Audio
Oral History Interview with Carol Lord
Transcript
Abstract: Carol Lord was born and raised in Miami, Florida and at age 14, the Lord family moved to Monroe Station in Big Cypress. In this oral history interview she speaks about attending Everglades City High School, leaving her friends in Coral Gables, living in Big Cypress, the Gator Hook, and her family. She explains that she worked in the family business for several years, and the various animals they had. She currently works as a security guard at the Jetport.
CAROL LORD: Carol Lord, Carol Lord.
CHRISTOPHER HALE: Ok. I guess we're ready. So basically I'm just going to go down and ask you a few questions about well what was life you know like down there and some of the questions might seem like a little weird but you know just answer whatever you feel comfortable. If you think of anything else you want to add go for it so. Let's just start off where were you born?
LORD: Miami, Florida.
HALE: Ok so you were born in Miami.
LORD: The big city.
HALE: And have you always lived in the area or?
LORD: I grew up in Miami up until I was fourteen and then we moved out here to Monroe Station.
HALE: Ok so you were fourteen and not so I will figure out how old you are but what year was that?
LORD: That was 1970 when we moved.
HALE: Nineteen-seventy.
LORD: I'm not sure which month.
HALE: And did you live at Monroe Station?
LORD: Yes.
HALE: Ok so it had rooms upstairs?
LORD: Yea it had two, one large room and a smaller room in the front.
HALE: Ok. So your family, how many people were out there was there bother and sister, mom and dad?
LORD: Ok it was my mom and dad, my sister, myself, my brother stayed in town since he was eighteen.
HALE: So your dad is Joe Lord?
LORD: Yes.
HALE: And then your mother is Sue?
LORD: Susan Lord.
HALE: And your sister?
LORD: Shirley Lord.
HALE: And your brother?
LORD: Wayne Lord.
HALE: And he's where?
LORD: He's in Tennessee.
HALE: He's in Tennessee. And so when you first, how did it come about did your dad buy Monroe Station?
LORD: He had bought the lease on the restaurant.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: Or he bought the business of the restaurant and went ahead and leased the property for the 10 years duration that the lease was supposedly written up on.
HALE: And who owned the property?
LORD: At that time Barron Collier.
HALE: Barron Collier.
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Wasn't Dixie Webb...
LORD: Dixie Webb had sold the business to Joe Lord, my father.
HALE: Ok. So it was actually a lease on the business.
LORD: Actually it was a lease on the property.
HALE: On the property. Ok.
LORD: On the property, the property that the business sat on.
HALE: And before Dixie Webb?
LORD: I'm not sure who owned the place before Dixie Webb.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: I know Mr. King had owned it at one time. I'm not sure if it was before Webb or not. Or how far back that was.
HALE: Ok so obviously you lived there so you spent a lot of time there?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Ok. Did you work did you work there?
LORD: I more or less helped out up until I got of age to work.
HALE: Ok so you were eighteen and then you worked somewhere else?
LORD: Yea. I was eighteen I was still in school so I still worked.
HALE: How, where did you go to school?
LORD: Everglades City High School.
HALE: Everglades City High School.
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And how did you get there?
LORD: School bus.
HALE: School bus, alright. I'm kind of skipping around my questions. So you lived at, how many years did you actually live at the Monroe Station?
LORD: Oh I'd say about 17 years, 18 years somewhere around there.
HALE: So from 1970 to ...
LORD: About '87 I think, '88. Somewhere around there.
HALE: So how long did the station operate until?
LORD: Until 19 oh about a year or so after I left.
HALE: Ok so until about '89?
LORD: Somewhere around there.
HALE: And try to think back and what kind of services were available there?
LORD: So more or less the restaurant, gas station, they were full service on the gas station and everything.
HALE: Ok, auto repair most minor things?
LORD: Minor repairs until they were able to get to town where they could get parts.
HALE: And who did that? Did your father?
LORD: I did some and my father did some.
HALE: Did you have anyone else besides you and your parents working there?
LORD: There were people that come and gone.
HALE: Like your sister worked there?
LORD: Yea my sister worked there.
HALE: And your brother, did he?
LORD: No he came out for a visit.
HALE: Your brother is older than you?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Why did they, why did you all decide to pick up from Miami and head out to Monroe Station?
LORD: Dad had retired from the place he was working at and decided to have something to do and get away from Miami.
HALE: Ok, so what was he doing before?
LORD: A pipefitter.
HALE: A pipefitter, ok.
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And I'm curious to know how, I mean how did he find out to get a lease on this property?
LORD: Well he, I don't know how he found out about the place. He just came out here one weekend and I guess decided to buy the place.
HALE: I saw, I read an article and they had marriage services performed.
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Talk a little, what's a little about that?
LORD: Well we had plenty of shotgun marriages out there. So far the people that had gotten married there are still married.
HALE: Are still married?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: So how did he, was that a legal thing or?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Or what that just for fun? LORD: Well the shotguns were just more or less for fun but the marriages were for real.
HALE: So your father performed the marriages?
LORD: My mother performed the marriages.
HALE: Your mother, and she was a minister or some sort?
LORD: No, what do they call that? A notary?
HALE: A notary.
