For the summer vacation of 1977, I talked my parents into a cross-country train trip from Kissimmee to Sacramento, via Chicago. My ultimate destination was Stockton, California. Why Stockton? Because the September, 1975 issue of Rail Classics magazine told me to! Literally. In the headline of the story!

I modeled the Santa Fe on my HO scale layout, and had somehow picked Stockton as the town my layout served. It was serendipity when I read the magazine story. My summer destination was set. My dad accompanied me, along with one of my friends, Joe, on this railfanning adventure. I'll save the details and photos from that trip for another post, but one of several highlights of the trip was to see the Stockton, Terminal and Eastern Railroad. The ST&E is a 25-mile short line railroad which started operation in 1908. It is one of two Stockton short lines featured in the Rail Classics article.

Written in ink as a place to visit, I instructed my dad we needed to stop by the ST&E office to say hello. Yes, two 14-year-old boys stopping in to say hello. I'm not really sure what I was expecting in doing so. Why would they even care about two kids from Florida? Well, surprises awaited.

Upon entering their office, Joe and I were greeted by Lorinda Navone. I don't recall the details of the conversation, but I am sure we told her about our trip across the country to visit her city and railroad. She told us to have a seat as she wanted us to meet someone. In short order, the vice-president of the railroad, Robert Barry, entered the lobby to say hello! 

He listened to our story and told us we might enjoy a book they had just published, The Slow Tired and Easy RR, a history of the railroad!

Whoa! Talk about a great surprise. But the surprises didn't stop there. Mr. Barry signed the book for me!

After meeting Mr. Barry, I would have left happy, but more was coming. Lorinda also signed the book for this 14 year old kid.

I read her words today and reflect on my life. I hope she'd be pleased that this small town kid went on to work for Amtrak, leave it to start his own company, marry a wonderful woman, raise a smart, sassy and loving daughter, and throughout it all, continues to share his love of trains with others. Words matter. Simple notes like this matter. Thank you, Lorinda.

But Lorinda wasn't through with us yet. She presented me a book of - get this - Stockton, Terminal and Eastern matchbooks! I love to collect matchbooks (well, at least I did years ago when they were common place).

Best of all, these were custom matchbooks, with my name embossed on them!

We left a short time later, and my dad was shocked when we got into the car with the book and matchbooks in hand. These are some of the great souvenirs - and memories - from this epic trip. Sometimes just saying hello and being curious can lead to unexpected surprises.

Almost 50 years later, which is incredibly difficult for me to accept, I still have the book, the matchbooks, and these wonderful memories of June 15, 1977 in a town far, far from home.

Thank you Mr. Barry. Thank you Miss Navone. And thank you Rail Classics writer Miles Moran for an article that inspired a fantastic summer vacation.

If you look back far enough, and closely enough, you'll usually find a family member that worked for a railroad. It's not really surprising, though. Railroads were the primary mover of both freight and passengers in the country until the 1960's, and employed hundreds of thousands of employees in hundreds of roles throughout their systems.

I know of three relatives who worked for the railroad, all on my mothers side of the family (Lupfer/Gilbert). I'll start with the one who seemed to do the most - and until recently knew about the least. Alexander McClure Lupfer was my great granduncle. Born in Blaine, Pennsylvania on September 17, 1855, he was the third of eight children of Samuel Lupfer and Matilda J. McClure. (Matilda was sister to Alexander McClure - who deserves his own blog post. Until then, visit Wikipedia to learn more about him.)

After Alexander McClure Lupfer earned an engineering degree from Lafayette College in 1880, he started his railroad career with the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad. He soon moved west and worked for other railroads until 1890 when he was hired by the Great Northern Railway, and worked for John F. Stevens, the railroad's Chief Engineer. (Mr. Stevens was later the Chief Engineer for the Panama Canal.)

Between 1890 and 1893, Alexander was the reconnaissance and location engineer during the construction of the switchback railroad line through the gap of the Cascade Mountains, now known as Stevens Pass, between Skykomish and Wenatchee, Washington.

James J. Hill, President of the Great Northern Railway, and often referred to as 'The Empire Builder,' visited the switchback construction site for at least one inspection, and I have little doubt that Alexander met Mr. Hill during his visit to see the progress on the rail line.

