Florida in the late 1800s was a veritable jungle frontier. It was hot, dangerous, hostile, and difficult to traverse and settle. Voracious insect swarms, bears, panthers, and alligators were dangerous to the unwary. There were postwar military trails and steamboats on the major waterways, but much of the state was inaccessible. In spite of its untamed nature, stories continued to filter into the north of Florida's exciting potential. This setting attracted all sorts of adventurers: land developers, people desperate for land, and people who wanted to make a quick dollar. The ones who stayed and thrived were tough, innovative, hard-working visionaries. This book focuses on the late 1800s through the 1920s, a truly exciting period in Indian River County history.
Ellen Stanley is employed at the Indian River County Main Library in the Archive Center and Genealogy Department. Her published works include articles for library and medical journals and the “Look Back in Time” column of the local Press Journal newspaper. She was chairman of the committee that published Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series: Indian River County. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Sebastian Area Historical Museum as resident archivist and cataloger of the museum holdings.