Everglades City & Chokoloskee, Florida | Untold Stories | Florida History

[@jessedavis7555]

We left Everglades city in a skiff and got lost in the 10,000 islands and it was getting dark. I just kept the sun on my left and kept going until I hit the highway and our truck and trailer was less than a quarter mile away I felt really blessed Edit: God Bless Totch the King of the Everglades

[@stevec5671]

The Totch book is really great on Florida, and Totch history.

[@curtisyastic4130]

GOBLESS

[@jasonsmith2439]

Florida is the most beautiful state in America 🇺🇸

[@JujuGurgel]

So much history in Southwest Florida

[@TheKos2Kos]

I was born in New York city, but I went to kindergarten through college all throughout broward and miami dade counties. Only driven through southwest florida once in route to new orleans. At least I can say I saw the sunrise in Naples during that one road trip. Look forward to learning some good history about my neighbors

[@rambotrev]

I had the pleasure of meeting O.B. Osceola, Sr, he was a regular patron one of my former jobs in Naples. He always came in with a smile and had a story to tell about old Florida which I always would find interesting. Great man, it was nice to see him again on here.

[@roadtripghananana3113]

Great work.... love from Ghana🇬🇭

[@TheMigue1500]

I love this country. I love Florida and the Everglades

[@fiftyfishbottom]

I grew up in Lakeland, but visited Chok often. Father had a fish camp that taken eminent domain with expansion of park. Father friend of Ted Smallwood, I'd met Totch one day in Second Bay, Lossmans. It was no territory for wussies. I was small kid, taught how to sit in water and breathe through hollowed bamboo, in case stranded in 10k. Thought was mosquitoes could empty one's body of blood. It was the "noseeums" that drove me crazy. It was sportsman fishing, topwater plugs for snook. When met Totch, he still called them soapfish. Snook meat filet the best can eat, but cook it with its skin, tasted like soap. It was years before they learned to filet it, remove the skin. We used to take stacks of grapefruit net bags to Mr. Hamilton. We would buy a bag full of stone crab claws for $5. One time arriving at his house, told us couldn't sell to us anymore, signed contract with Joe's, but his daughter lived next door.

[@bglrj]

A few decades ago, I took an airboat ride near there, and I thought the teenager who piloted it was doing a corny pirate accent the entire tour. When I spoke with him afterwards, I discovered that that was just how he talked. His people had been real smugglers and the historical pirate accent was a real deal.

[@TheKos2Kos]

Im surprised that accent would carry over... I wonder when the cultural influence of caribbean pirates ended if at all ever. You just encouraged me to finish the second half of Black Sails. Great pirate show on Starz if you get a chance...based on historical people but also a fictional prequel story to Treasure Island. However, I did laugh when they showed the coast of St. Augustine, FL, as if it was rocky and high in elevation like on the west coast of the USA or the northeast of the USA.

[@shawnfloyd8739]

Rrrg matey, that pilot be me.

[@SnookOnTheFly]

Proud to be a Southwest Floridian. It gets in your bones. We make the Wild West look like child’s play down here. Of course it’s been yankeefied quite a bit since I was little.

[@mrp4242]

I’m from the west--and many of my ancestors too. I’ll give you the mosquitos, but trying growing crops in the desert. Child’s play? Lol

[@SnookOnTheFly]

@@mrp4242 there’s more than growing crops to life and when I say the “Wild West” I’m referring to the cowboy outlaw days. Not a geographic location. I guarantee there are things harder to do out your way and vice versa, but we’re a little nuts as a people. Check out the history of who and how southwest Florida, specifically, came to be. People wound up here because nobody would chase them any further and it grew from there.

[@TheKos2Kos]

I was born in New York city but moved to Tallahassee before I turned 1 year old. I'm sorry if my new Yorker parents yankeefied florida, but I went to kindergarten through college all throughout broward and miami dade counties. Haha! Only driven through southwest florida once in route to new orleans. At least I can say I saw the sunrise in Naples during that one road trip. Look forward to learning some good history about my neighbors

[@davecfishing7907]

Cappp everywhere in FL is wild bro

[@terryogletree2128]

Cain't throws a rock nowheres without out hittin sum weird talkin damn yankee

[@HarryHumphreyHard]

My favorite part of Florida

[@JohnDavis-yz9nq]

My favorite part of Florida is underwater.

