Interesting Repository of Random 10000 Island and Everglades History

While looking into smuggler's history in the glades near lostmans, I ran across this site (text is VERY slow to load on my work computer) that gives lots of articles of history, including this description of how Lostmans got its name:

"Captain Jocelyn met up with five soldiers in Key West who agreed to pay him $200 if he would take them in his sloop to Punta Rassa. They were dressed in civilian clothes, but Jocelyn understood them to be Army or Navy deserters. He hid them in his sloop while leaving Key West during the night and the following night anchored off Lostman’s Key, a remote area located approximately half way between Cape Sable and Everglades City.

Here it was reported that he ordered the “helpless credulous dupes to disembark, telling them they were on the mainland and that they would find a settlement with a saw mill where they could

get work a short distance back into the woods.” They were happy to leave “such a harsh and vile scoundrel” as Captain Jocelyn was and without a supply of food or water, and carrying only the clothing they wore, they landed on Lostman’s Key.

An unknown amount of days later, Scotty, the helmsman of Allen’s schooner “Jennie” along with George W. Allen (William S. Allen’s son) sailing north from Key West spotted a man on the beach waving a signal flag. Near shore they found five men, some “almost dead from hunger, thirst and exposure.” They had to be helped on board and, when on the deck, they were described as “wild of eyes, half crazed by anxiety, and emaciated by hunger and privation, they presented a woeful aspect.”...

Because of this incident William S. Allen named the Key “Lostman’s” and the adjacent river also got the same name. Meanwhile Scotty, the pilot of Allen’s schooner “Jennie,” said that he thought the name should really have been “Found Man’s Key.”

Craig Woodward moved to Marco Island in 1968 and has practiced law in Collier County since 1980. Craig is the Chairman of the Collier County Historical and Archeological Preservation Board.

"http://www.coastalbreezenews.com/2011/07/15/the-maroons-of-lostman%...

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Permalink Reply by Swamp Hunter on March 9, 2014 at 5:41pm

What a scoundrel. The Coastal Breeze is free and I always try to pick one up.You can get a copy at the Carnestown gas station at 41 and SR29 or at Walmart..

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Permalink Reply by shawn beightol on March 13, 2014 at 6:18am

I emailed Craig Woodward, the author of the above piece and asked him about the Lostman's Passage (and told him about some structures I had run across on a pond toward the head of New River (where its just a creek). Here's his reply:

"there was clearly a boat passage from Loop Road down and out to Lostman's - actually to Onion Key where a 1920s development (that flopped - like so many real estate ventures of that era) was proposed to be built (advertised as the "Miami of the West Coast of Florida!!!" ) I am not sure I can find the exact path they took, but I recall a description of how the buyers who wanted to see the property (almost all underwater!) would travel to get there.

Also interesting on the huts you found over the water. I wonder if they were from alligator hunters?...I did get some information from the family of some bootleggers who told me where the remains of their old still was - it is located just south of Chokoloskee Island."

I wonder if the airboat trail was once more than just flattened sawgrass or if the boat passage began south of the jeep path?

Has anyone looked to see if Onion Key might be in the vicinity of the "Lost Passage"?

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Permalink Reply by shawn beightol on March 13, 2014 at 6:34am

I think I just "scored" - seems the development (and company) was called Poinciana. Here's a map of the route to their Lostman's development from 1927: