Qualla: Draining and Development of the Everglades https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:13 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Draining and Development of the Everglades https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades Draining and Development of the Everglades: Introduction https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades/ Photo credit Chauncey Davis, CC BY 2.0. In 1897, explorer Hugh Willoughby canoed through the Everglades and described a tract of land 130 miles long and 70 miles wide that was "as much unknown to the white man as the heart of Africa." Within a generation, governors were promising to drain it, developers were selling it by the acre to buyers who had never seen it, and an engineer's flawed report was being touted as a blueprint for paradise. The Everglades -- a river of grass flowing imperceptibly from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay -- became the arena for one of America's most ambitious and catastrophic experiments in reshaping the natural world.

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Image: Chauncey Davis | CC BY 2.0

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/dhwe-draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Draining and Development of the Everglades: Sawgrass, Soldiers, and Seminoles https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades/ Photo credit US War Department, Public domain. American knowledge of the Everglades was carved out during the Second Seminole War from 1836 to 1842. Soldiers tore their clothes on sawgrass, ruined their boots on uneven limestone, and watched gangrene set in from countless cuts. Mosquito-borne illness killed many; one private ...

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Image: US War Department | Public domain

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/dhwe-draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-sawgrass-soldiers-and-seminoles.mp3 0:06 2 full Draining and Development of the Everglades: Promises Built on Muck https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades/ Photo credit Fishbaugh, W. A. (William A.), Public domain. Real estate developer Hamilton Disston made the first drainage attempt in 1881, purchasing a vast tract and digging canals near St. Cloud. His canals failed to drain the wetlands, but his purchase primed Florida's economy -- property values doubled within four years. In 1904, gub...

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Image: Fishbaugh, W. A. (William A.) | Public domain

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/dhwe-draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-promises-built-on-muck.mp3 0:06 3 full Draining and Development of the Everglades: Plumes Worth Their Weight in Gold https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades/ Photo credit Stefan.witz, CC0. The growing population brought hunters who operated without restraint. In 1886, an estimated five million birds were killed for their feathers. Aigrettes -- the plumes prized by the millinery trade -- sold in 1915 for $32 an ounce, the same price as gold. Hunters lay in wait at n...

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Image: Stefan.witz | CC0

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/dhwe-draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-plumes-worth-their-weight-in-gold.mp3 0:06 4 full Draining and Development of the Everglades: Walls of Water https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades/ Photo credit Fred Ward, Public domain. On September 18, 1926, a hurricane struck Miami with winds powerful enough to destroy Henry Flagler's opulent Royal Palm Hotel. Residents who ventured outside during the eye's calm were caught when the wind returned from the opposite direction -- 115 died in Miami alone, though r...

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Image: Fred Ward | Public domain

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/dhwe-draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-walls-of-water.mp3 0:06 5 full Draining and Development of the Everglades: River of Grass, River of Change https://qualla.com/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades/ Photo credit Fred Ward, Public domain. In 1947, two events reshaped the Everglades story. On December 6, President Truman dedicated Everglades National Park. One month earlier, Marjory Stoneman Douglas published The Everglades: River of Grass, redefining the landscape as a living river rather than a stagnant swamp. It...

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Image: Fred Ward | Public domain

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/h/w/e/draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-wp/dhwe-draining-and-development-of-the-everglades-river-of-grass-river-of-change.mp3 0:06 6 full