National Highways in Florida 



By Mrs. Kirk Munroe 



THE great Dixie Highway, running south from 

 Chicago for more than one thousand miles, finds 

 its terminus in Dade County, Florida, at the 

 boundary line between Miami and Cocoanut Grove. 

 Throughout its entire length it has a reputation for beauti- 

 ful scenery, carefully planned borderings of ornamental 

 trees, shrubs, and llowers, as well as for smooth, liard- 



0.\ THE IN'GRAH.-VM HIGHW.A\ 



The famous Traveler's Tree {Ravenala Madagascariensis) of which there arc 

 many along the fine highway which runs one hundred miles into Florida until 

 Cape Sable is reached. 



surfaced road-beds, among the best of which are those 

 found along its Dade County sub-division. 



The unique slogan of the Dixie Highway, " Plant a 

 tree for every baby along the line ! '' was first heard in 

 Florida, and in that State it already has been answered 

 by many miles of planted trees. 



The Dixie Highway was officially opened on October 

 24, 1915, with a three days' celebration at Miami when 

 the first automobiles to cover the entire route ended their 

 long journey from Chicago. 



One of the most notable features of this highway is a 

 wonderful open-air Aviary and Bird Sanctuary, recently 

 established by Mr. Charles Deering, of Chicago, on his 

 southern estate that borders the road for miles just north 

 of Miami. Here, too, also bordering on the Dixie High- 

 way, Mr. Deering has deeded to the Government a large 

 tract of land to be used by the Department of Agriculture 

 as a tropical experiment station. 



Ten miles further on the Dixie Highway finds its 

 southern terminus at another beauty-spot, amid the superb 

 collection of tropical flora displayed on both sides, for a 



mile or more, by "■ \Tscaino," the magnificent winter home 

 of Mr. James Deering, also of Chicago. 



At this terminus, the Dixie merges in the Ingraham 

 Highway, the most southern road of the whole national 

 iiighway system. Over its smooth, hard-oiled surface the 

 traveler may penetrate nearly one hundred miles further. 

 Uncle Sam's Mainland Tropics, until, at Cape Sable, he 

 reaches their extreme limit. 



This unique highway, bordered on one side by the 

 Everglades, and on the other by the salt waters of Biscayne 

 Bay, is named after the Honorable James E. Ingraham of 

 St. Augustine, who discovered South Florida for Henry 

 Flagler, and who has done more than anv other one man 



THE screw PI.XE a'.\.\D.\XUS UTILIS) 



These trees may be seen along both the Dixie and the Ingraham highways. On 

 the Di.xie the slogan is, "' Plant a tree for every baby along the line!" 



for its development. The highway that he explored tra- 

 verses dark tropical forests, mangrove swamps, and 

 crosses the vast saw-grass marshes of the Everglades. It 

 passes orange, grapefruit, and lime groves, through others 

 of avocadoes, or mangoes, besides great pineapple patches, 

 and vast fields of tomatoes ripening in midwinter; also, 

 and above all, it crosses " Paradise Key " through the 

 superb Royal Palm Hammock, the great State Park 

 that is maintained by the Florida Federation of 

 Women's Clubs. 



Half of this wonderful highway is already constructed, 

 while the remainder, through the 'Glades, is under con- 

 tract, with work on it in active progress. The road-bed 

 is 24 feet in width and has a central driveway of crushed 

 and heavily rolled rock, overspread with tarvia. When 



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