Long before anyone drove it, the Tamiami Trail was a path for people on foot and in canoes. For Florida’s original inhabitants, the wetlands weren’t an obstacle; they were a highway.
Most of the original settlers gravitated along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, but smaller groups always lived deep in the interior, making a life in what we now call the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp. When American speculators first dreamed up a road linking Tampa and Miami, the Seminole and Miccosukee still called the wetlands home.
Building the Tamiami Trail meant different things to every generation of Seminole and Miccosukee. Listen to those who grew up in the 1960s, in traditional Chickee camps, and you’ll hear stories about fighting for independence, pushing for education, protecting the Everglades, and holding onto their heritage. These kids learned to hunt and fish in the swamps, bathed in the canals, and lived with their extended families. They heard firsthand from their grandparents about surviving the Seminole War, stories of terror and resilience, not just names in a textbook. On the Trail, grandparents taught them to be wary of outsiders, to respect their elders, and to be ready for hard times. They learned humility and a deep sense of duty to family. Their stories make it clear: a few key role models and trailblazers in education changed the course of their lives…