The Birds of the Everglades and Their Neighbors, the Seminole Indians

by Minnie Moore-Willson

Excerpt from The Birds of the Everglades and Their Neighbors, the Seminole Indians

Would you like a glimpse into the primeval forest of America? Then let us turn the slide and look upon a picture in the heart of Amer ica's Least Known Wilderness  the great Everglades of Florida. We turn the clock of time back twenty  five years, only a span in the history of a community or a Nation. We see upon this ?ame lit screen, massive live oaks, festooned with the swinging, wind-tossed moss, which, with the tall cabbage palms, cocoanuts, magnolias and India rubber and mangrove trees, make a framework or back ground; swaying, dangling, green and yellow and red trimmed vines, rare and brilliant orchids. Wild coffee plants, the myrtle and the bay, with the wild lemon and the custard apple, make the scene a veritable fairyland of jungle beauty, a land of mystery that will ever lend a thrill to the name of Florida. Butter?y colonies ?oat here and there with feather-like lightness, as they rise from their island homes, making the scene a maze of yellow and green a mosaic of wondrous beauty like a picture under glass.

30 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2015

About the author

Minnie Moore-Willson was born near the town of West Newton, Pennsylvania, on August 14, 1859. Minnie wrote for a number of wild-life magazines. The Willsons were active members of the Audubon Society of Florida and through Mrs. Willson's writings and influences, the town of Kissimmee served as one of the first towns in the state to become a bird sanctuary. The Willsons proved instrumental in the passage of an act by the Florida Legislature in 1913, setting apart 100,000 acres in the extreme southern portion of the state for use by the Seminole Indians. The Willsons worked closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the resident Indian Agent, and the National Indian Association, and their efforts culminated with passage of the bill. Minnie Moore Willson served as first president of the Kissimmee Women's Club and thereafter was elected honorary president for life. She was also a member of the American Pen Women and other literary groups. Willson authored many short stories and published The Seminoles of Florida in 1895. Willson's last works included a short history of Osceola County and a monograph of the Indian Chief, Osceola. Willson died in Kissimmee, Florida on August 12, 1937.