#504 a Sun Reporter article "The Magic of Miami Beach" 1985
-~ r::: .~~ {--
SUII Heporter Sunday August 25. Monday August 26, 1985 P<1ge 19
I
Top: Looking Norlh along Ihe orran from thl' \I'ooden 10\1'1'1' 01 ]8 Slrel'l. thi, was
Miami (lPal'h in 1916. Thl' whill' slrip running up I lIP ,'enler of Ih., pklurl' is Collins
Ihenue. C,'nt.'r: 1925 - Cajl!. Lindse~' on th,' right and .Ja,'k l>emps.'.,' on Ihe 11'11
who wa, par! own.'r of till' Dpmpst'.\'-Vandprhilt lIotel on Collins A,'enul' hl'l\\l'l'n
20lh and 2tst Slrl'p!. Thi, photo was lak.'n in Fl'hnJar~' of 1925 on IIII' hl'aeh sid., of
Ihe hotp!. Ilplow: 1919 -Looking South wilh th., ",'pan to Ihl' I('[t- Collin' ," ('nul' in
the ('l'rlll'r - Carl Fislll'r', indoor tl'nnis l'OUr! on thl' righll'('lIll'r anti the I'i,'r into
the oeean at Ihl' fOn! or Linl'oln Hoad.
The magic of Miami
Beach is more than the
recorded histor~' of this
barrier reel to me. For 42
years il has been an
intpgral part 01 my IiII'
and'lhe liyes of thoSl'
dedieatetl and inspired
people who put their
shoulders to the wheel
her'e. ~Iccomplishing the
impossible many times.
In e('ery stns.. ollbe word
they \\'er'l' grci.lt in the
exampll' thl'.v set - in their
\\'orks i.llHl the inspira-
t ion, till' " I I' It lor the
impo,sihles yet to bc
accomplishert.
It could prob~,bly h~l\'e
taken a million ye;lt.s lor
1\1i;'mi Beach to hal'c been
discovered. It is heliel'ed
th~lt possibl.(' till' first
white nwn to spt C,'l'S on
I\Iiafni Beach was Ci.ISpt~r
Co rt l' - R p ;11. aSp~' n ish
trader in I;;DO-D/. TII'e1vc
YI';lrs !:rter tl"'l'e Sp;tnish
g;tlleons passl'd here. In
('otllnwnd was the I;ltned
Don .Juan POllce nl'Lenn.
t he governor 01 Puerto
Rico. ill whose \,pills
I lowed the bluest blood in
all Castille. It W~IS he. who
hao first crossed the
Atlantic with the great
aomiral Christopher
Columbus on his second
\'o~'age in 1493.
Ponce h"d just passeo
the half way mark in life.
but alreaoy lell the
rayages of age creeping
into his hones. So. he hao
li,tened carelully to the
legl'l1d 01 the Caribe
Indi~lns which told 01 an
island of Bimini to the
norlh where magical
waters flowed. possessing
the priceiess boon 01
etern;" ,\'outll. This was
his goa/. The slor,\' 01 his
quest h~,s hecome ;1 clas-
sic of American histor,'. It
was ;,Iso Ponce. who
noting the be;,ut,\' of the
land. it's trees and it's
Ilowers. nallll'O it Pasqua
Florioa - Flower,\' Easter.
Howel'er. the on I,\'
known record of human
IiiI' on the b;ltTier reel we
knoll' to<l:t,\' ;,s ~Iiami
Be~lch. were a small balld
01 Tekesta Indians. How
they el'er br;,vl'd to iil'e on
this dense. impenetrable.
III a n g r 0 \' e s waIn p ,
inleste<lwith mosquitoes.
poison snakes. eoons. rats.
,lIld crocodiles remains i.I
mystery that will neYl'r be
solyed. Rulli\'e here they
dio. somewhere between
1400 A.D. and 400 AD.
This was borne oul when
an Indian burial mound
was found at the ba,\'lront.
. n I" a I' n i net,\' - firs ta n d -
ninety-third streets.
The historY.o"(.f illiall1i
Be~lch really hegins ill
1870. fourteen hundred
,\'e~lrs alter the Tekest;1
Indi~'ns first began Iile
here. It begins with the
arri\'al 01 Henry Lum ano
his son. Charles.
lIenr,\' B. Lum was born
on" larm in Pennsyl\'ania
on July 4. 1820. In 18;;2 he
married and in 1868 he and
his 15 years old son.