A few years after completing the switchback railroad, Alexander returned to Stevens Pass to help construct the original Cascade Tunnel, a 2.6 mile shortcut under the mountains which was completed in December, 1900. 

Later, he spent time in Montana relocating and constructing 69 miles of the Great Northern Railway west of Whitefish.

Alexander traveled to Spain with John F. Stevens in 1912 on a project for the Spanish rail system, became Chief Engineer for the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad, and provided his expertise on many other projects that are covered in his obituary below.

Even with a list of accomplishments so long, there is another part of Alexander that intrigues me - and that is his legacy. While it's difficult to find mentions of him today, it was a different story a century ago. Thanks to the help of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society, I received the map below of the Stevens Pass Switchbacks from 1893.

Stevens Pass Switchbacks

When closely examined, there are two items I find fascinating. First, flowing into the Tye River (named after William Tye, a surveyor for the Great Northern), is Lupfer Creek, flowing south to north down Cowboy Mountain. Did Alexander name the creek after himself, or was it named in his honor? 

Second, in the upper middle section of the map, a pack horse trail is shown as a dotted line. A spur to the left leads to 'Engineers Camp A. M. Lupfer.' This location overlooked the valley and switchback on the opposite slope.

Here's a link to download the full size PDF: Download Wilse 1894 -Stevens Pass

Stevens Pass Switchbacks Closeup with Lupfer Creek and Engineers Camp A. M. Lupfer indicated on map.

I was imagining what the view would have been from the engineers camp when I happened upon the photo below, which was likely taken from the camp. I checked with one of the archivists at the Great Northern Railway Historical Society and he verified the location and that of Lupfer Creek descending down and under the switchbacks. Stevens Pass is to the left of the photo.

A view of the Great Northern Railway switchbacks at Stevens Pass. Lupfer Creek, near center of photo, runs down the north slope of Cowboy Mountain and under the switchbacks. This view is likely from the Engineers Camp. Photo by A. B. Wilse, ca. 1899. Photograph retrieved from the Library of Congress.

I must thank Robert Kelly and Stuart Holmquist of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society for their assistance. Without the map provided by Mr. Kelly, I would have never known of my great granduncle's important role in the building of Stevens Pass. These photos have inspired me to dig deeper, and with the help of Messrs. Kelly and Holmquist, I'm learning even more about Alexander McClure Lupfer.

I'll end this post with his obituary, though it isn't the end of his story. More to come.

Alexander McClure Lupfer, September 17, 1855 - February 3, 1920

Thanks for reading.

Matchbooks were once a standard item at restaurants as, after all, you could smoke while you had a meal! While I never smoked, I did enjoy collecting matchbooks when I traveled. Only problem was that I didn't collect many when I was home in Orlando. Here are a few of the ones I did collect in Orlando, Kissimmee and Maitland, plus a few from the Walt Disney World Resort.

Central Florida Matchbook Covers. Personal collection.

Looking at these, there are only three matchbooks from stand-alone restaurants; Pebbles, Lee's Lakeside and The Bubble Room. I enjoyed visiting those restaurants as often as I could, which wasn't nearly often enough. If I remember correctly, Lee's Lakeside had previously been a dinner theatre, and sometime when in elementary or middle school, our class went to a matinee performance there. I'm thinking it was 'Cabaret,' or some similar style musical, but I can't be certain some 50 years later.

Cherry Plaza Hotel on the shore of Orlando's Lake Eola. The single story portion closest to Lake Eola is where Lee's Lakeside would be located in later years. Florida Memory photo dated 1958.

On a side note, the building that housed Lee's Lakeside was once the Cherry Plaza Hotel where, on November 16, 1965, Walt and Roy Disney, along with Governor Haydon Burns, officially announced their Florida project, Disney World, to the public. The name was later changed by Roy to Walt Disney World after Walt's death on December 15, 1966.

Central Florida Matchbooks. Personal collection.

The remainder of the matchbooks were from hotels or Walt Disney World. Limey Jim's was at the Hyatt Orlando at US 192 and I-4 in Kissimmee. Church Street Station was a popular hangout in the 1980's and early 90's. They definitely 'Let the Good Times Roll!'

What I'll call the most unique of the bunch is from Disney's Lake Buena Vista Club. The purple matchbook cover would be custom embossed with the family name holding the reservation. This one is hard to read, but the reservation was made by my uncle, so Lupfer appears on the matchbook. I recall two or three different family matchbook covers over the years, but this is the only one that remains.

