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1928: 'Indian cotton' discovered on island

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published April 15, 2007

APRIL 19, 1928

CLEARWATER - Tax Assessor Charles A. Wilcox came back to his office in the courthouse yesterday after one of his assessing trips with what he proudly described as a curiosity.

This curiosity consisted of several stalks of "Indian cotton," picked on an island north of the Badwater hammock grove of B.L. McMullen.

When the owner of the land informed Mr. Wilcox that cotton was found growing on the little key by the earliest settlers, the tax assessor waded to the island, where he discovered cotton plants higher than his head, bearing cotton in open bolls, and all around them smaller plants that have evidently been reseeded by the older plants.

While the bolls are small, the fiber of the cotton is quite long. Mr. McMullen says the cotton has been growing wild on the small island for 60 years, or as far as history goes back.

APRIL 15, 1930

Pictures of Pinellas farms to go to D.C.

CLEARWATER - A government photographer, Mr. Ackerman, is to arrive here tomorrow to take views of farms and home demonstration activities about the county.

These photographs will be taken to Washington, D.C., and used in government publicity, giving the people of the United States some idea of what Pinellas County is doing in agriculture and improvement of living conditions.

APRIL 15, 1930

Pinellas ships first carloads of spuds

CLEARWATER - A carload of potatoes was shipped last week by the cooperative growers' association from Largo, this being the first time in the history of the county that such a shipment has gone forward, according to William Gomme, county agent.

APRIL 16, 1928

City motorists to go over Tamiami Trail

CLEARWATER - A large number of automobiles from Clearwater is expected to join a motorcade celebrating the completion of the Tamiami Trail highway.

On the morning of April 25, most Clearwater motorists will travel to Tampa and leave with other motorists from there, but some will take the Bee Line ferry across Tampa bay and meet the party in Bradenton for a mid-forenoon celebration.

Another celebration stop is planned at noon in Sarasota, with the group arriving in Fort Myers that night.

At the 1925 convention of the Tamiami Trail Association, held in St. Petersburg, the Sunshine loop of the trail was created, running from Tampa through Pinellas County directly into this great trunk line highway that now runs from Lake City to Miami along the west coast and across the lower Everglades.

APRIL 16, 1930

End of citrus season cleanup tomorrow

CLEARWATER - The packing houses have closed and the citrus fruit season has officially ended.

No more fruit can be shipped and the oranges and grapefruit now in the packing houses must be placed in storage or destroyed.

Fruit still on the trees is to be buried or otherwise disposed of before tomorrow, which has been designated as cleanup day by Gov. Doyle E. Carlton.

Grove owners are making great efforts to clear their property of scattering fruit, to avoid complications with the powers that be.

North Pinellas History is compiled by Clearwater Times staff writer Theresa Blackwell. She can be reached at tblackwell@sptimes.com or 727 445-4170.

Looking back

Headlines through the years

A look back at the events, people and places that made North Pinellas the unique place that it is. The information is compiled from past editions of the St. Petersburg Times.

[Last modified April 14, 2007, 18:46:19]