News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 19

Hit NOVEMBER 21, 1938 FORT MYERS NEWS PRESS A nMX Ail, r3 7 Attractive Beach School LaBelle Is Capital Of Cattle Country OnWaterwavRoute Orange Groves and Farms Vic With Stock Industry Beach Builds Up Rapidly: view Highway Fishing Ducks and Yachl Club A dried, to Fast Growing Resort resort and is located in the center of Florida's finest fishing grounds. There are three hotels, tourist camps, two fine trailer camps, a free fishing pier, stores, boat ways and marketing facilities although the beach is not incorporated. Furnished cottages and other tourist facilities are available at reasonable rates. People coming to Fort Myers Beach generally plan to spend the entire season and most rentals are on this basis although accommodations for shorter visits are available. Chick Eaton has spent more than $10,000 to build the new Gulf Fish mi Fort Myers Beach is the fastest growing resort community in South Florida.

Recent additions ready Nestled in the grazing land of the upper Caloosahatchee river is the little city of LaBelle, capital of the Southwest Florida cow country. Cowboys still often ride to town aboard horses in the La-Belle country and hitch their nags in front of shops while they do If ing docks where boats and guides are available for trips into the open for use this winter include 22 mod-' gulf. A. T. Heath of Sumter, S.

and Douglas Gray have built a I fVrv ern homes, a $10,000 primary school, a neat white nondenomina-tional church, four miles of paved highway, a new fishing dock and 9 two-man yacht club. Most welcome improvementat the beach is the new county' road down the center of the island. This road has been extended to McPhie park, one of the new subdivisions and location of the new beach school. Another development in McPhie park is the commencement of a cabana park. The plan of the developers is to give purchas- model two-man yacht club on one of the boat canals which indent the island.

The bay side, facing San Carlos pass, as well as the teach front is rapidly building up and property values on the island have enjoyed a steady increase for ihe past five years. There are more than 300 furnished cottages and homes on the island and most" of them, except where occupied by owners, are for rent. People living in Fort Myers a 1 their trading. Of course they also drive in ensconced in V-8's do their shopping LaBelle, uniting both banks of the Caloosahatchee, is on the verge of the vast ucklands which extend prcund the 'fke Okeechobee country and provide excellent grazing lands for extensive herds of cattle. Big business interests maintain ranches in this section and lesser stockmen combine smaller herds with grove interests.

Palm Beach boulevard, Okeechobee highway connecting Fort Myers on the West Coast of Florida with West Palm Beach on the East Coast, runs through the heart of LaBelle. A few blocks from the highway runs the Caloosahatchee, another cross-state route which fer vho own beach homes make a prac ers of back lots a 50-year lease oni tice of renting them in the winter a modern beach tront cabana. These small houses will be com and occupying them during the summer months. It is generally cooler and more comfortable at the plete with dressing room, toilet and 01 Mama shower and will be grouped around beach during the summer than in aQL'hfront park. I more northerly mountain resorts.

Tort Myers Beach is located 14 Year round fishing also adds to miles south of Fort Myers and is the attractiveness of beach vaca-reached by driving down McGrcsjor tions. boulevard through the finest of Lee San Car los, across the bridge During the past summer a modern primary'Hchool was completed in McPhie park at Fort Myers Beach and more than 30 children are now enrolled in the first six grades with two teachers in charge. The school is well lighted with modern desks and the walls painted with nautical scenes and symbols. In connection with the school is a lunchroom and kitchen. I i 1 i t.

county farm and nursery from the island beach, is also build- accommodates visitors a board cruisers and yachts traveling from coast to coast via the inland route. Both of these routes offer just about all of the different kinds of scenic beauty for which Florida is Established 1913 Electric Vorlc in AH Its Branches grounds. The beach is on Estero. island and is famed throughout the state as the safest open gulf bathing place in Florida. The beach has a gentle slope and absolutely no undertow.

There has never been a drowning at the beach and tiny ing up. There are several new business and a new tourist camp with modern cottages and plans for other buildings. In addition to the great variety of fish, people who enjoy natural history will be intrigued by the famous. From the sparkling gulf plenty of snowy egrets, pelicans and ducks so unafraid that they merely sidestep visitors and go about their own business. Gathering shells is an interesting pastime.