It's been some time since I picked up a matchbook at a restaurant, hotel - well anywhere really. While I don't miss the smoke that often filled the rooms, I do miss these unique and free pieces of advertising.

The Kissimmee lakefront has provided a gathering place on the shore of Lake Tohopekaliga. I recall my grandfather telling me of days when Seminole Indians would canoe into town and sleep under the canopy of the large oak trees. That same shore saw the nearby South Florida railroad unload travelers on their journey to a resort, or perhaps a new life in Central Florida.

By the 1940's, the lakefront had seen development, including the addition of a seawall, a community house and what has been described as 'the world's most unique monument,' the Monument of States. Kissimmee also opened a zoo, which I remember visiting when I was quite young.

Here are a few linen postcards from my collection that showcase the Kissimmee lakefront.

Kissimmee Lakefront Linen Postcard, circa 1946. Reverse: Orange News Co., Orlando, FLA.

Kissimmee Municipal Zoo Linen Postcard, circa 1946. Reverse: Orange News Co., Orlando, FLA.

Kissimmee Monument of States, circa 1946. Reverse: WORLD'S MOST UNIQUE MONUMENT. Built of 1500 stones. Every State in the U.S.A., 41 governors and 21 foreign countries represented. Base 22 ft. square. Height 50 ft. Weight 600,000 lbs. 2 years to build. Sponsored and bult by the Kissimmee All-States Tourist Club, Inc.

Many postcards, including these provide idealized views of their subjects. The Monument of States, for example, is not as close to the waterfront as the image implies, nor is the view as clear (the Community Center was behind the monument from this view. The tropical feel of these cards would certainly please the recipients and, perhaps, entice them to make the trip to Florida to find paradise themselves.

Living just three blocks from the Monument of States, I visited - and climbed - it too many times to count. The lakefront and all of downtown Kissimmee was my playground in the 1970's. I enjoyed it and would gladly repeat those old days and appreciate the people and life in a small town much more than I did.

Did you grow up in 'old' Kissimmee or a small town? Have fond memories to share? Your comments and stories are welcomed.

Originally posted October 11, 2021
Updated July 25, 2023

The St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway, built in 1888 by Hamilton Disston to serve his $350,000 sugar mill transported sugar, vegetables and citrus as well as passengers between Kissimmee and St. Cloud. It was built as a 3' narrow gauge railroad, but converted to standard gauge around the turn of the century.

Kissimmee station June 28, 1901. The St. Cloud and Sugar Belt track diverged to the right near the top of the photo. CFRHS Collection.

The route traveled from the Kissimmee station, where it connected with the South Florida Railroad and Florida Midland Railroad, east along today's Neptune Road before passing through downtown St. Cloud, a distance of 9 miles. The route grew another 4.34 miles when it was extended to Narcoossee, where a locomotive turntable was built for reversing the engines.

SCSB Route from Open Railway Map. Route in yellow. Spur in blue. Turntable in green. Click to enlarge.

Route Map in 1917. Personal collection.

St. Cloud Flyer, Sugar Belt RR, Kissimmee, FL. Florida Memory Photo.

ACL 4-4-0 #532 at the St. Cloud Depot, c. 1910, Ex-SF&W #223 and SFRR #23, Baldwin 1890. Florida Memory Photo.

Sugar Belt tracks departing Kissimmee and headed east (left) toward St. Cloud, circa 1925. Personal collection.

Sugar Belt tracks departing Kissimmee and headed east (right) toward St. Cloud. Personal collection.

Trestle east of Kissimmee with Idora Park in distance. Neptune Road now parallels this former line. Personal collection.

ACL Timetable Kissimmee to Narcoossee, 01MAY1916. CFRHS Collection.

 

Camp Idora Motor Court with Sugar Belt Railway in foreground. Road is now known as Neptune Road. Fisk collection.

Dual gauge Sugar Belt Railway, photo believed to be at St. Cloud during conversion from narrow gauge to standard gauge around 1896. Fisk collection.

At the St. Cloud Canal, located between Kissimmee and St. Cloud was Hamilton Disston's sugar mill. A spur line from Peghorn Junction (also known as St. Cloud Junction) to the mill provided rail access to move the sugar to Kissimmee and northern markets.