LORD: Yea.
HALE: So a notary could perform marriages?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And so you all would actually get shotguns behind them?
LORD: There would be shotguns and it was just, stand there for the picture. (Laughter) That was fun.
HALE: And did you all have tourist kind of things too? Touristy kind of stuff like postcards or?
LORD: Yea they had postcards and different stuff.
HALE: Alligator parts?
LORD: No we didn't have any of that. He had little alligator, plastic alligators stuff and shells and all that touristy Florida type stuff.
HALE: Let's talk a little bit about the day to day operations. Like what would you do once you got up in the morning? What was your routine? And how did that change since your were little to getting older?
LORD: Well we got up in the mornings during the summer then my sister stayed inside as a waitress I went out to the gas station, normal everyday stuff.
HALE: Where did you all get your supplies?
LORD: A lot of the supplies came out of Miami, some of them I think come out of Fort Myers. HALE: Fort Myers. So like a gas truck would come every so often?
LORD: From Naples would come once we'd get low enough on gas.
HALE: So that could be once a month, once every? A week, two weeks?
LORD: I would say once a week. Once every couple of weeks.
HALE: What about food?
LORD: Food, the meats came out of, I think, Miami. The beer and that I'm not sure if it came out of Naples or Miami.
HALE: Do you know of any thing different that your family did from the previous owners?
LORD: It's more, well when we first moved there was more it's changed to more a family type operated business and more of the guys came out and started parking their buggy's there.
HALE: And you all charged them for parking there?
LORD: Yea they charged I think $50 a year for parking.
HALE: All right. Let's just for instance how much was some like say gas back like when you were you know?
LORD: The gas was about, I can't remember on the gas. I think right around a dollar or so or somewhere around in there. And once the prices go up we'll go up along with it.
HALE: Ok, how about a beer? How much was a beer out there?
LORD: I think she was charging seventy-five cents or something like that. I can't remember.
HALE: What I've got here is I've got a piece of, don't let this freak you out to much but if you could draw can you draw a sketch to the layout of the place could you do that if I gave you ...? LORD: Upstairs or downstairs?
HALE: Well if I gave you two pieces of paper could you do it?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Ok let's do that. That's kind of interesting to see. You could write on this.
LORD: Do you want it before we built the separate rooms or?
HALE: Well when did you all?
LORD: Well we had put a partition up. My sister and I for a little more privacy.
HALE: Ok well let's just go through it first before, you had an upstairs and downstairs?
LORD: Right.
HALE: Downstairs, what was downstairs?
LORD: Well downstairs was a long bar going as you go in the back door they had a long bar on the west side which had the grills, sink and the oven. Down at the other end was more or less where they kept the cigarettes and the drinks and stuff like that. Back as soon as soon as you walk in there was a little covey hole that had all the freezers and that dishwasher and that sitting back there. Then there was where people sat in a big long, one of the additions they added on was a pool room and the other addition was like a little grocery store.
HALE: Oh I see and then upstairs was where everyone lived?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Ok, how many bedrooms were upstairs?
LORD: Actually there was one bedroom and kind a like a little living room area or a big living room area.
HALE: Ok and in that room they put partitions?
LORD: In the living room area we had put the partitions with a little hallway going through it to where they could get to the back bedroom. Or the front of the building.
HALE: All right. Do you remember before I have you draw, do you remember what year you brought back, that it was brought back from the road? Do you remember that, was it already like that or?
LORD: No I really don't remember what year it was when it was brought back. I know that the pool room and the grocery store was added on.
HALE: Kind of like wings?
LORD: Yea. HALE: Ok here's a little thing so just take your time. And I'll give you another piece of paper if you want to draw the top or what ever.
LORD: Let's see here. Have to draw the square of the building, here it goes. A little deck back here and there's a little carport back here. It goes all the way back there's a shell in there too. The restrooms used to be out here.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: His and hers, used to be there. There's a, yea that's right, there's a storage room right about here, draw a little, where we kept the styrofoam cups and place mats. We had a little icebox here and that was [inaudible] stairs going down. This runs full length of the little porch, stairs, and let's see here. I'm going to have to erase a little bit of this.
HALE: Take your time whatever.
LORD: Trying to remember how that looked. Ok back door was here as soon as you walked in there was a counter that ran just about the full length. This used to be the grocery store here. The drinks and all that was kept here. A little heater thing here with cigarette and all that. The grill and everything right here. Let's see here. Ok this was more or less like a partition right here where we kept the freezer and everything.
HALE: So you had two freezers?
LORD: Actually there was a stand up freezer, a chest freezer there was one of those you know those [inaudible] glass soda refrigerators?
HALE: Ok.
LORD: And the dishwasher sat right here. This was the pool room, actually the pool room right here. That's about it.
HALE: And so this is the road right out here?
LORD: This is where road out the front, north.
HALE: Let's make sure it was? Hold on a second.
LORD: And they had chairs along that.
HALE: Ok let's see the top then. At the end I might have us go through and label this.
LORD: The one open area is where everyone ate. There were seats along the counter too.
HALE: Do you know if there is like any blueprints around of this building?
LORD: I don't know if there were any blueprints of the building itself.
