida and Ralph Hammer, moved into the home of their parents, and took over the responsibility of the Griffin boys until their adulthood. Anna's younger sister, Christina, was already married to Kenneth King, and they lived nearby. The six boys all attended Davie Elementary School; they all graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School; three served in the U. S. Army during World War II."

Out of all their experiences grew a closely-knit, successful family, which like other pioneers learned to rely upon themselves and each other. This family helped to create a community under difficult conditions; they still live here and contribute to its growth. Griffin Brothers Co. Inc., primarily a landscaping and paving business, and Grif's Western, a feed and western-wear business, are familiar signs along the South New River bank. The fifth generation of Griffins is now living in the area and active in the community.

The early settlers who came from Panama, British Columbia, Michigan, Kentucky and Illinois had one characteristic in common - the courage to face new experiences. Al Aunapu, now a real estate broker in Davie, tells how his father, a sea captain from an island between Estonia and Sweden, was attracted by the semi-tropical shoreline, he first discovered in 1907. In 1911 he brought his wife with him to make a home here. He built a house on the canal bank along what is now Griffin Road. Anapu recalls the extension built from the house to the canal to catch bream and bass for the family. The arrangement made a sort of "running refrigerator," he says, which provided better fish than we can buy today with all of our conveniences. The stream, too, at that time, was clear, sparkling, and unpolluted.

Al's father ran a scheduled boat to Lake Okeechobee and so extended his business interest to that area. He developed a merchandising center and had just built a new home and storage warehouse when the hurricane of 1926 struck. In the Lake Okeechobee region, the storm was even more severe than in Davie, with winds up to two hundred miles per hour "so trees were blown about like tumbleweeds," Al says. Though his father had built the house on a dike, the water kept coming up to the second floor and crashing over the house. Finally, the dike broke, and not only water but six feet of muck surrounded the building. The new house and all their possessions were in ruin. The family and neighbors fled to the warehouse, but that new building also went down and eleven persons lost their lives. Al's father, in the prime of his life at age 46, was killed while using a Fairbanks-Morse pump in an effort to control the flood.

As the young men of Davie have turned from agriculture to construction, the town, is changing. Harry Earle, who lives in the heart of the town where Griffin Road and Davie Road form the busiest intersection in the growing municipality, has put his houses on the market for sale.

"It was a good life in this neighborhood when I was a child." he says, "and later a good life for my children. The canal was great for swimming and boating; there was plenty of space for horseback riding. Now I have to fence in the property for safety and swim in my pool. The traffic makes it dangerous for my grandchildren and I must move.

"I remember my father telling how he came here in 1911. He had gone from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Panama for work on the Canal. When the Canal was completed, the workers were approached by real estate salesmen from the Everglades Sugar and Land Company. Those who were gamblers at heart, and wanted to be farmers, bought the land sight unseen."

In 1912 the men from Panama organized the Zona Glades Company and named their new settlement Zona. They were men of energy and initiative so, by 1913, about 30 varieties of crops were grown, from strawberries to cabbages. Engineers cut canals for drainage, but there was no adequate pumping system to facilitate the flow; flooding continued to be a problem.

"Then came World War II and after that the Hurricane of '47. The flood affected the entire southeast coast. After '47, the Army Corps of Engineers developed the present Water Management Control. The huge pumps increased the possibility that farmers could make a stable living. But many pastures were now mowed off, and the rich, moist muck land was used for sod farming. The raising of food crops decreased.

Woman, as well as men, braved the dangers and discomforts of the Everglades. They, too, helped to prepare the land we now enjoy, one of these courageous women was Blanche Collins Forman (1884-1959). Now, as the yellow school buses crowd the traffic lanes on Davie Road and the children scramble out, running toward the building marked Blanche Forman Elementary School, how many wonder why she came here or what her life was like when she arrived?

According to her sons Charles and Hamilton, Blanche Forman was born in Clinton. Illinois, attended the University of Illinois and taught briefly until she and her husband, Hamilton, decided to leave the security of their home community and head southward for one of America's last frontiers. South Florida and the Everglades. Hamilton's father had died the day his son graduated from the University of Illinois Law School in 1908. Because of injury to his eyes in an explosion, Hamilton found he could not do the intensive reading required by the practice of law. but his legal background was invaluable in later years both in his business affairs and in the political growth of his new community. Blanche's father, a prominent midwestern livestock dealer, was enthusiastic about the agricultural potential of the Everglades, and persuaded them to investigate the situation.