Charles. nWOe their lirst
trip to Florida. In 1870
these two went to Key
Wesl on a Clyde Sll';lmer
~lt'O Irom there came to
f\lii.lmi in a 16 foot sail-
hoat. C\1iami 11';" then
ealIed Ft. Dall;,s--it had
been built hy the soldiers
~
--,....
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1985
26,
Monday August
25,
Page 20 'Sun Reporter Sunday August
The
Magk:of
Miam
d
e ~.
Iln-
his
r~'
es Hen
Lum cr
ne Hay by b( ~
~II Ihe soulhern lip
W~IS then a long.
nsula. On the
I hey fo
Irees g
(
er
set'
i
(
d
1a\,(
cea n
il I he
ches
frolll
F
I'
o
UIH
row
re
H
n
y i
osse
nagl
beach
l(
Keys
o
11
lu
h cwes
I b a I'
I'll
e
III
Si'
e y.
nl~'
ey
rei
rns
.
I
Beach
he
no
UI
g(
k
9
g
c
I ~
N(
(;
pe
sid
re~
nd
Pagt
o
,
;1 III
st I
s
1 c' h
1 III I
t wh
Illsel\'
;1 I'll' S
,
N
gr
es
l'
S
he
S
S..
. ,
l.
sei
1
1\,
r~'
rill
J(
n
III
1131
rs)
he
l'
('
('
(
0'
,..,
I
l'
S\()
11
II
,
F
n
W
) I'
)(
"I
es
bes id es
forms o(
made
g an
d
m
o
oc
dO'
"
)-
,
o
01
swam
I i\'ing
almosl
I'
c
1e
er. cle; 19l1le
red mangro\'e
lurned oul 10 be a
:JO s sib Ie l<l s k .
of mosquiloes.
diamond back
F
swamp
near in
Millions
sand flies
Howe\
orida
~.
h
Ill'
ion
w
create
planl~
da
Fields proceeded
their plans te
argesl COCOIll
n 1!12U picturing tll
Iwld ('\'('1'.\' morning.
This was SIlU tll 8('a('1I i
sPiting up pspr('isp dass
n
d
,
o
n
I'
11 ~
Ez
sever; n
Henry Lu
wrlners
h
rs
Wll
\\'0 1
doll~
h
s
bough
cl of
go\'ernmenl lor
an acre. ClIld
ng
he
Is(
L'
he
1 Is
ac
L'rab
from
3;j ce
grow
In
,
b.\'
n
I'
d
rs
r~'
1H'
fe
L'
I
I
a
11
01 lorg
dise with
dy beac'h
1l1l2
es
,
n
har
oM
~ld
~,r i
s
c
they h
that p
white'.
c'
11
m;lrket C
t he.\'h;ld so opt
;llltil'ip;lted. A
coc'onut phllll;
to be ;1 dislll;
d
"'II
./0'
.
1985
26,
August
Monda.'.'
25
Sunday August
I .
Page 22 Sun Reportel
The v
Magic of
Miami
Beach
I'
,
\'
rk Ch,,-
i1nd h is
we
t,
,
c'
)e
ccord-
I C'i1 rly
es
\\'i1S
keep the
e LUllls
n
rees
i1f1t
bor
\'e
1I
c
e
l'
S
Page 2{
e
iI
l
re
set
h
H86
w
h
he
red
d
n
I
eoc
11isl
d SI
o
ng
Pa
n
c
,
JI
om
.to
ng.
hen
ye,lrs
e,\' did I
lor
~.
10
n
h
d
h
ble
rk
w
I
F
~.
d
d
ng
l'l
wi
:\'liil/1
te
k
n
pOSS
cks w
nd tl
(
,
I
I
t
d
n
1
}I i1n
11l'-1
III
)1;
Ol
I
CI
_ I'Il'e
hI'
,
e
(
ing
Dae
I
sc
II'
'"
rst l\:1
u re.
