Outposts of Opportunity

Immokalee was once called Golfer Ridge. This area represents opportunities for people because of the variety of animals that live there and the dry land. The community was made up of farmers and the Seminole Indians. This area consisted of owning land, raising cattle, and growing crops. Some people were driven to Immokalee because their homes, like William Allen, were destroyed by a hurricane. Soon Immokalee became a popular location and slowly developed new changes such as the Railroad that was built for trading and transportation, which also helped start the timber industries. Sugar was a popular crop in which pioneers traded in exchange for gun power and clothes. To this day, Immokalee still takes pride in nature such as the wetlands and everglades. When Napoleon Brower became governor in 1905, he prevented the draining of the Everglades because it is an important factor in the economy.

Immokalee represents the Old American Dream because life was simple. Most of the people who lived there bought land, raised cattle, and sold crops. Their life surrounded the care of the environment and how it will provide necessities for their families. It is different from where I grew up because I lived in the suburbs. There wasn’t a lot of land for cattle, or crops, because of all of the new developments in housing, businesses, and highways. I think farming is Immokalee’s future because the area has taken care of the land, raising cattle, and selling crops. Eventually though, I think those who own their own land now will have to sell parts of it in the future because the population is growing. However, I also think Immokalee will be successful in the farming industry because of the weather. Florida has warm temperatures almost year round and, as the video mentioned, people from up north come down to Florida for the warm weather. The farming industry in Immokalee, therefore, has more time to grow and sell then the northern states do.