St. Cloud Sugar Mill in operation. Note railcars in distance. CFRHS collection.

SCSB 1889 Tariff. CFRHS Collection.

The line operated as the St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway Company from 1888 to 1892, when it was leased to the South Florida Railroad Company before being merged into the company in 1893. It was sold to the Plant Investment Company that same year.

In 1902, it was sold to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which owned the line until it was abandoned in 1942 and scrapped shortly thereafter. The Bill Johnston Memorial Trail, which parallels Neptune Road follows some of the roadbed of the former rail line.

St. Cloud depot with ACL train car. CFRHS collection

In Narcoossee, the locomotive could be turned on a hand-pushed turntable, the remnants of which remain today behind the feed store on private property. There was also a station and water tower at the end of the line. The photo below shows the locomotive pulling the train in reverse direction, giving the impression that the turntable was either not utilized or out of service at the time of this photo.

Narcoossee Station 1902. Personal collection.

With decreasing passenger and freight, the final Atlantic Coast Line train traversed the line on September 29, 1941. The Veterans of the Foreign Wars Post 3227 purchased the building to use as their post headquarters in 1943, and remains their post to this day.

Last train to operate on the line was on September 29, 1941. Pictured at St. Cloud. Florida Memory photo.

St. Cloud Depot VFW Post 3227. VFW Post 3227 Photo.

St. Cloud Sugar Mill ruins. Personal collection.

There are few signs of the St. Cloud and Sugar Belt today, however three items remain; the St. Cloud Depot, ruins of the sugar mill located along the St. Cloud Canal, and the concrete base of the turntable in Narcoossee. My family was involved with the Disston operation, and used the Sugar Belt for shipping. I'll post those stories at another time.

If you have photos or information on the St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railroad or Hamilton Disston, I'd like to hear from you. Leave a comment below and I'll be in touch. Thanks for reading!

Sources:
Personal collection
Central Florida Railway Historical Society (CFRHS)
Fisk Collection
Florida Memory
VFW Post 3227
Open Railway Map

Riverboats were a lifeline to commerce and travel in the pioneer days of Florida, and anywhere there was a river, you could find a captain piloting his boat to the next town or landing. The Kissimmee River was no exception. From the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, Reedy Creek, Shingle Creek, Boggy Creek and others supplied Lake Tohopekaliga with a constant flow of water that meandered a slow and winding path all the way to the southern tip of Florida.

During the 1880's, riverboat builders, including my maternal great-grandfather, Addison Starr Gilbert, along with three of his brothers, began building boats on the shore of Lake Toho in Kissimmee. This post includes the only three photographs I know to exist of the Gilbert Brothers riverboats.

The Kissimmee River is a winding and shallow river that required a low draft boat, and smaller in size than the boats of the St. Johns or Oklawaha Rivers.

Scenic view of the Kissimmee River c.1920 - Florida Memory

My great grandfather made a weekly trip between Kissimmee and Okeechobee with a stop in Bassinger and twenty other spots along the way. Places with colorful names like Turkey Hammock, Rattlesnake Hammock, Cabbage Bluff, Alligator Bluff and Orange Hammock. By land, the trip from Kissimmee to Bassinger was about 80 miles. The winding Kissimmee River turned it into nearly 160 miles.

I like to think the quote below, from an 1899 article in the Kissimmee Valley Gazette, could have been written after a trip on one of his boats.

"There is no more pleasant way of spending a week than to take the trip to Bassinger. Birds of all kinds are in sight the whole way: flocks of ducks, coots, herons, cranes, limpkins, curlews, plume birds and water turkeys without end; also alligators, rabbits and water snakes, and plenty of fish, too.

In its narrowness, in the rampant growth of water plants along its low banks, in the unbroken flatness of the landscape, in the labyrinth of by channels and cut-offs and above all in the appalling, incredible, bewildering crookedness of its serpentine body, it is indeed an extraordinary river." 

Kissimmee River near Fort Basinger Station Florida. May 1919. Florida Memory

The Gilbert Brothers who built boats included Sam, Jim, George and Addison. They named one of their boats Tallulah, after their sister. The family, which had seven brothers and one sister in total, moved to Kissimmee in 1886 from Leesburg, GA. Addison would become mayor of Kissimmee in the 1920s.

