77-592: Royal Palm State Park was Florida's first state park . It was located in Miami-Dade County, Florida , and has become part of the Everglades National Park . Paradise Key is located southwest of Homestead, Florida . It is a hammock in the Everglades surrounded by a slough that was first noted by a federal surveyor in 1847. The island included the largest stand of royal palms ( Roystonea regia ) in
154-516: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of
231-573: A tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 km/h) roughly 1,100 mi (1,800 km) east of the island of Martinique in the Lesser Antilles on September 11. Tracking west-northwestward, the storm gradually intensified and reached hurricane intensity on September 12 while still east of the Lesser Antilles. The observation of low barometric pressures and winds suggesting cyclonic rotation at Saint Kitts on
308-448: A careful study of its biological features should be made. In his report, Safford thanked Royal Palm State Park warden Charles A. Mosier, whom he described as a "born woodsman and accomplished naturalist". The FFWC functioned on a shoe-string budget. They had no funds for ongoing park expenses, much less park development. Mrs. Jennings wrote to hundreds of individuals, organizations and publications to solicit contributions. Some park land
385-872: A development project in the lower Ten Thousand Islands , were destroyed; the project was subsequently abandoned. Although the hurricane weakened before striking the upper Gulf Coast, its slow movement produced substantial effects to coastal regions between Mobile and Pensacola; these areas experienced heavy damage from wind, rain, and storm surge. Wind records at Pensacola indicate that the city encountered sustained winds of hurricane force for more than 20 hours, including winds above 100 mph (160 km/h) for five hours. The storm tide destroyed nearly all waterfront structures on Pensacola Bay and peaked at 14 ft (4.3 m) near Bagdad, Florida . Rainfall peaked at Bay Minette, Alabama , where 18 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (470 mm) fell. The disarray in Miami following
462-572: A few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska, the largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about
539-410: A great impact to Florida unlike the rest of the country. Many planned developments, which had fallen into deadlock due to insufficient resources, were abandoned due to the economic effects of the hurricane. In Boca Raton, for instance, one planned community by Addison Mizner , called Villa Rica, was destroyed by the hurricane and never rebuilt. South Florida did not achieve full economic recovery until
616-448: A minimum pressure estimated at 930 mb (27 inHg). At the time, the hurricane was very large in size, with a radius of outermost closed isobar 375 mi (604 km) across; hurricane-force winds were reported from the upper Florida Keys to near St. Lucie County . Around 20:30 UTC, the eye of the hurricane passed into the Gulf of Mexico near Punta Rassa ; though by that time
693-507: A remarkable example of a subtropical jungle within the limits of the United States in which primeval conditions of animal and plant life have remained unchanged by man, and thus offering a striking contrast to the keys along the coast of Florida as well as to other Everglade keys in which normal biological conditions have been greatly disturbed by destructive fires, clearing of forests or the construction of drainage canals, which not only affect
770-683: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use
847-613: A secondary peak intensity with winds of 125 mph (201 km/h) on September 20, equivalent to that of a modern-day high-end Category 3 hurricane. Although the storm had taken a more northwesterly course through the gulf, the hurricane later began paralleling the coast of the Florida Panhandle and thus slowly curved westward. As a result, the major hurricane, now weakening quickly, made its second landfall near Perdido Beach, Alabama , at around 21:30 UTC that day with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). After landfall,
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#1732869874761924-800: A value of 11.7 ft (3.6 m) occurred at Dinner Key , equal to the observation at Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami. In fact, the storm surge measured in the 1926 hurricane was the highest ever officially documented on the east coast of South Florida until observers recorded a height of 16.89 ft (5.15 m) at the Burger King International Headquarters near Cutler in Dade County during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 . The hurricane's high storm surge swept into Miami and Miami Beach , flooding city streets with knee-deep water. Yachts and large vessels were carried by
1001-436: A week after the storm. A storm surge from Lake Okeechobee entirely inundated Clewiston , reportedly leaving numerous bodies along the road connecting the city with Miami. Further inland, the surge burst through frail, earthen, 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) muck dikes, submerging Moore Haven under 13 to 15 ft (4.0 to 4.6 m) of water. Residents scrambled, often unsuccessfully, to safety on rooftops but were swept away by
