Gamble Place in Port OrangeApr 24, 2009
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Some of the group getting prepared to kayak
meandering upstream in no hurry at all
our first obstacle was a live palm - I went to the...
I am staying at a KOA in Port Orange, just west of Daytona Beach, because that is where the Florida Chapter of RVW is meeting this month. I decided to give a rally one more shot and this one was worth it. The leaders went out of their way to welcome me when I got here, and let me know what is going on. The people attending this rally are very friendly and interested in me and where I come from and am going to.
This morning, we went to the Cracker Creek Canoeing establishment to kayak on the Spruce Creek. Then, we had a nice lunch, rode on a wagon to the Gamble Place to tour the National Historical Site, and finally, rode on a pontoon down the creek/river for an hour.
We kayaked upstream where the creek got narrower with lots of trees and logs in our path. We saw a couple of turtles, but that's it for the wild life. Lunch for me was chicken salad on croissants, pasta salad, cole slaw, a brownie, and lemonade! Very nice!
James Gamble, of Proctor and Gamble, from Cincinnati, Ohio came to Daytona Beach during the winters in the 1890s. He bought 175 acres for $160 (I hope I remembered that right)and built a cracker style house (bungalow with a big porch and breezeway)on his new property west of town. He named it "Egwanulti" which is an Indian word for "by the water". That is how one got to his house back in 1907. He used it for fishing and hunting but also harvested the oranges from the grove that was here then.
His son-in-law, Judge Nippert, built his own retreat on the property in 1938, six years after Gamble died. He liked the movie "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs", so he had Walt Disney visit him to help him build a replica of Snow White's cottage! He also added the Witchs' Hut, the Dwarfs' Mine Shaft, and elaborate gardens. People can have birthday parties here now, with one of 3 themes - Snow White, Pirates, or Outdoor Adventure. Amazing!
On our pontoon ride, we learned about the preserve, black water, and rules for building along the river. No one is allowed to build on the low lying areas of the river. The river gets fresh water from Spruce Creek and salt water from the Atlantic! We could see where the landscape changed from cypress and palm trees to thrush and sawgrass. We saw an alligator who has a nest nearby, and two blue herons on and near their nest!