HALE: Yea, if you had to build did you all have to get a building permit?
LORD: We didn't add anything on we just more or less replaced.
HALE: So the grocery store was?
LORD: The grocery store was already there.
HALE: Was already there?
LORD: Yea. The building itself was already there.
HALE: I see. Ok, all right.
LORD: Draw the upstairs. Well I can get a little graphic here. Draw a little bathroom here. Ok now at the head, closets here. My spelling might not be to good.
HALE: Oh don't worry about it. I don't spell well anymore.
LORD: I had a little walk-in closet here. That's pretty well what the upstairs looked like.
HALE: Ok and so this is a bedroom right here?
LORD: That's the living room area.
HALE: The living room area?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Bedrooms right?
LORD: Right.
HALE: And this is the partition that was?
LORD: No we had a partition put here and a partition put here. We took them down as soon we got older which my sister and I moved into a trailer that we had bought and we put it out in the back.
HALE: Oh you put the trailer, when did that happen?
LORD: Oh let me see I was seventeen, eighteen when we moved back there.
HALE: Ok. And so this was the bedroom, so you all slept ...
LORD: My parents slept in the front bedroom and my sister and I slept in the back.
HALE: Ok and this is a wall right here correct?
LORD: Yea that's a wall there's a hallway going from the door to the back room there's another door there.
HALE: I see.
LORD: There's a door between the bathroom and the closets here too.
HALE: Ok I see. And right before while it is still fresh in my mind let get, I don't know how good our video is to get all this stuff on here. So this right, let's just start right here this is the front this is the road and then?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And here is the heater thing you said?
LORD: We had a little kerosene heater back there that we moved out when it got cold.
HALE: Ok that was the storage for it?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And then right here?
LORD: That was the grocery store.
HALE: What kind of things did you have in the grocery store?
LORD: Namely canned goods for the hunters that come out.
HALE: Ok. You have ammunition?
LORD: No.
HALE: No, alright. I was just curious. And then this is a counter or something?
LORD: That's one of the soft drink with ice, ice cooler sat.
HALE: Ok. So it was a big was it with electricity you think?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: Kind of like one of those old fashioned slide types.
HALE: That you open up. Because sometimes they have ice cream in them now.
LORD: Some of them yea.
HALE: Right here is?
LORD: That's just the outside yard.
HALE: Ok so this is a wall?
LORD: Yea. Oh I forgot this stuff.
HALE: There were stairs going down there?
LORD: Yea there is a little side door going into the restaurant itself.
HALE: Right here or here?
LORD: Right here, there.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: That's what I was forgetting.
HALE: Stairs ok. And this is the restaurant starts right here?
LORD: Yea that's the kitchen area.
HALE: This is the kitchen area?
LORD: Right.
HALE: And this is a counter or something?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Alright and then right here is another?
LORD: Another counter yea.
HALE: Now can you see over these counters?
LORD: Yea it's only so high.
HALE: Alright and then right here is?
LORD: The kind of like where we kept the meats and stuff like that. Refrigerator or freezers actually.
HALE: The store and there's a refrigerator?
LORD: Yea. They had another glass a...
HALE: Another like another glass...
LORD: Thing by the front door.
HALE: Where's the door? In the middle somewhere?
LORD: Somewhere about the middle yes.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: It had a glass front for the drinks refrigerator type thing.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: There was drinks and a long glass counter type going across.
HALE: Ok drinks, this next room right here you said was a...
LORD: Well I think that's where the bathrooms were.
HALE: Ok. So you would go in through the ...
LORD: Actually the bathrooms you had to go into while you were outside I'm going way back when a through the doors and that but I can't remember when dad had enclosed them.
HALE: Ok so you would have to go, this is the pool room?
LORD: Right.
HALE: So is this a wall here you can't see through or is it kind of like a low?
LORD: It's a wall you can't see through until he put a door there for the bathrooms.
HALE: For the bathrooms. And then you would go around up here and then there is, can you get to the bathrooms from the pool room?
LORD: No, actually you'd get to the bathrooms through the restaurant from the corner there.
HALE: This corner right here?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And then up here is a...
LORD: That's where a concrete slab was put or for the water pump.
HALE: This was outside now?
LORD: Yea it's outside. They had the water pump sitting there.
HALE: And then of course back here...
LORD: We had, that was just like a outdoor hallway with a roof over it.
HALE: With a little roof ok. And then back here?
LORD: The store room and we had a refrigerator room.
HALE: This is a refrigerator room?
LORD: Right. And that other little piece over to here was a carport.
HALE: Ok so that was your dad's car back there or whoever's?
LORD: Whoever's.
HALE: I was just wondering because if you had to drive somewhere to get something would it come to you or would you all drive out there or?
LORD: Usually it came UPS.
HALE: This is kind of a funny question, where did you all get the water from? You mentioned a water pump.
LORD: We had well water for showers and everything. We had Crystal Water delivered from Naples for drinking.
HALE: For all the years you were there?
LORD: Yes.
HALE: Ok, did you all have a phone?
LORD: Yes.
HALE: Ok, and do you remember if the people in the area had phones
LORD: Yea.
HALE: What about the electricity?