So in 1910, the Formans came to Fort Lauderdale by train, bought supplies there. and then found a boatman who would take them up the New River to Zona as Davie was then called. When they arrived, there was no one to greet them. no house to receive them. They lived in a tent on the canal bank a half mile east of the present Davie Road, at the intersection with State Road 84. There were no roads at that time and the few families who had settled here were widely scattered. But Blanche and Hamilton built their own one-room house out of the local pine which they hoped would be impervious to termites.

They found that insects were a constant threat to their crops, their animals and poultry. At times the mosquitoes were so numerous that they would actually kill unprotected livestock left in the open. Al Aunapu says that the mosquitoes were indeed so bad that to get relief the cattle would plunge into the canals, only to have their nostrils so bitten and swollen that they could not breathe. For many years Blanche and Ham had to sleep under mosquito netting. Sun bathing, shorts and halter bras which people now enjoy were out of the question.

Not only was there no house to receive the Formans when they arrived in the Everglades, there was no corner grocery store where they could buy food. The supplies they brought with them were soon exhausted so they planted vegetables and raised chickens for eggs and meat. Blanche learned to be a good shot with both rifle and shotgun to protect her chickens from the alligators, coons, opossums, wildcats, skunks and snakes.

She had other handicaps in making a home on the frontier, a lack of the conveniences which young people starting a home today take for granted. There was no electricity, gas, running water or indoor plumbing. Water was pumped by hand, carried in pails, and heated over an open fire or on a kerosene or wood burning stove. Since there were no refrigerators, vegetables, fruits and meats were cooked and canned for preservation. There were no washers or dryers so clothes were washed by hand, using tubs and a scrub board. Kerosene lamps and lanterns were used for light. In addition to the problems of housekeeping under these conditions, Blanche and the other women of this scattered settlement took on some of the tasks of farming. They helped by preparing seed, harvesting, grading and packing.

As soon as the canal from Lake Okeechobee was opened to traffic by the dredges Everglades and Caloosahachee, the Formans took the job of operating the locks and moved into the lock tender's house about 200 yards west of Davie Road. The locks were used by a strange variety of men at all hours of the day and night: farmers. trappers, fishermen, dredge and boatmen, hunters. even members of Florida's notorious outlaw "Ashley Gang" as the Formans later found out. At the time, when Charles Forman was little more than a baby, John Ashley enjoyed bouncing the child on his knee and playing with him whenever the gang came through.

Checkered Sunshine by Weilding and Burghard tells the story: "On December 29, 1911, a dredge working on the canal between Fort Lauderdale and Lake Okeechobee had churned up the body of a Seminole Indian named De Soto Tiger. Investigation showed that he had been murdered. Tiger had left the lake for a trip down the canal to Miami with a load of otter skins. He was accompanied by a young man, named John Ashley. The same John Ashley later sold $1200 worth of otter skins to Gertman Brothers in Miami. The skins were the property of the Seminole tribe .

"The entire Seminole nation was aroused and the outcry became so great that John Ashley fled North. He later returned and was taken to .Miami where his trial was to be held. John broke jail and the gang robbed the bank at Stuart. John was shot in the jaw which resulted in the loss of an eye. Forced to stay near town for medical attention, he was captured and taken to the Dade County jail. On June 2, 1915, Bob Ashley, his brother went to the home of Deputy Sheriff Wilbur Hendrickson and murdered him for his keys; but Bob never reached jail. In a running battle with police, he and one officer were killed.

"John was sentenced to life imprisonment but in 1918 escaped again with the help of the gang. For years they terrorized the lower east coast. They robbed banks, bootlegged and hijacked. Sometimes they ventured into town from their hideout in the Everglades to buy groceries or 'fetch' back Dr. Kennedy to treat members of the family or the gang.

In 1917, when the first narrow rock road was built to Fort Lauderdale, the Formans used $3,000 in savings, accumulated from their successful potato growing, and a $5,000 loan from a State Bank to buy a few cows. With them they started the first dairy in Davie. When they began, Blanche washed the bottles, cooled and bottled the milk by hand in her kitchen. She also took charge of raising the young calves, purchasing supplies and paying the bills.

