Petals Plucked from Sunny ClimesBrooks, A. M. (Abbie M.)
History
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes
Brooks, A. M. (Abbie M.)
Cuba -- Description and travel; Florida -- Description and travel; Florida -- History
De Soto, after discovering Espiritu Santo Bay in 1539, came through the
country to an Indian village called Auhayca, now the site of
Tallahassee--the name signifying "old field "--where, with his army, he
spent the winter. While here he secured the services of an Indian guide,
who proved to be "a most elaborate liar on various occasions," in regard
to gold-mines which only existed in his imagination. The Spanish
soldiers accompanying De Soto were encased with armor, which creates a
wonder in the minds of all who have seen it, how they were able to march
through a country offering so many obstacles, with such an immense
weight on their bodies. One winter's sojourn in this locality was
sufficient to satisfy De Soto that no treasures could be discovered
hidden away in the hills around Tallahassee; consequently, the following
spring he left.
Tallahassee is situated in the center of the State. The first house
erected after the cession of Florida to the United States was in 1824,
the Legislature convening there the following winter. In 1825 it became
an incorporated town. In January, 1826, the corner-stone of the
State-house was laid, and one wing of the building erected during the
year. The growth of this town, after its incorporation, equaled any in
America. It was situated on an eminence which commanded a fine view of
the surrounding country, with picturesque scenery, and on a stream of
water fed by bold springs. The State Governor speaks of its early
American settlement as a place "where the emigrants crowded, the rising
walls of the capitol being the attraction"--"the woods yielding their
shade to the saw, and their silence to the hammer"--the vicinity rapidly
changing from native forest-land to well-cultured fields.
On account of being situated twenty miles from the Gulf, the prospect of
its ever becoming an important commercial point for business was not
anticipated. The surface of the country around Tallahassee changes from
the flat lands of Florida to an elevated and undulating country, and
from sand to red clay. A gentleman-passenger who had retired to sleep
during the night where the land was level, on awaking in the morning,
and noticing the change in the surface of the country, called out to the
conductor, "Look here, boss! haven't you got this machine turned around,
and taking us back into Georgia?"
Persons perusing the following will be enabled to see the material of
which Governors' messages were made, in the Executive Department, during
the Indian war in Florida:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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