LORD: That came from Lee County Co-Op.
HALE: Ok so it had been wired in.
LORD: Right.
HALE: It was always was there?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Mail service?
LORD: Out of Ochopee Post Office.
HALE: Would they come and drop it off to you?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Who was the person?
LORD: Gerry Fish, Fisher.
HALE: Gerry Bates?
LORD: Gerry Fisher.
HALE: Gerry Fisher.
LORD: Yea. HALE: What about if someone got sick?
LORD: We called 911 or got somebody out here to help us.
HALE: Ok so was there a local doctor you could go to?
LORD: The local doctor was in Everglades City and we didn't we always went back to Miami to our regular doctor.
HALE: Regular doctor. What about newspapers?
LORD: Delivered the Miami Herald was delivered front door, no problem.
HALE: Do you remember Pinecrest, when did that, tell me a little bit about that what kind of a newspaper?
LORD: It's kind of I would say a little rinky-dink town smaller than Everglades City.
HALE: But they had, you said they had a newspaper there?
LORD: I don't know if they had a newspaper or not. But I remember Pinecrest.
HALE: Ok we're going to talk about that a little later ok. You grew up in Miami so what part of Miami?
LORD: Gables.
HALE: In the Gables ok. When you moved out to Monroe Station when you were fourteen were there other kids to play with?
LORD: Not really.
HALE: No, just you and your sister.
LORD: Just my sister and I yea.
HALE: What kind of stuff did you all do for fun?
LORD: Went out there with a bb-gun and shot beer cans.
HALE: Shot beer cans?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Did you ever fish or?
LORD: No, well we went fishing we went dirt biking, actually mud biking out there, down there.
HALE: So you mention bicycles. What kind of toys did you all play with? I don't know if Barbie was the thing back then or?
LORD: My sister was Barbie's. Me I'm lawn mower engines. (Laughter)
HALE: Lawn mower engines. Are you the middle child?
LORD: Middle.
HALE: Ok. And any kind of do you remember any kind of special clothes you had to wear out there or?
LORD: No special clothes.
HALE: Ok. In school, you went to Everglades City High School.
LORD: We got away with murder.
HALE: Talk to me about what that was like?
LORD: (Laughter) Well like one of the kids got went up to one of the teachers, the teacher was bitching about something she went and slapped her across the face and stuff like that.
HALE: And...
LORD: Smoking in the bathrooms.
HALE: How many were in your class?
LORD: My class I think there were something like twenty-eight.
HALE: What about church stuff?
LORD: We kind of got out of church when we moved out.
HALE: Do you remember there being a lot of wildlife back there?
LORD: I don't remember really. And hadn't really been looking.
HALE: Did you ever have any problem animals like raccoons or?
LORD: Oh yea, plenty of raccoons coming after the chickens and turkeys.
HALE: So you all had chickens and turkeys?
LORD: Yea. HALE: Ok, back behind the and that was where the rooster feed came in?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: What did you all do about the raccoons?
LORD: We tried to set up traps and stuff to relocate them.
HALE: What about snakes?
LORD: Usually go and catch them and put them somewhere else.
HALE: And the bugs?
LORD: Spray.
HALE: What about roaches?
LORD: We usually tried to spray keep all the roaches and ants and stuff out.
HALE: And rats and mice and things like that?
LORD: That's where the cat came in.
HALE: That's where the cat came in, ok. You said that you had some stories to tell.
LORD: Yea like when we took back when the Big Cypress started to come in buying the places up. I remember we had a shetland pony there, my sisters. And we went to one of the middle schools over in Naples with the pony. Wrapped a diaper around it and took it up on stage where one of the guys was talking.
HALE: How old were you then?
LORD: I would say about sixteen, seventeen.
HALE: And this is a school you don't even go to.
LORD: Yea. (Laughter)
HALE: Ok.
LORD: While one of the local senators was talking my sister lead the horse up on stage with a diaper wrapped around it.
HALE: A representative was up there? For congress?
LORD: Yea. From the Big Cypress I guess. HALE: Oh I see.
LORD: He was from Interior somebody I can't remember who it was.
HALE: Did you ever see any bobcats out there?
LORD: I've haven't seen any bobcats there no.
HALE: So they didn't try to get the chickens ok. What other animals did you have out there?
LORD: Besides the two horses a bunch of dogs, cats, chickens and turkeys. That's about it, oh we also had a coati-mundi. Kind of like a raccoon, from the raccoon family but their nose is real long and pointed.
HALE: Oh I think I know what you're talking about. That was just a pet?
LORD: Well actually it was wild.
HALE: It was wild.
LORD: Actually it was one of the female dogs that had come in heat that thing was following her around.
HALE: Did you use the chickens for the food or for eggs or?
LORD: Just for the eggs.
HALE: And the turkeys?
LORD: Actually for more or less ourselves not the restaurant.
HALE: And the turkeys?
LORD: The turkeys got up to about that high white turkeys ended up giving them to a guy down in Homestead.
HALE: Ok.
UNKNOWN: Did you get a lot of rat snakes eating your chicken eggs?
LORD: No I always grabbed the eggs before they got them.
HALE: What other kind of things happened at Monroe Station like say when you were working there? What kind of things were going on there?