Meanwhile, Ham introduced and distributed the milk. Stories are told about his ingenuity in getting families off the ''tin cow." They were so accustomed to using canned milk that it was difficult to change the habit. A Ford truck of the early type helped Ham. Unfortunately it had to be cranked each time he started it. To save time he parked the truck at a convenient spot and used the skill in running he had developed on the relay team in college rather than crank the truck over and over.

Kenneth King, remembers when he was a boy in Fort Lauderdale High School. He worked for the Formans delivering milk. At that time, before homogenized milk was introduced, the richness of cream was judged by the height of the collar at the top of the bottle. Kenneth was instructed to place a bottle of Forman milk on the steps beside any other without charge so the customer could see the difference. This object lesson was so effective that other dairies, struggling to make a start, put pressure on the state legislature to pass a law against this procedure.

By 1955 there were 45 dairy farmers with 24,000 milk cows in Broward County. In 1958, the number of farms had decreased to 35, and from then on local milk production continued to decrease. Now there are only 12 farms left and 12,500 cows, although Assistant County Agent Jim Cummings says Broward County needs at least 60,000 cows and 125,000 gallons of milk daily. Meanwhile, the population is steadily increasing and the situation is worsening.

Along with their fellow pioneers, the Formans for many years had a constant struggle for survival. The 1926 hurricane destroyed or severely damaged all of their buildings, most equipment and pastures. They lost many cows. Indeed, they were all but wiped out financially in 1926 and again by the flood of 1947.

But the land was steadily increasing in value so they were able to retire after 40 years in the dairy business to devote themselves to the many activities of the growing community. One of the most serious problems was the flooding which occurred every fall. Ham spent a major share of his time through the years trying to control the water on his own land and develop an effective water control program for Broward County and the coastal area.

After years of effort, serving under four governors as a commissioner of the Napoleon B. Broward Drainage District. Forman persuaded the Army Engineers to come to their assistance after the devastating flood of 1947-48. As a culmination of all these efforts, the 1949 Legislature established the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District. The work of 50 years came to fruition.

Both Blanche and Hamilton were deeply interested in education. One of Ham's last projects was to get a commitment from both the state and federal government that the property called Forman Field, now devoted to the South Florida Education Center, would not be disposed of for any other purpose than education. They both looked forward to the eventual construction in the 1950's of the Nova experimental and other public school facilities, to Broward Community College and Nova University. They also hoped for the transfer of the Agriculture Station (then on Peters Road). Unfortunately they did not live to see the realization of all these dreams, but the educational institutions on Forman Field keep alive their name and their memories as the schools continue to serve the community with increasing vitality.

Like other American pioneers, the men and women of Zona wanted a school for their children as soon as they had some shelter for their families. The first classes were held in the east room of the general store where there was a dock for trading and shipping produce on the New River to Fort Lauderdale. Six to eight students could be taught in this single room, but some arrangement had to be made to accommodate more. A small structure was built by Mr. Davie and the Everglades Sugar and Land Company with which he was associated. In recognition of this and other services, the community was renamed Davie in 1916.

Eventually the meeting room had to be made into classrooms. Then, as the town grew, fourteen portable buildings were needed, and other additions as well. In spite of the increasing number of children and loss of the meeting room for community use, the school retained its family character. Many of the pupils and some of the teachers are members of the families who struggled together through the early years of the settlement.

In the early days the children walked or rode bicycles to school. Riding a bicycle was difficult, because Griffin Road was a rock road for only 2 miles west of the school. The rest of the way was on rough sand trails with constant danger of rattlesnakes along the route. Tony Salvino says there were thirty-five children from three families who came from around the corner where the Hollywood Savings and Loan now stands. When he was a child, he says, the Hammers, Shaws, and Salvinos walked to school together and gave each other courage to spot the snakes.

Then, as the numbers increased, Mr. Dave Griffin converted his Dodge truck into a conveyance for the children who had the greatest distance to travel. In appreciation, they called him "Grandpa Griffin." Al Aunapu says they loved him so much they would not misbehave in his truck.

There are lines of continuity to carry on the spirit of those early days. Mrs. Althea Jenne, who taught from 1911-1946, is affectionately remembered by many families in the town. One mother said, "When one of our children was sick, she would come to our home to inquire, as if she were a member of the family." Mrs. Jenne often said to her pupil, Edna Hammer, "Edna, you will be a teacher and some day will take my place."