1078-513: A year, nearly giving up on the park. For the 1921 legislative session, she again requested funding. Finally, a $ 2,500 recurring appropriation was approved. Following the 1926 Miami hurricane and Everglades fires, $ 10,000 was provided for restoration. During the Great Depression , a camp for Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) operated in the park from a nearby base in Homestead, Florida , where
1155-517: Is known primarily for its impacts and lasting aftermath in South Florida , particularly in the Miami area. Effects were concentrated around Florida's southeastern coast and south-central Florida, with additional impacts in Northwest Florida. Damage figures from the storm in the state alone reached US$ 75 million and accounted for most of the damage that the tropical cyclone produced. Although
1232-650: The Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium, is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with
1309-630: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . 1926 Miami hurricane The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 was a large and intense tropical cyclone that devastated the Greater Miami area of Florida and caused catastrophic damage in the Bahamas and the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 1926, accruing a US$ 100 million damage toll. The devastation wrought by
1386-608: The Everglades National Park on December 6, 1947, after which the state park ceased to exist. At the ceremony, Mrs. Jennings presented a plaque representing the symbolic gift of the park to the nation. The former state park was the site of the first Everglades National Park visitor center and later became the Royal Palm Visitor Center within the park. On November 17, 2016, there was a celebration to commemorate Royal Palm State Park's centennial. State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at
1463-791: The Florida Strait . The first tropical cyclone warning associated with the storm was a northeast storm warning issued on September 17 for the Florida coast from Jupiter Inlet to Key West, Florida . Warnings along the United States Eastern Seaboard eventually stretched as far north as Charleston, South Carolina , upon the storm's first landfall. Additional warnings were posted for the United States Gulf Coast on September 19 and covered coastal areas from Apalachicola, Florida , to Burrwood, Louisiana . Information on
1540-420: The Gulf of Mexico near Fort Myers . It flooded surrounding communities and barrier islands , while strong winds downed trees and disrupted electrical service. The storm later made two landfalls with weaker intensities on Alabama and Mississippi on September 20 and 21, respectively. It caused additional but less severe damage in those states, primarily from heavy rains and storm surge. Land interaction caused
1617-594: The Lake Worth Lagoon overflowed their banks, submerging nearby streets, parks, and golf courses. High tides piled debris on the streets of Palm Beach , caused a beachfront boardwalk to collapse, and exacerbated previous damage from the July hurricane . On Hollywood beach, waves smashed windows and invaded the interior of the Hollywood Beach Hotel. People on the second floor found sand drifts reaching "half way to
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#17328698747611694-695: The seat of Broward County, and ripped the roof from the Broward County courthouse. Despite having only 12,000 inhabitants, the town sustained severe damage to 3,500 of its buildings. Nearby, the storm severely damaged the abandoned New River House of Refuge . Cities as far north as Lake Park (then called Kelsey City) and West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County reported many roofs blown off, numerous small buildings destroyed, walls blown down, windows shattered, and trees, shrubs, and other objects torn apart or uprooted. The worst destruction occurred in
1771-560: The 1940s. The University of Miami , located in Coral Gables, had been founded in 1925 and opened its doors for the first time just days after the hurricane passed. The university's athletic teams were nicknamed the Hurricanes in memory of this catastrophe. The school's mascot is Sebastian the Ibis , an ibis . The ibis is a small white bird that can be seen around South Florida, including on
1848-573: The Everglades . Scientists requested that Paradise Key be protected from development, but they were mostly ignored until May Mann Jennings and the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs (FFWC) took up the cause. At the time, vandals and road workers were plundering palms and other rare plants. Jennings' father, Austin Mann , served in the Florida legislature and her husband, William Sherman Jennings ,
1925-492: The Everglades. Estimates of the dead near Lake Okeechobee ranged as high as 300. Two years later, another Category 4 hurricane killed at least 2,500 people along Lake Okeechobee, but mostly affected the eastern shore, leaving Moore Haven largely unscathed. The Gulf Coast of the Florida peninsula saw comparatively less damage compared to Greater Miami but still suffered significant impacts. A peak storm tide of 11 to 12 ft (3.4 to 3.7 m) affected Punta Rassa and
