When present day resi-
dents zip from Lake Wales
to Frostproof, Dundee or
Bartow they probably think
they are traveling slow if
the trip takes more than
15-20 minutes.
There was a time in Flor-
ida history, and still in this
century, when those trips
were far more time con-
suming. Preparations took
more than a random
thought and quick takeoff.
And you might not ride in
comfort all the way.
Such was not the case in
March of 1908 when the
grandmother of Sarah
Cody, currently of Cody
Villa on Crooked Lake, de-
cided to take a trip from the
family home in Frostproof
to Lake Wales. The grand-
mother, Sarah Amelia Cody
later wrote to her daughter,
Ethel Higginbottom in ln-
dia telling of that day.
Miss Cody recently
brought the NEWS a photo-
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graph of the family group
making the trip and also a
letter the grandmother sent
to her daughter describing
the day. Both the letter and
the photograph will be part
of a history of Frostproof
that will be coming out
later. The history is full of
similar memories and pic-
tures and is being prepared
by June Felt.
It is being reprinted here
as a reminder that the
"good old days" weren’t al-
ways so easy but those pio-
neers still had a lot of fun.
Here is Mrs. Cody’s
March 8, 1908 letter:
To Ethel Higginbottom
4th daughter
in India
Frostproof House
My dearest Ethel,
I feel pretty tired tonight,
we have been going so
much this week. Monday I
baked bread and made a
call with father
Tuesday we went up to
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Crooked Lake.
Wednesday we got up
early, all of us. Packed a
lunch, put two horses be-
fore the wagon and started
out to Lake Wales, about 11
miles away.
Mr. and Mrs. Jaques and
two ladies were going to
Haines City and were going
that way, so we thought to
go as far as Wales with
them. Well, we came up to
them east of Crooked Lake.
We journeyed with them
till we came to a lake called
Easy, not so large as some
lakes are.
By that time it was noon,
so they stopped there for
lunch. Took off their horses
and fed them. They built
their fire and we built our
fire a little ways off from
them where we boiled eggs
and made coffee for father.
Harry, Lillie, Vilma and I
had tea made. Well, it all
tasted so good.
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After a rest, they hitched
up and we went on with
them to Lake Wales three
miles farther on.
It is a beautiful sheet of
water. High banks covered
with pines, but not a person
near for miles. It does seem
strange such beautiful spots
in this country with no one
living in them to enjoy the
beauty. Oh yes, we saw a
boat half full of water so
sometime somebody had
been there.
After resting and water-
ing the horses we returned
home (Crooked Lake
house) about 6, tired but
pleased with our picnic.
This forenoon Harry and
Louis brought us to Frost-
proof as we had been in-
vited to Mr. Carson’s to eat
turkey with some other people
we knew here. Sat. we
intend to go on another
picnic to Avon Park.
Very Lovingly, Mother
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