After the County School Board gave the town of Davie land for the Griffin Road School, the former schoolhouse was moved back from the road. The plan was to use it as a church so an additional structure was erected with a narrow walkway connecting the two buildings. For a time there were two services held simultaneously: one Baptist and one Methodist. About 1916, there was a movement to affiliate with some denomination. A meeting was called for all churchgoers of Davie to decide upon the denomination. It was agreed to affiliate with the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1922 a new church was built on four lots given by Mr. Vince Helm of the Everglades Sugar and Land Company. Much of the labor as well as generous funds were donated. By 1924 it was completed and furnished. Shortly afterward, without warning, the Hurricane of 1926 struck. Although there was considerable damage, the church served during the emergency as the Red Cross shelter, housing more than 100 persons whose houses were leveled. The building was surrounded by water, and a catwalk down the street was the only dry access. Miss Wilma E. Davis arrived as the new pastor just a day before the hurricane struck and helped to care for the people marooned at the church. It is significant that in this settlement, women have had such an important role.

By 1928 the settlers had homes, a school, a church, a General Store including a dock and ice house. Irrigation and drainage canals had improved the terrain, and though there were as yet few roads connecting Davie with the outside world, mail and supplies came in weekly by boat. As Davie grew and prospered, the boat service increased to a daily schedule. Al Griffin was captain of a barge which carried the produce of the truck farms to Fort Lauderdale. The South New River Canal, today known as C-11, was the town's communication line to the outside world.

It brought them news of World War I and its aftermath. Not only did the loyal farmers increase their cultivation of food but they instituted canning and preserving as a community project. Indeed, so ardent were the citizens in their patriotic fervor that it is rumored several recalcitrants who criticized the war effort were temporarily immersed in one of the many canals which form a network in the town.

With the growth of the settlement, however, misconduct increased. especially on Saturday nights. Loyal citizens say this was due to an influx of outsiders. They considered themselves far enough away from home to relax their standards of behavior. Mrs. Ed Middlebrook, who with her family ran the General Store and lived in the second floor above it, sent a plea to the Fort Lauderdale Chief of Police: "Send a good man out to Davie for protection," she said. She also urged incorporation as a deterrent to crime.

In 1925, forty-eight residents met in the upper room of the schoolhouse to begin the proceedings for incorporation. Frank Stirling was elected mayor. He had come to Davie as a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Florida State Plant Board to help stamp out the citrus canker blight. Later when Broward County was formed as a separate legal entity, he was elected the Broward represented to the state legislature.

Until Broward County was formed, none of the coastal towns had access to the beaches by bridge. Trails had been made to the Intercostal banks and one could row across to the beaches. There was a rowboat for each community, usually leaky, and it seemed always on the opposite side.

Frank Stirling's daughter, Helen Stirling Gill, says that from her point of view, her father had the qualities of a statesman because he planned for the future and judged a problem in perspective. Evidently his fellow citizens agreed with her, for they not only elected him their first mayor but named one of their chief roads in his honor-Stirling Road.

The incorporation of Davie was a brief one, for taxes were levied which had not been anticipated and taxes have always been a sensitive subject with Davie residents. At the next session of the legislature, they petitioned and were granted the dissolution of the municipality. Not until 1960 was the town officially chartered.

A police force was now to be organized; there would 1 be inspection of all places engaged with food; mosquitoes were to be stamped out with larvicide; animals "enfenced", and licenses required of the following: watchmakers, piano tuners, photographers, sewing machine agents, peddlers, merchants, druggists, realtors, lawyers, hypnotists, street vendors, fortune tellers, horse traders, dentists, and physicians.

In an effort to set standards for living in the community, there were warnings against intoxication, nudity, violence, gambling, indecent or lewd behavior, obscene, profane or offensive language in or near a place of worship. There was also censure of rogues, tramps, common pipers or fiddlers, stubborn children, runaways, night walkers, brawlers and persons who neglect their employment, misspend what they earn, and do not provide for themselves or their families."

The code and the organization of life in the community gave the residents a sense of achievement and pride, though it is whispered that during the Prohibition Era there were "goings on" in the Everglades nearby. But, on the whole, everything seemed to be progressing well. There were no premonitions of disaster, although Mary Hammer Lloyd remembers how an elderly neighbor warned them of the possibly of a hurricane. Mary had never seen a hurricane and so disregarded the warnings as did the others in town. But on September 16,1926, a hurricane struck. "When we got up in the morning, the sky was an ugly red and the wind was howling," Mrs. Lloyd recalls. "We looked out the windows, but could see nothing but water which kept coming higher and higher. The wind was howling and shrieking outside. We heard glass breaking as windows went one after another." She remembers how her husband sat on the bed and held an army blanket around them for protection.