2002-476: The Miami area. The toll for the storm in the United States was $ 100 million ($ 1.72 billion 2024 USD). It is estimated that if an identical storm hit in the year 2005, with modern development and prices, the storm would have caused $ 140–157 billion in damage ($ 196 billion in 2016); this would make the storm the costliest on record in the United States, adjusted for inflation, if it were to occur in contemporary times. Several events, including
2079-636: The Million Dollar Pier . Many historic structures throughout South Florida sustained significant damage, including the Barnacle and the Villa Vizcaya , where the yacht Nepenthe and fishing boat Psyche were sunk. The storm damaged the main residence at the Bonnet House —the only hurricane to do so since the latter was first built. No other storm since 1926 caused a similar level of destruction to
2156-590: The United States. Prior to 2003, the National Weather Service had long accepted 243 as the number of deaths, but historical research indicated that this total was far too low. The NWS then updated its totals to reflect the new findings. Even the estimates for the United States are uncertain and vary, since there were many people, especially transients and colored migrants in South Florida, listed as "missing". About 43,000 people were left homeless, mostly in
2233-470: The camp was located from October 1933 to June 1934. The ECW, later known as the Civilian Conservation Corps, contributed a massive labor force that the park had previously lacked; up to 200 workers could contribute to park maintenance, public relations (e.g. as tour guides) and construction. ECW personnel helped to replant an area that had been burned in a 1927 wildfire. Trail improvements and
2310-545: The ceiling." The storm also ravaged entertainment venues and historic sites. The storm flattened the Fulford–Miami Speedway in North Miami Beach , which then ceased operation. Winds peeled into pieces the roof of the grandstand at Hialeah Race Track and destroyed the kennels, allowing racing greyhounds to escape. The storm wrecked prominent restaurants and tourist attractions on Miami Beach, including
2387-692: The coastal bridge on Florida State Road A1A at Baker's Haulover Inlet . In Boca Raton , waves were so large that they rose to the top of the high ridge on the barrier island , though they did not overtop it. High surf also destroyed a casino at the Boca Raton Inlet . "Knee-deep" water east of U.S. Route 1 (Federal Highway) in Boca Raton blocked beach access, but residents waded through. Meanwhile, large waves left much debris and sand drifts several feet deep on State Road A1A in Delray Beach . The waters of
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2464-675: The country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in the United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with
2541-631: The cyclone to deteriorate and later dissipate on September 22. Due to the sparseness of available observations in the central Atlantic, the specific origins of the 1926 Miami hurricane remain unclear. Operationally, the United States Weather Bureau in Washington, D.C. , did not begin issuing advisories on the cyclone until September 14. However, the cyclone is first listed in HURDAT —the official Atlantic hurricane database—as having begun as
2618-474: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are
2695-500: The evening of September 14 was the first to suggest that a hurricane had developed. The following day, the steamship Matura encountered the strengthening tropical cyclone and documented a minimum pressure of 28.82 inHg (976 mb ). By 06:00 UTC on September 15, the storm had strengthened further to major hurricane intensity north of the Virgin Islands . Strengthening continued into September 16 as
2772-415: The extent of damage in the Bahamas was initially unclear. In the Bahamas, the storm flattened hundreds of structures and killed at least 17 people, mostly on Bimini , where seven people died and the greatest property damage occurred. The hurricane also leveled many structures on Andros , including churches and large buildings, and downed trees and other homes on New Providence. On parts of Andros,
2849-511: The hurricane passed near the Turks and Caicos Islands , though its intensity at the time was based on the extent of damage there as any measurement device was knocked out by the damaging winds. Shortly afterward, the cyclone struck the Bahamian island of Mayaguana at its peak intensity. After passing the island, the hurricane slightly weakened but maintained formidable strength as it accelerated through
2926-444: The hurricane reached a strength equivalent to that of a Category 4 on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale . Although no official minimum pressure readings were taken in the area at the time, the tropical cyclone peaked in wind-based intensity at 18:00 UTC on September 16 with sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), near the uppermost limit of the modern-day ranking Category 4 . With this strength