[@gatortail1850]

I lived there as a kid from 76-78, my brother and me had some of our best days there, always something to get into, skim boarding down the flooded roads and loved surfing behind the garbage trucks, also a day down at Moma Dots for a cheeseburgers was awesome, truly a fun time, went to school with a lot of totch’s younger gen. kids and nieces and nephews, a beautiful place, I was between the post office and our fish house the day Elvis died, always remember that

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent still-motion photography pictures/maps/guest speakers sharing knowledge pertaining to pioneers of Florida🐊.🤗.

[@ScarabChris]

I'm a Miami native and I remember the Everglades city drug smuggling of the 1980's. The reason they got busted so quick was because the people involved made lots of "noise". In other words, they were not quiet and discrete. Young guys, fishermen, that were running old shit box boats, driving around in old beat up trucks living in houses in disrepair were all of a sudden driving brand new trucks with all the "bling", new big fast boats and they bought or built new big houses. Walking around in expensive clothes and wearing Rolex watches. This draws attention and it didn't take long for word to get to the Feds. And I say "Feds" because in those little towns you can bet local police were part of it. Paid to look the other way and to give the runners a heads up if anyone was looking at them. Remember the story of Frank Lucas? Basically the same thing. It was the Chinchilla coat at the boxing match that sealed his fate. LOL

[@martinshields5673]

I remember the Monroe County sheriffs office people being arrested in connection with drug payoffs.

[@mherrera0601]

Amazing history!

[@Seannie_n]

I enjoy watching this I'm from Miami Florida

[@davecorrell5766]

Have Harley will travel.. arriving tomorrow and thanks for the great youtube vider..

[@kipperwhite2976]

TY 4 video fond memories 4me fm that time & era ;)

[@jamesbutler5995]

I'm a native Floridian from central/west coast of Fl.I really enjoyed this video very interesting.

[@katztaylor6208]

Ate my first pair of frog legs at the rod and gun club. ❤ Proud to be form southwest Florida the salt runs in my veins to this day.

[@Gator-357]

I spent most of my preteen and tween years living outside of Everglades where my gramps ran an airboat guide and tour business.

[@58bobw]

Great history, all true, I’m impressed

[@msjulsfl]

History, is amazing.

[@JulioRodriguez-ws8rt]

I met OB THIS WEEKEND SUCH A WONDERFUL MAN HE IS,HES 90 years old and still does what a 30 year old does,very vibrant man,OB SEE YOU NEXT YEAR GOD WILLING🙏🏽

[@robertgembala8532]

Fascinating

[@richardnone5644]

in the 70s Everglades city was pot central everyone was involved with smuggling from the sheriff 60 minutes did a show on it

[@ralphholiman7401]

And, the Miami Vice episode "Glades" was pretty clearly based on that area and era.

[@richardnone5644]

@@ralphholiman7401 it's true bails of pot washed up in the ocean some time s thrown out of planes and go through people roofs ha ha

[@390rambler]

"Square Grouper" !!!

[@seansimons7043]

Love the history lesson

[@edwardkelly5625]

Very interesting...thank you

[@bobdennison207]

lived on Tampa bay since ' 55

[@richardsargentsr.1384]

Good documentary

[@wakeupmakeup2104]

Born and raised in Everglades City

[@thatotherguy1]

I love Everglades city and try to visit everytime we come to Florida. Do you still live there or have family that's still there?

[@michaelsorrentino-yp7nb]

Are you a "BROWN"

[@davidcouch6514]

I lived in Miami 59-67 the times spent in Keys and Everglades with skeeters and sand flies made life horribly miserable I could never adjust.