Their house was wrenched off all its supports but one, so they moved the stove into that corner and managed to prepare some food from a few cans floating about, and a partially dampened container of flour. The pump broke so they had to use rain water to meet their needs. They put papers on the dampened beds and managed to survive until they could get through the flood waters and up to the Ford car parked on the higher roadway. The water was up to their armpits as they walked and the mosquitoes were vicious, but the Ford had dried out and started, much to their relief.

The Red Cross gave tents to those who were renting and built houses for those who had owned their own homes. The Lloyds were a young family just starting out so they were renting their house near the canal for $15.00 a month. The Red Cross gave them a kitchen cabinet and some dishes. With these they set up housekeeping again.

But the seeds had to be replanted and money was necessary to buy them. Since there was no bank in Davie, they went to nearby Dania where Mr. I. T.. Parker, the banker, was very generous in helping. The groves were replanted and the farms reseeded; the farmers tried again!

When the '26 hurricane was over, Frank Stirling, the newly chosen mayor, said "The hurricane is the best thing that could have happened to us. Now the government will give us the pumping stations that we need and we will learn the right way to build a house to withstand the driving wind and rain."

Developers were forced to drain their lands, and so got rid of many mosquitoes, sand fleas, sandspurs and palmetto bugs. This was especially welcome to the women who suffered from these annoyances. The most persistent were the mosquitoes, present at all times of the year. They covered screens, and smudge pots were placed so as to prevent their entering when doors were opened. Women and children wrapped newspapers around their legs and then drew stockings up over them before going out. Hanging out the family wash was misery. Palm fronds were carried to brush away the mosquitoes as one walked and spray guns were a household necessity. Frames with netting were made for the beds, and outdoor workers wore bee bonnets with the netting covering their faces and necks.

In spite of all these hardships and discomforts, the community grew and prospered. A second generation was now adding to the strength of the economy. Tony Salvino, for example, whose father had brought his family to Davie in 1915, married, built a house where the Hollywood Federal Bank now stands, and went into business for himself.

"As my father had done," says Tony, "I started with 10 acres of land, but mine was divided between the two sides of the river. I had to go back and forth several times a week. Old Man Rooney took my horse and wagon across on his barge which he worked by hand with a sort of pulley arrangement.

"We used to be called 'Sawgrass Savages' but now population is coming in with such a rush that we cannot build roads, bridges and schools fast enough to take care of them. We now have four bridges, Davie Road has become a four lane highway, and the new school which we just finished last year, already has to be supplemented with mobile units."

Unfortunately the hardships of Davie were to be repeated. In May, 1947, the rain began to fall. The wind did not blow as it had in 1926, but fields were flooded and farmers were worrying about planting time. The normal 65 inch rainfall per year was already passed with three months of the rainy season left. In October a hurricane came and dumped 11 inches of rain on Broward County in three hours of steady rainfall. Hundreds of residents were forced from their homes by the flood. Refugee stations were set up in the courthouse and in the administration building of the satellite air field the Navy had built at Davie during the war, known as Forman Field.

The rain kept falling while pasture and grove lands were under water. The luckier of the livestock were able to get atop a canal bank to nuzzle whatever weeds might be there. However, they had the competition of the deer, wild cats, raccoons, possums, and snakes as they gazed helplessly across the miles of water that surrounded them. Some boats with outboard motors could reach them and in some cases cattlemen could ride horseback along the canal banks to reach them.

The big "Ducks" took deer and livestock off the canal banks and carried them to higher ground at Pine Ridge or wherever they could find it. But even the U.S. Calvary could not straighten out everything. Planting time arrived and the fields were under water; cattlemen were losing stock almost daily; and county engineers sat glumly watching the roads pit and crumble, and wash away.

The women of the town, too, were in a quandary. In the early days of the settlement they had formed the Woman's Club for fellowship and service to the community. They were concerned about the education of their children and the beautification of the town with flowers and shrubbery. After meeting informally for many years in homes, school or church, they moved into the Lawrence property on 65th Avenue, just east of the lot where Walters Auto Parts is now located. There they maintained a library for the community on the second floor and opened the house for other events of general interest. But they wanted a clubhouse of their own and were just beginning work on it when, without warning, the flood of 1947 inundated the town and most of South Florida.

