Revisiting Sanlando Springs

My original post about Sanlando Springs, made almost exactly four years ago, has proven to be one of my most popular. Since I originally wrote about the beloved Central Florida swimmin' hole, I have spent a good deal of time doing research about Florida springs for my book, "Finding the Fountain of Youth", and I have come across more great vintage ephemera for the spring, so I thought the subject worthy of a second post.

According to an article written by historian Jim Robison in the Summer 2012 edition of Reflections from Central Florida, the spring, originally called Hoosier Springs was first used as a recreational location as far back as the 1880s. According to Robison, former Altamonte Springs Mayor James Franklin Haithcox changed the name to Sanlando when he developed it as an amusement park in the 1920s.

Robison fills the rest of the spring's history:

"At least three generations enjoyed Sanlando Springs and its giant slide into cool, clear water. Landscaped with tropical plants, the park had the area’s first in-ground pool. Moses Overstreet, who owned timber and turpentine companies that controlled thousands of acres along the Wekiva, repossessed Sanlando Springs Tropical Park after the 1920s boom busted. The parkland reopened in 1935. The Marchand family put on professional log-rolling contests and demonstrations in 1941. After dark, the pavilion opened for dances that drew many young people in the 1940s. J.E. Robinson owned and ran the park from about 1950 until 1970, when it was one of the most popular spots in Central Florida during the summer."

The marketing of Florida's spring has always been of interest to me. The old advertising axiom "sex sells" seems to be the approach taken in early promotional brochures. With the headline "Maidens Fair and Nature's Glory" the natural wonders of the spring play second fiddle to the lovely ladies.

State Archives of Florida

One way to keep an ample supply of beautiful women on hand is to host a beauty contest, which Sanlando Springs did in 1951 according to these images from the state archives.

Beauty contestants of the Mrs. Sanlando Springs contest, 1951 
State Archives of Florida

Peggy Creel being crowned Mrs. Sanlando Springs, 1951
State Archives of Florida

This lovely brochure with a map has come up on Ebay several times
and I have yet to be able to add it to my collection

Here's a letter home, already written for you, simply add an addressee and a signature!

USF Digital Archives

While researching my book, I came across a small ad for Sanlando Spring in a vintage publication with a cute little faerie I thought would make a great t-shirt.  I contacted my friends at Vintage Roadside in Portland, OR and we collaborated on the design. VR's mission is to keep the memories of mom and pop roadside businesses alive. From the amount of comments on my last post about Sanlando, it is apparent that many people have fond memories of the spring.

This small ad in a vintage Orlando magazine was the inspiration
for the Sanlando T-shirt I created with Vintage Roadside

The T-shirts can be purchased online or at the Orange County Regional History Center.

Today only the residents of the gated subdivision known simply as "The Springs" can use Sanlando Springs. One of the the few times the public is allowed entry is for the Orlando Philharmonic's annual outdoor concert. Nature photographer John Moran from Gainesville recently attended and added these photos from the concert to his collection of other contemporary images of Sanlando.

Remembering the Senator

The January loss of Central Florida's 3,500 year old cypress tree known as the Senator was devastating for lovers of the record-setting tree. The outpouring of sadness from the community was tremendous and the story made the national news and the New York Times. I had no idea that folks cared so much for this behemoth that was already enormous 1,500 years before the birth of Christ. For me it showed that despite the actions of our state and local government, who seem to bend over backwards to allow developers to pave over the state's natural areas, people living here actually do care about the environment. So I found good in the disaster.

The tree, however, is a total loss, and Big Tree Park still remains closed. To honor the beloved tree, I created poster artwork and uploaded it to the Imagekind site to allow people to have a reminder of the great tree. A portion of the proceeds of any sale will be donated to the Friends of the Wekiva River, an organization that works to protect, preserve, and restore the natural functions and beauty of the Wekiva River here in Central Florida. The Wekiva is one of the areas last havens of wildness, and the pressures of development put its natural systems under great stress. In my opinion, it is our responsibility to maintain areas like this for future generations to enjoy.

Now a little about the poster. Based on an image I took of the Senator a few years ago, the piece is designed to look like a vintage travel poster that might have promoted the tree as an attraction around the turn of the century. The letters in the word "Senator" were hand-rendered, based on a vintage font found in a type specimen book. I used to do quite a bit of that in the days before computers. I then scanned in the artwork and re-drew it on the computer in Adobe Illustrator. Other archival elements like banners and corner elements were scanned in from different sources, to create this poster that celebrates the long period of time visitors have been drawn to this wonderful tree.

In addition to making me realize how much people really cared about the tree, the loss motivated me to get out and see some of the places right in my own backyard that I've taken for granted. I thought a tree that stood for 35 centuries would always be there. You never know when that place you've always intended to visit won't be around any more.

Central Florida's oldest attraction burns down

At 3,500 years old there is no doubt which Central Florida attraction held the claim to be the area's oldest. Centuries before Europeans ever set foot in Florida, the Cypress tree known as the Senator was already a giant. A tourist draw in the early 20th century, the grand tree's park was dedicated by Calvin Coolidge and improved with boardwalks during the days of the WPA.

Early this morning firefighters rushed to the park to find the massive old tree turned into a chimney, burning from the inside out. A smoking stump is all that remains. I have nothing but sadness for the loss of this wonderous behemoth.

Photos from my only visit to Big Tree Park in August of 2009.

(Images of the tree on fire taken from Orlando Sentinel video)

Seminole County's Senator

Last Thanksgiving we stayed at a HoJo's in St. Augustine with a huge Live Oak in the courtyard nicknamed the Senator. The sight-seeing Trolley Tours would drive through the parking lot on the way to the Fountain of Youth and always tell the same joke about the 400 year old tree: "Know why it's called the Senator? Because it's shady and it's crooked."

Seminole County's Senator is neither shady or crooked and it's about 3,000 years older than St. Augustine's Live Oak. The Senator is a Cypress Tree in the appropriately named Big Tree Park in Longwood. The park was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge and was for a long time believed to be the largest Cypress tree in the US. I've seen Sequoias and Redwoods in California, but this behemoth is easily the largest tree I've seen on this side of the country. Here's a little data:
• The tree originally was 165 feet high but a hurricane in 1925 knocked the top off and it is now only 118 feet tall.
• A landmark to Florida's native Americans, the tree drew visitors in the late 1800s despite being in the middle of a swamp.
• The WPA built a walkway to The Senator during the New Deal.
• The tree is estimated to be around 3,500 years old meaning it sprouted in the age of the pharohs in ancient Egypt.
• There were originally 4 large cypress trees together but only 2 have survived. The Senator's companion tree, known as Lady Liberty, is a mere 2,000 years old.

The Senator's little sister, Lady Liberty

Boardwalks lead through the swamp to The Senator

I've been yearning to visit Florida's oldest attraction for some time and sadly was there when lighting conditions were at their worst for photography. But in reality the tree is so large there is no good way to show its size in a 2-dimensional photograph. Just a short drive from Orlando, there is no admission charge to see the big tree and it is well worth the trip. There is a paved trail just outside the park and a bridge over US 17-92 for pedestrians and cyclists. On my return visit I'm bringing my bike!

Archival images from State Archives of Florida