Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners, and Skiffers

Florida History and Culture

By: Glen Simmons, Laura Ogden

Narrated by: James R. Marshall

Few people today can claim a living memory of Florida's frontier Everglades. Glen Simmons, who has hunted alligators, camped on hammock-covered islands, and poled his skiff through the mangrove swamps of the glades since the 1920s, is one who can. Together with Laura Ogden, he tells the story of backcountry life in the southern Everglades from his youth until the establishment of the Everglades National Park in 1947.

During the economic bust of the late 20s, when many natives turned to the land to survive, Simmons began accompanying older local men into Everglades backcountry, the inhospitable prairie of soft muck and mosquitoes, of outlaws and moonshiners, that rings the southern part of the state. As Simmons recalls life in this community with humor and nostalgia, he also documents the forgotten lifestyles of south Florida gladesmen.

By necessity, they understood the natural features of the Everglades ecosystem. They observed the seasonal fluctuations of wildlife, fire, and water levels. Their knowledge of the mostly unmapped labyrinth of grassy water enabled them to serve as guides for visiting naturalists and scientists. Simmons reconstructs this world, providing not only fascinating stories of individual personalities, places, and events, but an account that is accurate, both scientifically and historically, of one of the least known and longest surviving portions of the American frontier.

The book is published by University Press of Florida.

©1998 Glen Simmons and Laura Ogden (P)2012 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"An homage to the rugged 'swamp rats' who were largely overlooked or scorned by the region's historians, naturalists, and adventurers." ( Miami Herald)

"Contains interesting tales of outlaws, moonshiners and other characters-some who lived on the edge of right and wrong-and roamed the inhospitable backcountry prairies of soft muck and massive mosquitoes." ( South Dade News Leader)

A hard life lived well

I really enjoyed this book, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for your life and the conditions that you work in after reading what these guys had to do every day to make a living and to eat. I wish everybody was aware of this history. And I wish much, and Florida was like it used to be.

Authentic

This was old Florida and the narrator was perfect. It is what it is, an old timey narration with some humor and loads of character and characters. Nothing exciting but man interesting window into a lost world.

More about Florida

Another book that talks about the history of FL.

He you you will find some notes that we're taking the route the years from about 19 20 to about 1940 all the Everglades in a man who lives it.

Like Florida, live in Florida good book if you really like out doors Florida

Great book, very enjoyable to read or listen to, the author paints a great picture of what the Everglades used to be.
I live and hunt in Florida and I found this book very entertaining

awesome book! great narrator

I keep listening to it... so interesting. great stories and history of Florida. awesome Narrator.