The club's possessions had been distributed among members and friends while the new clubhouse was being built on Orange Drive. Mrs. J. S. McQuon, publicity chairman at the time reported that "because most homes in Davie had from 3 inches to 3 feet of water in them, our books, most of the dishes and silver were stored in the Chamber of Commerce kitchen where the cupboard pitched forward off the wall, and these belongings were taken up with a scoop shovel, then hauled away after the water receded.

But as the farms were replanted after the flood, work also was resumed on the club house. "Much labor and material were donated by business firms, our own menfolk and good neighbors," Mrs. McQuon's report continued. Then she adds with pride: "In building this clubhouse we have never gone in debt one cent, thanks to the foresight of our early members and the hard work of all club members through the years.

The hurricane of 1947, like that of '26, was a turning point for the community. The water remained for weeks before leveling off, but one good result was to speed the government to establish the present system of flood control canals. Most of the residents did not give in after 1947; they had faith in the planned flood control measures-the $208 million water control plan of the Army Engineers.

Cattle raising actually peaked after the 1947 flood as more land was reclaimed from the Everglades. The decades of the 50's-60's brought expansion in area and produce. During this period, the cattle industry increased in a phenomenal way. Large areas of the Everglades were planted in domestic grasses. Many farmers and ranchers experimented with clovers and northern grasses to increase the nutritional value of the forage. The 10 acres of wild pasture which had previously supported one cow, now fed 10 head with 'tame' grass. This improvement was accompanied by a demand for better stock. Aberdeen-Angus were added to purebred Brahman and Santa Gertrudis herds. The dairies, too, invested large sums to improve their herds. The raising of thoroughbred horses, begun by Jim Bright in the 1930's, now increased. The climate and soil in Davie were found to be especially good for raising horses for the Florida race tracks.

The citrus industry grew in importance. By 1959, there were 5.000 acres of bearing groves, valued at over $5 million. The quality was recognized by processing plants as one of the highest in the state. The cost of operation, too, was less than it was farther north because no irrigation was needed and less fertilizer had to be used. Hundreds of acres of sod land produced the famed bitter blue grass for lawns along the coast. Added to this was a wide variety of winter vegetables and ornamental shrubs and flowers, all of which grew luxuriantly in the fertile mucklands.

The population of Broward County increased rapidly, moved west, and Davie could not escape the effects. The climate which had attracted the early settlers and helped them develop their farms, now lured hundreds of new citizens from the North. They came for sunshine and warmth during their coldest months and decided to stay. Though located in the subtropics, the average year-round temperature of Davie is 74.4°. This moderate, stable temperature is due to the Gulf Stream which flows around southern Florida and northward along its eastern coast only a mile or two from shore.

During the period of expansion following World War II and the Hurricane of 1947, additional workers were needed to help with the crops, the cattle and the housework. The Seminole Indians came first from their nearby reservations to help on the farms and trade at the General Store. Billie Gill, who was stationed at Forman Field with the Navy during World War II, stayed to cultivate the land. He usually employed 25 Indians and found them good workers. The only handicap, he says, was the language barrier, since they did not speak English. When their tribe observed some specially significant day, the Indians just stayed away from work without notice, even though the fertilizer might have been spread ready for planting the next day.

The Blacks, too, came to help. Mrs. Emma Ransome, one of the older members of this community, says she came because a relative of hers was here. To this day, she says, most of the families in her neighborhood are related. At first, she recalls, they had their own small school where Potter Park has been developed. Now their children attend the public schools of Davie and have the opportunity to continue their education at Broward Community College or Nova University if they wish. Mrs. Ransomes husband, now retired, drove the first truck for Griffin Brothers, an achievement which he recalls with pride.

Improvement in transportation also contributed to the expansion of this period. One of the most dramatic improvements was Alligator Alley, crossing the heart of the Everglade wilderness and providing a new link; between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The official name of this road was originally the Everglades Parkway. A great deal of controversy surrounded the project, so its opponents in contempt, called it Alligator Alley. This was seized upon by the proponents and the name is now official, appearing on highway maps.