[@terryogletree2128]

I was born in Melbourne Fl in 1952 which was big city living compared to this but I can remember going to Orlando on weekends to go shopping . We would always eat at Morrisons cafeteria , that was a big deal . I miss it

[@richiemattes5333]

Yes, they need to bring Morrisons back!

[@davidcouch6514]

We lived in Miami but frequently visited family in Eau Gallie I remember I couldn’t get used to their “sulphur water”.

[@cretenosnibor3621]

My grandparents used to take me to Morrisons in Ocala. Awesome restaurant. Nice memory!

[@FLORIDAHOODVLOGS]

its no less harmful than "the backer"

[@flyingjunkies]

The Son Collier Jr was quoted as saying "one thing is for sure these roads could have never been built without the Indians" it's amazing to me these men have all the technology in the world to carve into the Earth but could not complete these projects without the local Indians help. They paint the Indians as savages when really they were intellectual people with the ability to tame the land and erect large building's.

[@notyouraverageyoutuber3172]

My gramparents own a house down there I go every weekend

[@LuisOrann]

Sir did you rent for vacation

[@edorasmarauder5761]

I'm writing a comic that is actually set in Chokoloskee and Everglades City.

[@edwinharris1298]

sad how all these series never realy have there facts straight they always leave out the real pioneers

[@nancyhoward7005]

🙏

[@rraborn]

Just after 8 minutes could the man in the white suit be David Raborn MD He had been a State Representative of Dixie County and moved to Tampa?

[@robertw325]

A great lesson in Acting not Talking "ACTA NON VERBA" getting the impossible done in not impossible.

[@AaronIAM-g3u]

7:03 Papaya

[@azeleapark]

Best thing in Everglades City was *SUSIE'S STATION*

[@ScarabChris]

"Script money" this is how you pay your employees and ensure they spend that money in your stores. I wonder if there was an exchange rate to convert the script money to actual currency in case the people wanted to travel outside the city. For example one dollar script money is worth what in us currency? I would imagine there is. The idea of "script money" allows the boss of the town to make more money. For example he stocks his stores using US currency then sells those products to his towns people for script money. In order for this to make business sense, any item he buys for $1.00 using actual US currency would have to sell for more, say $1.05 in his script money. He had to be making 5-10 cents on the dollar. So if a town resident/employee wanted to convert his script money to US currency there had to be an exchange rate. Using the above example, $1.05 script money gets you $1.00 in actual US currency.

[@hillaryclinton1232]

@Snook On the fly

[@keithqueen352]

Hillary Clinton 123 We came, and we subdued. This cycle is as old as time, and you can try to sound educated as you wish, you're a fool who selectively looks the other way when the narrative shoe rests on the other foot. Go live somewhere else if you don't like it, instead of complaining about the society that gave the decadence to stand on a soapbox.

[@bannyrooster1827]

I've heard of place..do they really swim with gators

[@WilliamGlenBatemanJr]

precolumbian times are WAY more interesting. No sadness for Turtle Island until Paleface. No demise of Caloosa, Temucua, Tocabaga, Tequesta, nor demise of Appalachee, Creek or Choctaw...🧐

[@jasonwoodbury3717]

I definetly remember the no-seums being way worse back in the early 80's throuh the 90's than as of late

[@lakecheatingpierce8982]

My great great grandpa died of yellow fever at 8 years old. Luckily he was an alpha male and was able to find a hotty to create my grandiddy.

[@JohnMoore-xf5wy]

In the 70's so much weed was coming in there the feds surrounded the entire town! Never heard of they caught anybody! 😂

[@mc98smusicmoviereviews93]

I’ve been down that way a couple of times and I gotta say that rural mainland Monroe County is a beautifully desolate wonderland. I know that Everglades City is technically Collier County but let’s be real, it’s culturally separate from the rest of that county which is all built up and affluent except for Immokalee. Might as well be Mainland Monroe.

[@Flies2FLL]

1. "16 year old wife" What? That might be prosecutable today... 2. A company town: Barron Collier was a SCUMBAG. 3. Square Grouper!

[@sfllife03]

This is so wrong

[@rxziggy]

Which part??