LORD: Excitement?
HALE: Yea.
LORD: Besides me beating up on a couple of guys?
HALE: Go through it all.
LORD: Well he had, he was coming on to strong and I flattened him.
HALE: Ok, and when was this? How old were you then?
LORD: I'd say about sixteen.
HALE: Wow. So did you ever, what kind of people would pass through Monroe Station?
LORD: Oh we had the hunters come out more or less family types going out to the camps and stuff and tourist during season
HALE: What about the Loop Road residents?
LORD: We had a few people come up from the Loop Road.
HALE: Did you ever, did the Indians ever come, the Indian Seminoles?
LORD: We had some Indians coming in Seminoles. Mom would sell some of the stuff Mom had bought some of the stuff from them to sell in the restaurant.
HALE: Like crafts?
LORD: More or less the aprons and stuff.
HALE: What about Cubans or?
LORD: We had a few come through. Quite a few.
HALE: Was there, I heard there was a black lady and her husband that lived near or by Monroe Station, do you remember?
LORD: I don't remember.
HALE: Don't remember. Ok so as far as Loop Road is concerned, did you all ever go down there?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And why did you visit people?
LORD: We went down to get eggs. They had a chicken farm down there were we would get cases of eggs.
HALE: And where was it, talk to me about the chicken farm describe what it was like.
LORD: Well there was a lot of white chickens there. Out in the country.
HALE: Now that's Pete and Gerry's place?
LORD: I don't know if that's Pete and Gerry's place or not. There's a camp ground there now I think.
HALE: Was there a lot of chickens there?
LORD: They had approximately three to four rows of chickens I can't really remember how long the rows.
HALE: Thirty chickens?
LORD: Oh there was a lot more than thirty chickens.
HALE: A hundred?
LORD: Somewhere around there or more.
HALE: And how often would you all go to get eggs?
LORD: Once a week. Once a week sometimes every other week depending on how many eggs we'd go through.
HALE: I have a map here of, and if I mention something if you remember where it is on the map just put like a little dot or something and just like a number next to it and I'll remember what order. And that way it will be that way in case I'm sure some of these things are all kind of clumped together. Is it where it says Tamarin is that were it is? Right down here, is that where it was about?
LORD: Somewhere around there. No it was before you hit Pinecrest itself. I know there is a little campground around here somewhere.
HALE: So you go down there to get eggs?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: What about as far as the chicken meat?
LORD: We'd buy chicken itself out of Miami.
HALE: And it says Pig Barbecue on here was any of those wild pigs?
LORD: No.
HALE: No. How many people do you think lived out there on the Loop Road area?
LORD: I don't have any idea at all. I know it was quite a few. Somewhere around a hundred I think.
HALE: What kind of people were they?
LORD: Back-woodsy people.
HALE: Did you ever have any problems with any of them?
LORD: No.
HALE: They'd come to the store?
LORD: A few of them would come up every now and then. Get a beer or two and go on their way.
HALE: I've heard that it was kind of a wild bunch down there?
LORD: Yea. They had a bar down there as well.
HALE: Ok what was that bar?
LORD: I think it was Gator Hook or something like that.
HALE: Do you know where that was on the map?
LORD: It should be right in front of Pinecrest.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: Right around there. Somewhere around there.
HALE: And that was the Gator Hook?
LORD: Yea that's what we called it then.
HALE: What about the Bumpy Loop Restaurant?
LORD: It was right across the street just about catty-corner from it. See ok Pinecrest was over here actually. That's the campground. It was kind of just right around the corner or actually catty-corner.
HALE: As far as the police protection down there, I understand they were kind of...
LORD: On our own, kind of. It was Monroe Country actually we were kind of on our own.
HALE: Did you hear things that were going on down there?
LORD: We never had the cops go by heading down that way.
HALE: Never once you seen a cop there and you were there for seventeen...
LORD: They would come by at the restaurant yea we had cops going back and forth along the Trail all the time but I never seen cops going down to Pinecrest at all.
HALE: And the state of the road. Talk to me about that.
LORD: Actually from Monroe Station to the county line the county kept it up. From there it turned into pot-holes about that big around and about yay big in places.
HALE: Do you ever remember it being really really bad or really really good or was it always the same or?
LORD: Sometimes it was better than other times it depends on when Dade County and Monroe County decide to come out and pave or smooth it out.
HALE: What kind of other businesses were down there besides the chicken farm?
LORD: I remember the chicken farm, the little bar, bar and grill type and the little grocery store type that's about all I remember being down there.
HALE: Did you ever hear stories of boot-legging down there during Prohibition?
LORD: No I haven't heard any.
HALE: Did you ever hear stories about Al Capone having a cabin down there?
LORD: I talked to my Mom and she's told me a few stories about Al Capone having a place back there behind the grocery store I think, somewhere in that area.
HALE: Is that north or south of Loop Road?
LORD: South on Loop Road somewhere, but I don't remember I don't know exactly where the house is. But it's south right around the grocery store.
HALE: Did you ever go down to the Gator Hook bar?
LORD: With my Mom and Dad yea.
HALE: What kind of crowd was down there?