W to
,I \'ietor~'
[,irst cilme
the earl~'
wlIltering in the
11lel of Hypoluxo.
h of Like \\'orth,
11
He
1
S
/1
I
h
\' C'
(
fallt,re
Beae
dre
his
assureef. Fail-
plilce in ,Iohn
11akeup. The
asco that he
n Florida in
both were
ure lwei',
Coli i ns
co eo
You musllwlip\'(' Ihis was Collins ^ H'nup looking Nort
and Soulh frol1llhp 11I'wl,\' ('Omph'IPd Bakpr's Haulo\'('
('ut from p 0('('.111 to Indian Crppk. In 1!/2i .\'ou ('an St.
that 11ll' ''''IS 1 Hal Harbour and almost no Sunrl~'
Is It's
r
a
hiS
Wl
11
sp
re
e
we
I
gab
lllll'
eto
he
~I s
de
s
e
I
n
h n
a h
p on
swalll
loda,\
Beadl
On
s
nd
1.\'
Ill'
ved
p
urc'
sp
n
into
Collins
rida in
o
n inet les
tin~' Iw
ust SOL:
nu
c'xpe -ieneed
the earl~' 80's rankled him
deepl~' for Illan~' years,
although onl~' his mone~'
was involved in Ihe part-
nerhsip with Osborn,
Field and Helll-~' Lum, He
ever forgot' t he d iSllu
11!~' for growIng
grew.as he grew.
'0 rolled by. his
his fortune
a \e\'el where
SOIl.
His,
things
As I he ~'e,1/ "
. ,I mea n d
nereased
ions
pre-
was
1C'
he
.;1;
~'ou
pto
s
C
1I
Five
g his
im.H
11er .
ses ,
lIg
ll'rse~'
be,1 I' i I
cc'dec
a
C\
w
b
s
~.
j,
o
.John
) ""1 in
u ;1 k e I'
f,lmil~'
N e \\'
e
M
g h
837,
w
o
e
k
p
11e
M
n
no
asc
n ,Ioh
01 iI 1l1iln
eet-thl'l'e
n C(] ins
his
I
forts.
edieat
C'c'
C' COC'
I l' othe
ns, a giar
onl~' stood ;j
elll'S t,ill. ,Ioh
n
s
e
d
h
H,\'
III
IH'
rc'slg
I
was
Col
w I J(
Sll
II
....
/
p'~ge 24
1985
26,
Monday August
25,
SUn Reporter Sunday August
The
Magic of
Miami
Beach
~-
'] s('(' the coconut failure
1'01' himself. he beat the
railroad to Miillni in Ill96,
hil'l'd two blacks to row
him ,ICroSS Biscayne Bay
to the peninsul,1 and Wl'
m ,I y i mag i new hat
mingll'd emotions he
l'xpl'l'il'nn'd as he fil'st set
foot on Mi,lllli Beach,
Ill' told ,Ifterwards that
hl' st ood transfixed in
tot,i1 disol'lil'f at the sight
hl' hl'held, Ill' said his
m i n d W a IHI ere d I' 0 I' a
monwnl 01' two, herl' in
this perfect l'Iillwtewhere
sumnH'1' spends the win-
1l'I', When Ill' l'ame back to
re,i1ity_ he w,lIked into a
\'il'gin jungll' oj- p,lImetto
scruh, knl'l'led and dug
into the l'arlh with his
harl' hands, allowing the
black, s,lIld:-' IO,lIll to run
through his fingers - the
knowing fingers of a dirt
f,lrmel'. That set tied it.
Thl' last vest ige of doubt
W,IS gone, As he rose to his
fl'et.' dusted off the ding-
ing partil'll's of sand from
his hands - in his mind -
Miami Beach W,IS born,
1'01' when Florida "gets a
man" it get S' h im good,
When t he sand gets in
:-'our shoes "I hat's
)
Collins, He did so In 1909
and Collins. to his great
delight. became the sole
owner of;) miles of Mi,lmi
Beach la nd from the
Atlantic to the shores of
Biscayne Bay, (from
totally, Fields argued to
p'lant grapefruit while
Collins planted 2.945
avocado trees as he said
he would, Fields fearing a
second failure played it
safe, by selling his share
f' .1
Pi('turpd is thp whole Miami Bpa('h Poli('p dppartll1<'nt
in 1921 in front of tl1<' eit,v's first Cit~. Hall. 1'11<'1'1' w('n' 5
poli(,(,llH'n - 2 sprg('ants, an assistant. ('hid, Cliff
Brogdon, Chid of Poli('(' and Frank Di('k(',v, a
Coun('ilmall who douhlpd as Commandpr of Poli('('
The two men
fferent as night
, "
partner,
were as d
on
and
.I..J
lsact
907
T:":
t 1',
in
This
place
n" h"
ert :-'
took
{'"II
When Collll1s was rowed
back to the mainland
there was sand in his high
button shoes,
I\inally. after ele\'en
years, Ezra Osborn sold
Collins his share in the old
('0(' utilI; ; on n