Alfonso Fernando Gonzalez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfonso Fernando Gonzalez
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | December 24, 1874 |
| Died | July 9, 1961 (aged 86) |
Alfonso Fernando Gonzalez (born December 25, 1874 – died July 9, 1961) was an important person in Florida's history. He was a pioneer, an explorer, and a steamship captain. He is most famous for a difficult trip he took through the Florida Everglades in 1893. Alfonso was the son of Captain Manuel A. Gonzalez, who started the city of Fort Myers, Florida, in 1866.
Contents
The 1893 Everglades Expedition
On September 1, 1893, Alfonso Fernando Gonzalez, William G. Rew, L. C. Stewart, and Joe Henley began an amazing journey. They left Fort Myers, Florida in two dugout canoes. They bought these canoes from local Seminole Indians.
Planning the Route
The team planned to travel through several waterways. Their route included the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Flirt, Lake Hicpochee, and Lake Okeechobee. From there, they aimed to cross the Everglades to Florida's east coast. On the east coast, Henry Flagler was building a famous hotel called the Royal Poinciana Hotel.
A Journey Longer Than Expected
The explorers thought their trip would take only four days. However, the journey turned out to be much harder than they imagined. It ended up taking fifteen days! The tough conditions in the Everglades almost cost the men their lives, especially during the last 40 miles.
Facing Difficult Conditions
In the most challenging parts of their trip, the men had to leave their dugout canoes. They had to walk through the swampy Everglades on foot. They moved very slowly, barely traveling one mile every five hours. After they ran out of food, they had to find ways to survive. They ate palmetto cabbage, which comes from a type of palm tree.
Reaching Safety
On the fourteenth day of their journey, Gonzalez and his team finally reached dry land. They were on the eastern edge of the Everglades. There, they saw two men cutting pine trees for railroad ties. These ties were for Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad.
When the two men saw the ragged and tired explorers, they ran away. But Gonzalez and the others followed them. This led them to a work camp where they found a commissary, which is like a store for workers. There, they were able to recover from their long and dangerous expedition.