City of Athens Riverboat on the Kissimmee River. Florida Memory

The steamboats supplied the settlers with needed food, goods and even livestock. The photo above shows firewood stored near the landing, used to replenish the fuel for the wood-burning steamboat.

Bassinger Steamboat on her Maiden Voyage. Florida Memory

Bassinger steamboat docked in Kissimmee. Personal Collection

87 year old A. S. Gilbert at the Kissimmee River boat-a-cade in 1951. Florida Memory

Gilbert Brothers Article in Orlando Sentinel. Personal Collection

I found this flyer online, produced by the South Florida Water Management District, which quotes my great grandfather at the bottom.

Kissimmee River History Brochure - SFWMD. Personal Collection

Old Florida was, for a time, a haven for boats built by local entrepreneurs to ply the rivers near their home. Their success could be tied to the size of their fleet, the towns and outposts they served, and the people and goods they carried. Navigating the Kissimmee River was a skill that a captain also needed to possess, for it could be unforgiving if you ran aground.

As the Orlando Sentinel article states, my great grandfather saw the writing on the wall for steamboats, and opened Kissimmee's first gas station. While he passed away before I was born, I remember the old gas station on North Main Street stood for many years before it was demolished.

There are online articles detailing the history, and the operators, of the Kissimmee River steamboats, including those owned by Captain Clay Johnson and Captain Rufus Rose, both residents of Kissimmee. It's a fascinating part of Central Florida history.

If you have photos or information to share about the Kissimmee River steamboats, please leave a comment below and I'll be in touch. Thank you!

Sources:
Personal collection
Florida Memory
Orlando Sentinel
South Florida Water Management District
Reminiscing in the Valley of the Tohopekaliga

This brochure, from my collection, advertised the SST Aviation Center, which was located between Kissimmee and St. Cloud on Aeronautical Blvd, not far from the southbound exit of Florida's Turnpike. The building still exists as a church, and for many years had the SST inside before the model was sold and removed. I visited a few times, and drove by the museum frequently before it closed in 1981.

SST Museum Brochure Page One

SST Museum Brochure Page Two

Interior of SST Museum

If you visited or have information about the SST Aviation Center in Kissimmee, please leave a comment below and I'll be in touch. Thank you!

Sources:
Personal collection

This video features plenty of old Kissimmee, from the Seaboard Coast Line depot on Dakin Avenue, to scenes of Broadway, but my favorite is the interview with Irlo Bronson, Sr., one of the few recordings of him that I've seen. While I grew up with his son's family, I never met the elder Mr. Bronson. Anyway, a great look at Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista and Windermere in the months prior to the opening of Walt Disney World.

If you remember Central Florida towns before Disney of saw something that brought back memories in this video, please leave a comment below. Thank you!

Source:
YouTube

Welcome! This site launched on August 28th, 2021. Check back often for new content.

In 1993, I had the opportunity to ride aboard Airship Shamu on one of it's scheduled flights over the Central Florida theme parks. The blimp was owned by Airship International LTD, and founder Lou Pearlman, who later went on to create the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.

The blimp was based at Kissimmee Municipal Airport (now known as Kissimmee Gateway Airport) and had a truck-mounted mooring mast since there were not any hangars or permanent facilities at the airport.

I shot this video on August 4, 1993 using a Panasonic WF-F250/AG7450 SVHS camera. The camera was handheld and the footage is unedited, and has not been color-corrected or stabilized.

After departing the Kissimmee Airport, we head west to Old Town and Water Mania. We then head over Epcot Center, Disney-MGM Studios, the Polynesian Village Resort, the Contemporary Resort, and the Magic Kingdom. We then continue northeast along I-4 to fly above Sea World, the Orange County Convention Center, the Peabody Hotel, International Drive and it's hotels, restaurants and attractions, including Wet 'n Wild. The final portion of the flight is above Nickelodeon and Universal Studios before returning to Kissimmee.

The transfer from SVHS to digital revealed some dropouts in the video, however the tape held up remarkably well given its age. Hope you enjoy this footage from almost 30 years ago.

If you remember Airship Shamu, of other blimps and aircraft that were based in Kissimmee, please leave a comment below. It'd be great to hear from you. Thank you!

Video source:
Personal collection