Gregg Turner
In the 1920s, a tremendous land boom gripped Florida, and waves of
people descended upon the Sunshine State. Between just 1923and 1925 an
estimated 300,000 people came to permanently settle in the state, and
over a dozen new counties were created in this single decade. Fueled by
postwar prosperity, tourists and new residents poured money into the
state's economy and dramatically increased the demand for land, homes,
hotels, industry, recreation, commerce, and services. At the height of
the boom, when many believed that the bubble had to burst, there came
news that a new resort city was under development on the Gulf Coast
below Sarasota, and all eyes turned to Venice. Over the decades since
its creation, Venice, with its balmy climate, unlimited boating and
fishing, and pristine mainland beach, has grown to be a Mecca for
thousands of tourists, snowbirds, and retirees. Carved out of a tropical
wilderness by America's oldest and wealthiest union, the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, Venice was made into a Gulf Coast oasis with
Spanish-style architecture, beautiful landscaping, and a friendly
network of tree-lined streets and boulevards. Visual documentation of
this early era has captured a city in its infancy and a valuable piece
of Venice's heritage.
