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Clewiston, Florida: Lake Okeechobee and the Seminole Nation

Clewiston, Florida resides on the Southern shore of Lake Okeechobee, a lake enhanced by the US Army Corps of Engineers to provide water for Southern Florida. Previously the water flowed through the Everglades to the Gulf. Now it is stored in the lake, reducing the size of the Everglades, but giving fresh drinking water to the population and irrigation for the sugar cane, and citrus industries. Florida orange and grapefruit groves are not myths conjured up by the Tourism bureau. They do exist: as far as the eye can see in some places.

The Seminole Nation Reservation begins thirty or so miles South of Clewiston. The Ah Tah Thi Ki (Seminole for to learn, to remember) Museum on the reservation tries to preserve and protect the culture and traditions of the Seminole Nation through exhibits, movies, and extensive archives. It also features a 1.5-mile boardwalk trail through the Big Cypress swamp. More than fifty signs describe the various flora indigenous to the ecosystem and the ways the Seminole people used them. A ceremonial area and living village with craftsmen plying their trade are also found along the trail.  The Seminoles fought two wars with the United States and never surrendered.  Too bad that more emphasis about their victories was not touted at the museum. This would be another feather in their headdress.

The only restaurant nearby is at Billie’s Swamp Tours, about three miles down the road. This is an attraction built to cater to the tourists. They offer swamp rides in land-based vehicles and swamp airboats. Of course, there are many more people at the swamp tours than the more educational museum. The restaurant is very nice, a little pricey, but worth the money spent. Try alligator tail nibblers (battered deep fried pieces), which are served with tartar sauce. They are pretty good; a little chewy, but edible.

Drive back to Clewiston through the sugar cane fields.  They are a blight upon nature.  They swallow the water of Lake Okeechobee, which should go to the drying Everglades.  Smoke bellows from the stacks of the processing plants in Clewiston, polluting the air. The fertilizer used for the cane encourages the growth of cattails, which are an exotic species in Florida.

To see Lake Okeechobee you have to drive on top of the levee or dike. You cannot see the other shore. It is definitely a large lake.  Today, 2008, the lake is in serious trouble.  The levels are very low and the once great fishing has diminished.

About the Author

John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy. He is retired from the rat race of working. He is a full-time RVer, who ran away from home. He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System. He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.

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