In addition to the shells, bits of sponge coral and other marine oddities wash up on the beach to delight the collector. CHARLOTTE'' BAY prices much more moderate than found in many resorts. Along this line it should be added that rentals and hotel accommodations come lower than at the flashy, hectic resorts seeding to be known as ''fashionable." Excellent schools assure the winter- visitor that the kids will be able to carry on their studies with little or no break from the accustomed courses. Friendly churches are another of Punta children play in the water all day bird and marine life on display on long. The beach is a year round and around the island.

There are CONSTRUCTION A RINE AUTOMOTIVE HOTEL IS FAMOUS AT PUNT A GORDA Gorda's boasts. For the visitor in search of a bit of relaxation, enjoyment and some measure of night life there are "quality" bars and night spots. V. Pr'- imm -t i I tJIVITED MOTORS' FAIRBAXKS MORSE DELCO BOSCH BRIGGS STRATTON Gas Tax to Bring; State 141 Millions to the rolling Atlantic both wind through miles of feathery nalms. beneath mighty oaks draped with Spanish moss and past sunken forests of lofty cypress trees festooned wTith wild orchids and hung with long streamers of vine.

Not the least attractive of the scenic offerings are the man-made groves of yellow grapefruit, golden oranges and vivid red tangerines which overhang waterway voute and flank the highway lane. Filled with fruit, these seemingly endless groves are an imposing sight. It was something like 50 ago that the restless, wandering nioneer stock of- the early days dfseovered the upriver country and started settling along the Caloosahatchee, For them the country was a Mecca, a place where nature provided the bountiful life. Fertile soil produced sugar cane, potatoes, corn and vegetables in abundance. Cattle feeding on the rich grazing lands required no other food.

The citrus industry was coming into the prosperous years it enjoyed in its early days. A little later steamship commerce opened a market in the frozen north for green truck which can be produced in lower Florida all winter. The early settlers, looking for just such a place as the LaBelle and upriver country, arrived with wives, families, tools and other belongings stowed aboard ox wagons. Trailing along behind was the family milk cow. Phone 101 v.

Si East First Stt. 5 Continued from Page Two Us tourist trade alone as a revenue provider. Commercial fishing is quite an industry- in that section. Truck fprming in the winter months is another business which brings in money. Citrus is another, and rattle, once the big industry, still provides a sizeable source of income.

Lumbering and boat-building also furnish jobs for workmen. The citrus industry flourishes around Punta Oorda, especially in the section to the north along the upper reaches of the bay. Miles of groves, many of them developed a long time ago by the early settlers, produce a rich harvest of golden fruit each year and keep giant packing houses running, providing jobs for armies of pickers iwid packers. 1 Punta Gorda, as said before, is a lovely tropical city. Attractive homes half hidden by a wealth of shrubbery, vines and flowers are shaded by various varieties of palms.

Paved streets and sidewalks are the boast of the town. Stores are modern and carry ample stocks at. TALLAHASSEE, Nov. 23 republic officials iiere expect the state's three cents a gallon tax on gasoline for retiring county roao bonds and building new roads will produce $141,589,200 in the next 15 ears. A tabulation 'shows of the total will go to pay off county road bond issues prior to 1931, another will be used by the state road department for building roads within specified counties, and $21,498,730 will be available for building whatever roads the department selects.

This money is in addition to receipts from the regular three cents a gallon, gasoline tax which th road department receives for its own operations. A seventh cent a gallon tax produces about S.S'I, I 000 annsally for public schools I and general slate operations. Welcomes Wlicn you arriv in Fort Afjers wc invite you to our store to sec our larjrc selection of newest styles in Drt'ssfs Coats lAngprie MUlinrry Wf I 026 First Street j-1 pi III SlJ If --V 1 1 g- Fort Myers cnyic CLUBS Invite You Come to Fort 73ers and enjoy good fellowship all winter. 'M us' Show Yow Why you will be ahead with a ens Never Before Ssieh an Opportunity To gt't such fiin ns'(l rars at sut'h low prices tSff jior or if best used car values in ton it. Oievrolct's famous valve-iii-Iiead Vix.

Vow vacuum Kcarsh'ift. New J.odies by Fisher With aero- porfectlMi knee action rul'mg system. stream stvlinff. Perfected hydraulic brakes with trig Meets Every Wednesday 7 p.m. Meets Every Wednesday 12:15 p.m.

ger-control emergency brake. Titoe-Matie Clutch. New, longer riding hase. New "Observation Gir" visibility. At The At The GONDOLA TOWN CLUB Phone 98 '1924 Hendry Street.