3003-402: The hurricane resulted in the end of Florida's land boom , and represented an early start to the Great Depression in the state. It has been estimated that a similar hurricane would cause about $ 235 billion in damage if it were to hit Miami in 2018. The hurricane is believed to have formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on September 11. Steadily strengthening as it tracked west-northwestward,
3080-489: The hurricane's passage led to a breakout of looting in the city's African-American districts that resulted in seven arrests. This unrest prompted the declaration of martial law with the swearing-in of 300 special policemen for voluntary duty. Similarly, 200 policemen were placed on duty in Hollywood, Florida . After a survey indicated that the available food and water supplies would only last 30 days, hoarding
3157-478: The hurricane. The storm surge in South Florida was not as high as it would have been had the hurricane struck another area, owing to the deep offshore continental shelf , which increased the energy needed to sustain a large surge. However, along Biscayne Bay , the hurricane produced a substantial storm surge; visual estimates suggested a peak height of 14 to 15 ft (4.3 to 4.6 m) in Coconut Grove , and
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3234-419: The intense wind and waves onto shore. The MacArthur Causeway connecting Miami and Miami Beach was submerged under 6 ft (1.8 m) of water. Waves several feet high were rolling up Las Olas Boulevard , which had the appearance of a river rather than a street. ... Practically the entire town was covered with three feet of water. M. A. Hortt, former mayor of Fort Lauderdale Communication between
3311-485: The islands of Captiva and Sanibel , causing $ 3,000,000 in flood damage. The storm opened Redfish Pass between Captiva and North Captiva islands. Between Tampa and Naples , strong winds destroyed windows and felled trees and power poles. In Fort Myers , citrus crops sustained some damage and public utilities were put out of commission. Strong winds uprooted trees in St. Petersburg , while heavy rainfall caused flooding in
3388-511: The laying of a telephone line into the park were important accomplishments of the ECW camp. Additional structures built included a deer yard, a concrete pond and various park support buildings, such as a garage. The workers also received a natural history lecture from Ernest Coe , an advocate of Everglades conservation. The Florida Federation of Women's Clubs administered the park's operation for more than 30 years until President Harry Truman dedicated
3465-484: The local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to
3542-684: The material of which has been studied and classified by specialists and deposited in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution , the United States Natural Museum , the Bureau of Entomology and the Biological Survey." Safford, a noted botanist, gave this description of Paradise Key in 1919: Paradise Key, an island in the heart of the Everglades of Florida, is almost unique from a biological point of view, presenting as it does
3619-422: The official number of fatalities would later be revised downward, initial estimates suggested that the death toll would likely be over 1,000 in Miami alone with an additional 2,000 injured. Nonetheless, the grave number of casualties forced resorts to serve as temporary morgues and hospitals. Homes and office buildings were used to serve as refugee camps for the approximately 38,000 people displaced by
3696-433: The original conditions, but at the same time permit aquatic animals and plants previously unknown to penetrate into the Everglades. The region is also remarkable for the fact that it is a meeting place for many temperate and tropical types of plants and animals. On this account and from the fact that it offers a virgin field for collectors in most branches of natural history, it seems of the highest interest and importance that
3773-435: The outlying districts of nearby Tampa. South of the eye, a storm tide of 8 ft (2.4 m) submerged the streets of Everglades City , forcing people into the upper stories of buildings. Homes that were not secured to their foundations floated away on the tide. Tides reached 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) as far south as Flamingo , sending seaweed, fish, and mud into dwellings. The project headquarters of Poinciana ,
3850-659: The park was dedicated on November 23, 1916. The Ingraham highway , a new road from Florida City to Paradise Key was dedicated at the same time. William Edwin Safford was a biologist with the United States Department of Agriculture in September 1917. David F. Houston , the Secretary of Agriculture , dispatched Safford to conduct a survey of the southern Everglades. According to Safford, the specimens he gathered "resulted in collections in nearly all branches of Natural History,
3927-400: The poorer, mostly black sections of the towns, where many homes were destroyed. We had never been through a hurricane in 1926, when we experienced our first one. ... We didn't know that all windows should be covered in a hurricane. ... I was watching as railroad cars were being knocked off the tracks and telegraph poles were snapped like toothpicks. ...[Immediately] almost all the windows on
