lamarmontsdeoca

Men camp in an old deserted swimming pool: Ellaville, Florida

from Florida Memory

• Criz Stoddard said:

  I wonder who they are and what their lark was all about?

• 73939133 said:

  Gotta love the beach umbrella.

• Pixel Wrangler said:

  The men are identified in the catalog record as Charlie Anderson, Wyatt Blassingame, Bill Buford, Fred Crews, Morris Monts de Oca, Dock Noble and Von Walker.
  
  This is likely the same "Von Walker" camping again on the Suwannee River, a year later, with Howe Sadler ...
  
  "Von Walker and Howe Sadler cooking at their camp site" by Florida Memory
  
  
  
  and here are Wyatt Blassingame, Von Walker, and Bill Buford fishing:
  
  
  
  
  I wonder if this is the same Wyatt Blassingame – the author – of hundreds of stories and magazine articles, adult novels, and children's books – mostly about American history and animals. (He died in 1985.)
  
  
  Morris Monts de Oca (below, right) was a photographer for the Florida News & Photo Service, Inc.:
  

• ninafl said:

  The swimming pool was built in 1939 by James O. Sabin and helpers as an addition to the tourist camp he owned and operated on what is now the site of the Suwannee State Park. It is at the end of the abandoned bridge on the Ellaville side of the Suwannee River near the Suwannahoochee Spring. He built a waterwheel and pool (the stonework for this pool is misidentified in current photos and text as dating from the 1850's.) at the spring. I have photos documenting this history. Ninafl

• lsdiamant1 said:

  To Pixel Wrangler... it is, indeed, the same Wyatt Blassingame, the author. It's my grandfather and I recognize him clearly. He's the one on the left, holding the fish. I had never seen these photos until yesterday. So fun to see. : )