SW0138 Writer Presents Seminole as Integral Players in Florida’s Past and Present

Seminole Wars Authority

The US Government spent millions of dollars and incurred thousands of casualties attempting to remove the Seminole from Florida in the first half of the 1800s. Today, the Seminole are still here – and they are thriving; they are integral to a study of Florida’s history.

And they are the subject of fascination in popular culture. A 1950s Greyhound busline booklet features iconic sites to visit around the United States. For Florida, that meant no Disney park – had not been built yet; no NASA space center– again, not built yet. THE tourist attraction of Florida were the Seminole!

Doug Alderson returns to discuss how he presents the Seminole in his books, one of which is on such old Florida attractions. Seminole are also portrayed in vintage art around the Sunshine State, and no study of American alligators is complete without an exploration of Seminole wrestling of the ancient creatures. Doug even explores the Seminole in spooky ghost stories. Topping it off is his compelling historical novel, Seminole Freedom. It traces the tale of a self-liberated black teen and her adventures and contacts in the first two Seminole wars. We will discuss all this and more with Doug.

Greyhound Buslines featured Seminole as the Florida attraction in the 1950s.

Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Fla.

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