The area known as Manatee County opened for settlement at the close of the Second Seminole War in 1841. This was due to Congress�s passage of the Armed Occupational Act of 1842; which allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of land at a cost of $1.25 an acre if they were able to bear arms and live on the land for five years. It wasn�t long before settlers appeared up and down the beautiful Manatee River; led by Josiah Gates and his family on the south side. Many of his friends had suffered losses with the collapse of the Union Bank in Tallahassee and were anxious to join him. The opulent shores on both sides of the river quickly enticed other settlers to make their claims; offering a cornucopia filled with some of Florida�s best resources for growth and prosperity. This volume provides a pictorial account of those lives; which were caught in the struggle to carve out a niche against all odds in a place that faced epidemics of yellow fever; malaria; typhoid; and a third uprising of the Seminole Indians. In 1861; Florida seceded from the Union; which was followed by the Civil War with a Union victory in 1865 that brought an end to slavery and plantation ownership.
#1459530 in eBooks 2008-01-30 2008-01-30File Name: B0099GIA1W
Review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Trolley poles and pantagraphs south of PortlandBy G. HulinWillamette Valley Railways is one of the more than 4.000 local history titles published by Arcadia Publishing. and part of Arcadias "Images of Rail" series. However. this 2008 publication has one key word missing from its title: "Electric." The subject of the book is Willamette Valley Electric Railways. and provides history and illustration of the areas interurban and street railways. but does not deal with steam railroads.The Willamette Valley is Oregon most populous region. extending 120 miles south from Portland through Salem. Albany. Corvallis and Eugene. The book is divided into eight chapters: Portland Area Interurbans (1891-1958). Oregon Electric Railway (1908-1933). United Railways (1911-1923). SP Red Electrics (1914-1929). Willamette Valley Southern (1915-1933). Salem Street Railways (1889-1927). Albany Street Railways (1889-1918) and Eugene Street Railways (1891-1927).Portland Street Railways. the Oregon Electric Railway and the SP Red Electrics have been covered in other books. but this volume collects the basic company histories. photos. maps. timetables and vintage advertising in one handy reference. Some of the photos have been often published. but many obtained from museum and local library collections will be new to most readers. The book consists mostly of photos and captions. with just one page of historical text per chapter. The dates included with each chapter title refer solely to the years of passenger operation. In most cases this conforms to the companys history. but in the case of the Oregon Electric Railway. electric freight operation continued another dozen years into 1945 and the corporate identity lasted past the Burlington Northern merger. Oregon Electric being a subsidiary of the Spokane. Portland and Seattle Railway.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very informative but the maps need work.By OregonBubbaVery informative but the maps need work.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great Historical PicturesBy Marty BernardI knew nothing about the history of the electric railroads in the Willamette. Now I know a lot. I know much about electric railroads in general and there are a few minor technical mistakes that do not distract from the great pictures. If you want to understand the history of the Willamette Valley. this is a big and important piece of it.