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#17328698747614004-459: The pressure in the eye had only risen to 28.05 inHg (950 mb), the winds in the eye wall had decreased to 105 mph (169 km/h). The hurricane had weakened over South Florida as a result of land interaction, but re-strengthened after emerging into the Gulf of Mexico off Punta Rassa six hours later. The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico allowed for the tropical cyclone to reach
4081-506: The property until Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The storm ruined cultivated areas throughout South Florida. The storm flooded the surrounding citrus crop and agricultural fields south of Miami, particularly near Homestead and Florida City , destroying half of the citrus-bearing trees in the area. Much of the citrus crop in Dania was a total loss as floodwaters submerged the area to depths of 6 ft (1.8 m); flooding lingered for more than
4158-611: The sinking of a ship in the Miami harbor and an embargo by the Florida East Coast Railroad before the storm, weakened the Florida land boom of the 1920s in South Florida. However, the storm is considered the final blow to end the boom locally. Thousands of newcomers to Florida left the state and cleared their bank accounts, leaving many banks to the brink of bankruptcy. As a result, the Great Depression of 1929 did not make
4235-638: The southern Bahamas , passing near Nassau on September 17. The storm then made a second landfall on Andros Island in the Mangrove Cay district early on September 18. Thereafter, the hurricane crossed Andros Island and passed over the Gulf Stream en route to Florida. This trajectory brought the storm ashore on the coast of South Florida near Perrine , located just 15 mi (24 km) south of Downtown Miami , before 12:00 UTC on September 18 with winds of 145 mph (233 km/h) and
4312-469: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by
4389-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park
4466-416: The state, as well as orchids, ferns and other rare tropical plants. Royal Palm State Park was created to protect Paradise Key. Beginning in the mid-1880s, development in Florida grew as Henry Flagler 's Florida East Coast Railway was extended from Jacksonville to St. Augustine then to Palm Beach and Miami . The efforts to drain the Everglades lacked an understanding of the geography and ecology of
4543-460: The storm as ascertained by the U.S. Weather Bureau was relayed by various radio and local press services, though the bureau specifically acknowledged the Mobile Register for their efforts in disseminating storm details. Although no fatalities were reported, the hurricane wrought extensive property damage to Grand Turk Island . Rain gauges recorded 10 in (250 mm ) of rain during
4620-460: The storm quickly weakened and meandered off Alabama's barrier islands, eventually moving ashore for the last time on September 21 near Gulfport, Mississippi , as a tropical storm. The cyclone continued its decay inland, degenerating into a tropical depression the following day before dissipating over Louisiana shortly thereafter. On September 16, the United States Weather Bureau advised caution to ships tracking in Bahamian waters and
4697-410: The storm reached hurricane intensity the next day. As a result of scattered observations at open sea, however, no ship encountered the storm until September 15, by which time it had reached major hurricane intensity north of the Virgin Islands . Strengthening continued up until the following day, when the storm reached peak intensity with a strength equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane . This intensity
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#17328698747614774-620: The storm snapped or felled almost all of the coconut palms, and in the Exuma district a large storm surge ruined many crops. The storm also destroyed 60% of the homes on the north island of Bimini, left water up to 7 ft (2.1 m) deep in some areas, and was widely considered the worst storm on record in Bimini to date. Some sources say 25 people died on Bimini, but these may have been indirect deaths, as many people reportedly perished after drinking contaminated well water. The 1926 hurricane
4851-735: The storm's passage. Afterwards, then- U.S. president Calvin Coolidge placed the United States Army and Coast Guard on standby should relief efforts necessitate their presence in Florida and the Bahamas . The Red Cross offered its facilities and the Pullman Company offered its resources for use in relief efforts. The National Guard of the United States dispatched several companies of guardsmen to disaster areas following urgent appeals from then- Florida governor John W. Martin . In response to
4928-477: The storm, and high surf left knee-deep sand drifts on the island. The ocean covered the land up to 3 ⁄ 4 mi (1.2 km) inland, and winds unroofed buildings at the weather station. Reportedly, the winds even ripped spines from prickly pear cacti. Nearly all lighters at port were lost. The storm left 4,000 people homeless on three of the islands in the Turks and Caicos. Due to hampered communication,