LORD: Normal, wild, woodsy type crowd.
HALE: How many people would be down there?
LORD: I'd say about a dozen if that.
HALE: Well like what on a Saturday night?
LORD: We really didn't go down on Saturday it was during the more or less during the week.
HALE: Because it was a little to wild?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Was it locals only or was it visitors coming in?
LORD: More or less locals.
HALE: Did you ever hear of a man named Irvin Rouse?
LORD: I heard the name but I don't remember.
HALE: He sung the "Orange Blossom Special".
LORD: I might remember if I see him.
HALE: When people would come up from down there I assume they talked to you all what's been going on. Do you remember any of the gossip or rumors or any of the...?
LORD: I really don't remember all of the gossip or rumors and everything. Mom might remember all that.
HALE: What about the Bumpy Loop Restaurant, do you remember that?
LORD: Off hand no.
HALE: Hughes General Store?
LORD: That's the General Store I'm talking about that's down here.
HALE: Jack Knight?
LORD: I, no. I don't know him that well.
HALE: Is he still around?
LORD: I don't know if he's around or not.
HALE: I mean is he still living you think?
LORD: I don't know.
HALE: A guy calls himself Gator Bill Scullerman.
LORD: I heard that when I was young. I heard the name but I really don't know.
HALE: Skip Prussman?
LORD: Those were the kids down there I went to school with. I might know them. If I'd see the faces I'd know them but I can't place names, names to the faces.
HALE: He's the guy that in '77 was writing this Pinecrest newsletter.
LORD: Yea. HALE: Do you know if he's anywhere?
LORD: I don't know if he's...
HALE: McDonald Johnson?
LORD: I don't know how to get a hold of him. Actually anybody that's down that used to be down on Loop Road I don't know now how to get a hold of.
HALE: Ok. Well let's talk a little bit about the changes in the area. Since you've come here what have you seen the changes, you work at the Jet Port?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Did people think that that was going to be a big?
LORD: At one time it used to be. At one time it was until the environmentalist put a stop to it.
HALE: And did people start moving out down there?
LORD: No.
HALE: Did you notice that? Did people leave when they heard the jet port was ...
LORD: No.
HALE: And so as far as you know normal business?
LORD: Yea. The jet port opened the same year that we moved out.
HALE: What about when, when do you, I mean there's a lot less people living down the Loop Road now then there were, the hundred that you were talking about.
LORD: When the Big Cypress started coming and buying the property up from everybody that's when everybody started moving. Selling out and moving.
HALE: Is there anything that anyone that you could think to talk to that might be good to talk to about this stuff?
LORD: You know Vince Dohr of the Ochopee Fire Department?
HALE: I've heard of him yea.
LORD: He's the history buff. Actually he could show you pictures of the different areas. Other than my mom.
HALE: What about, is there anything you want to add? Is there anything like a story, a funny story that happened down there? I'm sure there was some characters going through there.
LORD: Well just more or less Dad and I.
HALE: What kind of stuff would you all do?
LORD: Dad and I was walking across the parking lot and I was actually Dad and me and one of his friends was walking across the parking lot and I was behind them shooting beer cans with a bb gun, Dad grabbed the bb gun out of my hand and started shooting the beer cans and he turned around and about the time he turned around the game warden went by he turned around and grabbed the thing out of his hand and he turned red. He thought it was the 22.
HALE: Ok. Did you all ever go hunting?
LORD: Back before we bought the place yea we did.
HALE: And you said that you all had a hunting camp out there?
LORD: Eight miles north of Monroe Station yes.
HALE: And...
LORD: I was coming out here before I was in diapers.
HALE: Oh really, really. And ...
LORD: Before I was even thought of.
HALE: And this was your Dad was involved in some kind of law suit or something.
LORD: I don't know.
HALE: About the hunting camps.
LORD: Oh the that was the Everglades Protection Society or something like that, can't remember the name. To keep the camps from being moved out.
HALE: What kind of jobs, like say you were doing Monroe Station. What kind of jobs would there be? You said you job your sister's job but you said gas and your sister would be waitress. What kind of stuff would your mom and dad do that were different?
LORD: My mom was the cook, dad was building swamp buggies and you know repairing. Do repair work around the restaurant that needed to be.
HALE: Did he ever cook?
LORD: Yea he cooked and waitressed or busboy or whatever.
HALE: So everyone kind of did a little of everything?
LORD: Everybody did everything, a little of everything.
HALE: Did you ever have anything happen that you all felt unsafe there like some person gave you all to much trouble or?
LORD: No Dad pretty well took care of that. Him and his 44.
HALE: Well I think that's all I have to ask. Tell us what you wanted to ask?
UNKNOWN: I was just wondering if you remember any of the professions of any of the people that lived down on Loop Road or what they did for a living?
HALE: What they did for a living?
LORD: Off hand not really. Mom would have a better memory than I would.
UNKNOWN: What about their hobbies?
LORD: I really don't remember what kind of hobbies they got into.
UNKNOWN: Did you go barefoot a lot growing up?
LORD: Yea.
UNKNOWN: What did you enjoy the most about living in the area?
LORD: Well it kind of felt freer it's sort of not. [inaudible] like some places are. It's like getting shot with the lawnmower.
