Friday, September 4, 2009

Ghost Town of Leno, Florida



Some things work and others don't.

Cable bridge over the river and above the original dam.




Ain't that the truth!?
In early days of settlements, it must have been a real kick in the pants when you did everything right and yet something someone else did, toppled your apple cart.





Leno was just such a town. Lumbering was a big deal, but not the only deal, for this little community and it seems everyone involved here was doing a darned good job of making things work.. Until that is, the railroad did not pick their little outpost of a community to be part of the plan.



What a gorgeous place to live and yet they had to move on.





They had modified the rivers flow....making a dam and adding a mill downriver. Designed many interesting engineering twists, to make this little town live off the land and the power of the river, but yet? Well, someone else's dream eclipsed theirs.





Everywhere were signs of early but fundamentally correct and simple engineering feats.




The railroad, highly in tune with the government, decided to NOT run thru their town. so they just dried up to a Ghost Town. Since they could not ship in or out, they became history.









The government then bought the rights to the town and made it a park, nearly a half century later. Big help to the original settlers, huh?




Last photo is a tribute to the CCC.






** As always, click on any photo to enlarge it!**