Located just north of Floridarsquo;s Gulf Coast; the twin cities of Niceville and Valparaiso nestle side by side along the shores of Boggy Bayou. Although they are now dynamic modern communities; the land they occupy remained a wilderness long after the rest of Florida was settled. After the Civil War; early homesteaders carved out a meager existence by making turpentine; sawing lumber from the pine forests; and harvesting fish from the waterways. In the 1920s; word spread that this region was an unspoiled paradise; so Chicago investors purchased land for development. Photographs taken at the time show the first hard road to Crestview; an early-20th-century bathhouse and waterslide; and formal get togethers at the Valparaiso Hotel. Today the nearby towns of Destin and Fort Walton Beach host millions of tourists; but just across the bridge; Niceville and Valparaiso hold on to their small-town charm.
#1328018 in eBooks 2005-07-13 2005-07-13File Name: B009A3EVFI
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A collection of old photos. Not much interest unless ...By Lewis K. GriffithA collection of old photos. Not much interest unless you live there. Little or no text to explain history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy EdmuncmLoved this books historical perspective!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Review from the U.S. Life Saving Service Heritage Association:By S. R. ThomasIt doesnt take the Coast Guard to know the Coast Guard. but sometimes the inside knowledge and access helps the cause. Authors Stacy and Virginia Thomas met in the Coast Guard while both serving at Sturgeon Bay. Wisconsin. and got married at one of the lighthouse of which they write in Guarding Door County. Their writing style in the book is professional and precise. their words carefully chosend to show respect for their service and the men and women who served before them. The authors have broken the book down geographically. assigning themselves southern. northern and island blocks of lighthouses. Life-saving stations. as there are only three in the county (Sturgeon Bay Canal. Baileys Harbor and Plum Island) are covered in one extensive chapter. And as there are only twelve historic lighthouses on the peninsula as well. they also receive lengthy coverage in the book. with multiple images of each lighthouse through time. An added bonus to this book is the authors treatment of their final full chapter. a primer on "Current Events: Preservation and Tourism" of Coast Guard heritage on the peninsula. Guarding Door County. therefore. goes beyond the history to the story of the present day. allowing those folks who go to (or in many cases. return to) the peninsula the opportunity to carry this book with them as a travel aid.(published in Wreck Rescue Journal. May 2006. V 9. No 1)