HALE: What happened?
LORD: Got shot by the lawnmower.
HALE: When did that happen?
LORD: I was fifteen.
HALE: It shot the blade out or?
LORD: No the lawnmower I was cutting the grass in the buggy stalls and it picked up a 22 shell somebody had accidently dropped and it shot and it got me across the ankle.
HALE: Really. Now this is a riding lawnmower or push?
LORD: Push.
HALE: Push lawnmower, oooh.
UNKNOWN: Did everyone carry guns around back then?
LORD: No. It wasn't allowed.
HALE: Wasn't allowed to carry guns.
LORD: I wasn't allowed to touch them until I got old enough to know better.
HALE: Do you remember any other kids down there on Loop Road?
LORD: Yes some of the younger kids that used to live there the Division of Forestry used to be there. I don't know if you remember them or not. Do you know where the Conservation Club is?
HALE: Yes.
LORD: Some of the kids there and they had just before you got to the Conservation Club they had the Division of Forestry tower down there. Some of the kids there I got to know. Actually I think there's the club.
HALE: They weren't from around there, they were sons and daughters that used to...
LORD: They were sons and daughters that came out on the weekends and actually they had caretakers there that had kids.
HALE: You all ever play any tricks on them like ghost night hunting or something like that?
LORD: No, we kind of behaved ourselves we didn't want to get in trouble. Of course they were to young to really get them into trouble like that.
HALE: Did you, was it hard for you all to leave Miami when you were a little girl I mean cause you think your friends were...
LORD: At first I didn't want to go but after a few years I got used to it.
UNKNOWN: Do you ever remember any conflicts when the Preserve came in and started buying the land out on Loop Road and off Loop Road?
LORD: Well yea I kind a remember some but not the only thing I really remember is taking my horse across the stage.
HALE: What was their reaction to the joke?
LORD: Everybody in the audience laughed. (Laughter)
HALE: This is probably 1973, '74?
LORD: Somewhere around there?
HALE: Ok. Did you ever, so your father would repair the swamp buggies and also build swamp buggies and sell them?
LORD: Actually he had built one or two more or less to replace some of the wood that rotted out in the building.
HALE: Now were they your swamp buggies or did you rent them out?
LORD: They were private individual swamp buggies and Dad had known a couple of others and built his own.
HALE: Is that the vehicle that you all would use to get around in or did you use a truck or?
LORD: Oh we used to usually use a truck or his car, our Mom's truck.
HALE: Ok.
LORD: I started driving the swamp buggy before I even learned to drive a car. HALE: And you'd take that to the hunting camp?
LORD: Oh yea.
HALE: Have you ever seen a Florida panther before?
LORD: No, I've seen a bunch of bobcats. Actually I did see one panther one time.
HALE: I've never seen one!
LORD: Actually it looks more like a cougar. Who knows I didn't get close enough.
HALE: Any bears?
LORD: Yea, chasing that and chasing the bear down the streets of Copeland. Trying to get pictures.
HALE: This is recently or?
LORD: I would say last year or so. White collar around its neck. Poor bear. Going after food.
HALE: I can't think of anything else I have everything on my list I've already asked. Unless you got any kind of a... Everyone had their business cards tacked up inside the place.
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Was that from ...
LORD: Everybody just that came though just started putting them up. Mom didn't know what to do when them so she started nailing them up on the wall.
HALE: And this is what this is your dad started this or your Mom started it?
LORD: My Mom stated it.
HALE: But the previous people they weren't ...
LORD: No my Mom started it and whoever came in just started stapling them to the wall. HALE: Ok so let's get, the original lease was ten years?
LORD: Right.
HALE: Seventy to '80 and then from '80 to '89 or '88?
LORD: I think it's '90. The lease I think was supposed to be an option to re-lease.
HALE: From Collier Company?
LORD: Yea from Barron Collier I think it is, Barron Collier sold the property to the Park and we were supposed to lease from the Park I guess.
HALE: So in the '80's you were actually leasing from the Park?
LORD: From the Park yes.
HALE: And did you all live in, I've seen some article and stuff that has, did you all still live at Monroe Station?
LORD: Up until about I would say '88 I moved over at Copeland and Mom stayed there and Dad went up to Okeechobee to get started on the other restaurant.
HALE: Oh you had another restaurant going?
LORD: No they were in the process of buying another restaurant to replace this.
HALE: Ok. Why the move?
LORD: I guess he got tired and wanted to get away from fighting the Park.
HALE: Ok, ok and does your Mother do the restaurant now or does she?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: Ok, and what about your you said your sister Shirley is?
LORD: My sister Shirley is up in Alabama somewhere.
HALE: She just disappeared.
LORD: No she's up in Alabama somewhere until I hear from her again.
HALE: Oh I see. And how much younger is she than you or?
LORD: She's about I think two years.
HALE: Two years younger. Who's idea was it to bring in the Shetland pony across the stage?
LORD: I think a guy out of Miami had said something about it. Cause they were talking about the hunters not taking care of the animals and that's where that idea came from.
HALE: Oh I see, I see. (Laughter) Let me ask you this. Did a lot of people come through Monroe Station? Was it busy a lot? Did you you have a lot of time where...
