Hidden in the tall grasses and shallow waters of the Florida Everglades are true tales of mysterious deaths, clandestine crime, and disasters, both natural and manmade. Desperados fled here after escaping from prison, rum runners gunned down their enemies, and killers slipped their prey into canals as food for reptilian wildlife. Commercial airlines crashed and burned in the sawgrass, while smaller planes vanished from view. Hurricanes tore through the region, forcing Lake Okeechobee to overrun its banks and wipe out entire towns. And every once in a while, an alligator made someone its lunch. Collected here are some of the most gripping accounts in Everglades history, caused by natural forces, crime, operator error, or human folly.
| Note: About Casual Racism in Florida Historical Documents |
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ix | |
| Acknowledgments |
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xi | |
| Introduction: It's Not What You Think |
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xiii | |
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Chapter 1 The Desperado of Chatham Bend |
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1 | (16) |
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Chapter 2 Plumage to Die For |
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17 | (12) |
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Chapter 3 The Murderous King of the Everglades |
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29 | (20) |
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Chapter 4 Hurricanes with No Names: 1926 and 1928 |
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49 | (20) |
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Chapter 5 Running Rum: Death of a Police Chief |
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69 | (14) |
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Chapter 6 Unintended Consequences: Deaths on the Tamiami Trail |
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83 | (18) |
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Chapter 7 Murder of a Moonshiner |
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101 | (18) |
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Chapter 8 Commercial Airline Disasters |
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119 | (30) |
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Chapter 9 The Worst Highway Tragedy and What It Revealed |
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149 | (8) |
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Chapter 10 Forever Lost, Occasionally Found |
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157 | (18) |
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Chapter 11 Into the Canal |
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175 | (12) |
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Chapter 12 When Alligators Attack (Which Isn't Often) |
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187 | (10) |
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Chapter 13 Gliding on Air: Airboat Deaths |
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197 | (12) |
| Epilogue: How to Stay Alive in the Everglades |
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209 | (10) |
| References |
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219 | (20) |
| Index |
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239 | |
Randi Minetor has written more than thirty books for Globe Pequot/Lyons Press, including Historic Glacier National Park, Backyard Birding, Hiking Waterfalls New York (FalconGuides), Scenic Routes & Byways New York, and Day Trips Hudson River Valley, and Day Trips Hudson Valley. She lives in Rochester, New York.