5005-565: The storm; eyewitnesses likened it to the Charleston dance . Many of the injuries in the city were due to ballistic fragments of broken roofing including iron sheeting. Other structures across the region sustained significant damage. Strong winds leveled "hundreds" of working-class homes in Hialeah and severely damaged 70% of the town. Winds destroyed the interiors of buildings in Fort Lauderdale ,
5082-434: The storm—were reported in the aftermath. Upon striking South Florida , the cyclone generated hurricane-force winds over a broad swath of the region, causing widespread and severe structural damage from both wind and water. Most of the deaths occurred near Lake Okeechobee , when a large storm surge breached muck dikes and drowned hundreds of people. The hurricane quickly traversed the Florida peninsula before emerging into
5159-497: The sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in
5236-598: The top floor were broken. Floy Cooke Mitchell, wife of former mayor of Boca Raton J. C. Mitchell Along the east coast of South Florida, the storm caused widespread, significant beach erosion . At Hillsboro Inlet Light , high tides removed 20 ft (6.1 m) of sand beneath the lighthouse. The hurricane swept away much of State Road A1A in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. The combined force of waves and storm surge undermined coastal structures that collapsed, including multi-story casinos on Miami Beach , and washed out
5313-491: The two locales as well as the rest of the United States was cut after all local telecommunications and power lines were blown down. Due to their susceptibility to strong winds, most wooden buildings in Miami were either blown down or lost their roofs. Concrete and steel buildings were warped at their bases. While skyscrapers mostly sustained minor damage, the 18-story Meyer-Kiser Building bore considerable damage. The structure reportedly swayed and vibrated precipitously during
5390-484: The widespread destruction of buildings on Miami Beach, John J. Farrey was appointed chief building, plumbing and electrical inspector. He initiated and enforced the first building code in the United States, which more than 5,000 US cities duplicated. According to the American Red Cross , the storm caused 372 fatalities, including 114 from the city of Miami, but these totals apparently do not include deaths outside
5467-411: The winds and storm surge. A nearby drainage dam was destroyed, causing additional flooding of the countryside. Most of the city's buildings were swept off of their original foundations. Reports by the Red Cross and local authorities indicated that 150 human corpses were found in Moore Haven alone; their estimates were incomplete as many bodies were never found, reportedly having been swept deep into
5544-475: Was Florida Governor from 1901 to 1905. Her political connections and those of her fellow Women's Club members secured a grant from the legislature of 960 acres (390 ha) to the FFWC but without initial or continuing financial support. It was the first conservation action approved by the state. Henry Flagler's widow, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler Bingham , matched the state grant for a total of 1,920 acres (780 ha) when
5621-459: Was banned. Soup kitchens were set up in Miami's business district in order to serve food to the recently displaced and as a source for clean drinking water that was contaminated in other areas. The first aid arriving from outside the impacted areas was a relief train guarded by state militiamen that carted medical staff, medicine, potable water, and other relief supplies into Miami immediately following
5698-399: Was completed in 1919 as housing for the caretaker, visitors and scientists. The state donated an additional 2,080 acres (840 ha) to the park by 1921 for a total of 4,000 acres (1,600 ha). At the park, numerous visiting scientists were studying the area and publishing papers which encouraged more visitors. Mrs. Jennings' husband died in early 1920, and she grieved at her home for almost
5775-468: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like
5852-525: Was leased to area farmers. Small donations arrived, but the park was constantly in need of funds. The Miami–Dade County Commission made a one-time appropriation of $ 1200. Charles Mosier was hired as caretaker and his family arrived in March 1916. John Umphrey began construction of the lodge; park improvements including trails and picnic tables were added. In the 1917 and 1919 legislative sessions, funding requests were submitted and denied. The 3-story Royal Palm Lodge
5929-434: Was maintained as the storm tracked across the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas to landfall near Miami on September 18. The hurricane caused immense destruction throughout the islands and across southern Florida. The storm destroyed hundreds of structures in its path over the islands, leaving thousands of residents homeless. At least seventeen deaths occurred on the islands, though many others—some related only indirectly to
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