The Seminole Indians gave support to the project from its beginning. On April 6,1959, they adopted a resolution of approval, stating that the road would be valuable in establishing business in the Big Cypress Reservation. This resolution indicated their willingness to give right-of-way across the Reservation. Signing it were Betty Mae Jumper, vice chairman, and Laura Mae Osceola, secretary and treasurer, two forward looking leaders in their tribe.

"Men had to camp out on the job-in the swamp and this made it hard for the contractors. Alligators and snakes added dangers to the heat, muck, flooding and drumming insects. Truly an example of man's muscle and ingenuity overcoming the hardships of the Everglades. This was a job where weaklings need not apply."

Alligator Alley crosses one of our nation's last remaining wildernesses and is deserving of special recognition. Not only does the road penetrate the Everglades for modern traffic, but it connects with State Road 84 leading to Port Everglades on the Atlantic Ocean. This is the deepest harbor between Norfolk and New Orleans and has become one of the South's leading international ports. Davie, first town developed in the Everglades, now lives in an expanding world and must cope with new and more difficult problems than sawgrass and alligators-those posed by waves of new population.

Located near Alligator Alley, the first road to cross the Everglades, and the more recently developed University Drive, is the South Florida Education Center. This location is symbolic of its growth, for it has a brief and unique history. At the beginning of the 20th Century when Harvard and Columbia Universities were already several hundred years old, the site of this center of learning was still part of the Everglades.

The tract of land on which it is built was part of the holdings of Hamilton Forman who had cleared large areas for his cattle. At the beginning of World War II he sold the land to the U.S. government for an auxiliary air field. It not only aided the war effort but was a refuge in emergencies such as the 1947 hurricane. Families left homeless by the storm either moved in with friends or went to the barracks for shelter. School classes were held there, too, and transportation was furnished by the army "ducks."

After the war, the field was given back to the community for educational purposes. It is now the home of the South Florida Education Center which is made up of Broward Community College, Nova University and its University School, Nova Public High School and Middle School, Eisenhower Elementary School, Blanche Forman Elementary School and the new building to supplement the Davie Elementary School on Griffin Road. On this site is also the ITV (instructional television) reaching out to the schools of the county in an ever-widening sphere of influence.

The complex was created in the mid-fifties by Broward County Board of Public Instruction and a group of interested citizens. It has contributed to the upward mobility of American Indians, Hispanics and Blacks, as well as the children of share croppers, cattlemen and construction workers in this area.

Instead of converting their swords into plough shares, the citizens of Broward County converted their war buildings into halls of learning in the best American tradition. Harvard, our first American college, drew its students in its early years from surrounding farms in New England. In some instances tuition was paid in the produce of those farms.

Broward Community College was authorized by the Florida State Legislature in 1959. The college began to take form with the appointment of a local Advisory Committee under State Board of Education Regulations. In the fall of 1960, the college opened its first session in facilities formerly occupied by a Naval Air Station at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. When permanent buildings were completed in 1963, activities were moved to the present Central Campus on Davie Road.

The underlying philosophy as stated in its current catalog is "to provide opportunities for youths and adults to develop themselves for a purposeful, gratifying, and useful life in a democratic society." At least two years beyond the high school level are offered. The programs of study are designed to fit the needs of students with varying educational and vocational goals. "The college wishes to respond to the needs of the individual at his/her level of ability and development." Special services are provided, special courses and programs for those with particular needs such as "the culturally deprived, senior citizens, those who need to learn new skills, and those with specialized needs." In addition to the regular groups of robust teenagers, provisions are made for handicapped students who are well received by their peers. This is another example of the fact that no nation has given so many years of education to so many of its students as has ours.

BCC goes even further and states that it is "committed to cooperating in advancing the educational endeavors of international students, particularly our neighbors in the Caribbean, Central and South American countries." However, it does not "provide, supervise, nor recommend student housing. International students should arrive in the area several weeks prior to enrollment to arrange housing accommodations and transportation," the catalog states. "Public transportation is limited," they stress.

In 1980 the Davie campus of BCC had 17 buildings, including an observatory, as well as athletic, parking facilities and the new Bailey Hall for assemblies. The college has expanded to a North Campus at Coconut Creek and a South Campus at Pembroke Pines where aeronautics will be stressed. In high population density areas such as Ft. Lauderdale. centers have been established where most of the business courses are offered. Off-campus courses are planned for condominium residents or other groups. As a result of these efforts, enrollment during the 70's increased more than 100 percent, and projections indicate it will reach 20,000 during the 80's.