LORD: Oh we had like seasonal during hunting season were busier than during the summer.
HALE: And hunting season what is that November or December?
LORD: Somewhere around in there.
UNKNOWN: Did you get a lot of foreigners?
LORD: We had a few.
UNKNOWN: And there were a lot of regulars too that came in?
LORD: The hunters and there were the regulars.
UNKNOWN: Did they live locally around the area?
LORD: Miami, Naples, Fort Myers, Plant City we had them coming from just about all over, the Keys.
HALE: Did you have a lot of time when there wasn't much going on when you were at work?
LORD: Usually summer in the summer months.
HALE: And what would you do to pass the time?
LORD: Read books or play the Atari.
HALE: What's a Atari?
LORD: The video game.
HALE: Oh Atari I'm sorry.
LORD: Didn't have Nintendo back then.
HALE: No, no. Alright I guess that's about it. I want to see if we could maybe get some copies of some of your pictures or whatever. We can copy them you could loan them to us we'd copy them free for you or?
LORD: Oh that would be good I got more pictures than what I have there they are at the house.
HALE: Ok, you've got some really neat pictures your father in the limousine with the attorney. (Laugher) That's a great picture. But that's fine on one day to work want to you know get an envelope and drop off and we could get them copied for you and give them back to you. LORD: Like I said let me go through the negatives I've got pictures and negative which I don't have the pictures to which would probably be more...
HALE: And things like, if you don't have a negative we can still make a copy.
LORD: Make a copy. Like I said the museum has a picture of the restaurant back when it was still sitting in front under the tree.
HALE: I see. Is this the Collier County Museum?
LORD: Yea. Came across that and in Bonita Springs the Bumuda Ranch up there, came across a picture of the place in the restaurant. Well neat, my house! It's got that five gallon glass gas tank in the front.
HALE: Another question I was going to ask. What about the hours of operation. From when to when were you all open?
LORD: At first we stayed open just about all night, twenty-four hours a day just about. Then the business started slacking down and we set hours between seven and about dark.
UNKNOWN: What were some of the most popular dishes? I don't know if you served any of the local food?
LORD: Hamburgers, cheeseburgers.
UNKNOWN: Ok I don't know if you served like gator or anything like that.
LORD: No. She didn't get into that.
HALE: We heard that there were...
LORD: Country ham sandwiches were good.
HALE: And the hams were hanging?
LORD: Yea.
HALE: And they were Kentucky ham or?
LORD: Yea. Kentucky I don't remember where she gets them. She still gets them.
HALE: Do you ever remember the Guises'. E. C. Guise and...
LORD: I think I do remember them but I don't can't place them.
HALE: The fish, what about the a did you all have cat fish and things like that? LORD: She had to buy that and I don't know where she got the cat fish at. We didn't go out and catch fresh, weren't allowed to. The Game Commission, the Health Department wouldn't let us.
HALE: Red-eye gravy. What's red-eye gravy?
LORD: That's the gravy she made for the country ham.
HALE: Ok. Was the chicken really 20 cents or was that...
LORD: That's just for fun. That's supposed to be Dad on the swamp buggy. (Laughter)
HALE: Did your Dad always have long hair like that?
LORD: No he had it short up until about a year and it started getting longer and longer.
UNKNOWN: Who drew pictures of this? LORD: We had the guy that printed them up drew them all.
UNKNOWN: Ok.
LORD: I can remember some of the pictures this one guy would come out all the time that painted. He always painted by memory.
UNKNOWN: I just started here a month ago.
LORD: get to bring one of his pictures in.
HALE: And where was your mother and father from originally?
LORD: Um.
HALE: Miami or Florida?
LORD: I think mom said she was born in Washington state, dad's from Miami originally. I guess they came down here cause there was [inaudible] down here. I can't remember if it was Washington or D.C.
HALE: Do you remember how old he was? When he came, when they got married?
LORD: Not really.
HALE: Is there a way that we can keep this or make a copy of this or something.
LORD: You can make a copy yea. I've got to see if she's got any more.
HALE: Yea, we'll make a copy of this. We can do that.
LORD: Ok that picture of Dad and me [inaudible] the limousine I've got to let you have cause I don't have the negative for that I [inaudible] him the negative.
HALE: Ok.
UNKNOWN: Well we could make copies for you.
HALE: We can make copies from the photos. Alright I guess we're done then. I guess if you want to swing by you know we're here every or I usually generally so swing by and drop something off or whatever that's great.
LORD: Yea well Mom's got maps and stuff and old pictures and everything more than I would.
HALE: I think I'm going to call your mother and see what she's got to and see what's going on.
LORD: She could tell you more history than I can.
HALE: Ok well you've been great.
[End of Tape]
Description
Carol Lord was born and raised in Miami, Florida and at age 14, the Lord family moved to Monroe Station in Big Cypress. In this interview she speaks about attending Everglades City High School, leaving her friends in Coral Gables, living in Big Cypress, and her family. Interviewed by Christopher Hale on July 24, 1995.
Credit
Big Cypress National Preserve
Date Created
07/24/1995
Copyright and Usage Info