The Avon Park Idea on the opening of the Bank of Avon Park, October 1894
The Avon Park Idea was edited and published in Avon Park during the mid-1890s under the auspices of the Florida Development Company. While original standalone issues are unlocated, substantive excerpts were reprinted in contemporary regional and national newspapers, including The Redwood Gazette of Redwood Falls, Minnesota, on 18 October 1894.[redwood-1894-10-18]
The Redwood Gazette printed the dispatch due to Cashier Charles C. Chollar’s family ties to Redwood County, providing a contemporary description of overland travel on the Lake Wales Ridge and the opening of Avon Park’s first financial institution.[redwood-1894-10-18]
The Redwood Gazette Introduction
A PERILOUS TRIP. Charles Chollar has One From Ft. Meade to Avon Park.
The experience of Charles C. Chollar and his charming wife in traversing the distance from Fort Meade to Avon Park, Florida, was not the most pleasant the world affords. Avon Park has no railroad connections, and the nearest station is Fort Meade, twenty miles away. From the Fort they were obliged to take a carriage to Avon Park. The week before occurred what is known in that country as the tropical storm, a terrific rain fall, accompanied by wind traveling at the rate of 45 miles per hour, and originating in the West Indies. Streams were swollen, bridges were washed out, mails were delayed, and a good, genuine old Minnesota blizzard is said to be an infant when compared to this tropical storm. From the Avon Park Idea, an account is taken of Mr. and Mrs. Chollar’s trip, which nearly cost them their lives, as well as allusions made to the opening of the Bank of Avon Park, of which Mr. Chollar is cashier, and of which one James R. Skuse, of that town, happened to be the first depositor. The Idea’s idea follows:[redwood-1894-10-18]
The Avon Park Idea Verbatim Account
Mr. C. C. Chollar, cashier of the new bank just established here, arrived at the Park, accompanied by his wife, on Thursday last. Their trip from Fort Meade here was an extremely perilous one, requiring more courage than is usually met with. They were the first to reach the Park after the storm, and the wonder is that they got through safely. At Bowlegs Creek they were compelled to unhitch the horses, swim them across a swollen stream and draw the carriage through the water. At another point the carriage was swept by the current completely around, but fortunately did not upset. A greater part of the distance they were compelled to stand on the seats of the carriage on account of the depth of the water. Wednesday night was spent at Mrs. Henry Winegord’s, the party pushing on and arriving here the following morning.
* * * * * *
Owing to the immediate urgent need of banking facilities at the Park, it was decided not to await for the completion of the new building in which the bank is to be assigned commodious quarters, so temporary quarters have been arranged in the offices of the Development Company, in Hotel Verona, and the new bank was opened to the public to-day for business. Mr. C. C. Chollar, the cashier, arrived here last week, bringing with him a full supply of bank stationery and what is of especial convenience to our people, plenty of paper convertable into cash. The convenience of a bank will be appreciated by all, but perhaps to no greater degree than in the furnishing of an abundance of currency and coin. The bank will prove a new era for both business and business men that can only be accomplished by a bank. It will prove of untold value in many ways, but none more important than by putting money in circulation. Let our people show their appreciation of the new enterprise by patronizing it. Deposits, either large or small, will help accomplish the desired end, at the same time affording you safety for your money and convenience in the payments of accounts.[redwood-1894-10-18]
Contemporary Circulation of the Avon Park Idea
The Avon Park Idea circulated widely in agricultural and exchange exchanges between 1894 and 1896, providing intelligence on regional commerce and state policy:
- 18 October 1894 (The Redwood Gazette): Overland stage travel across Bowlegs Creek and the opening of the Bank of Avon Park under Cashier C. C. Chollar and first depositor James R. Skuse, confirming the initial opening date for the $20,000 institution listed in the 1895 state business directory.[redwood-1894-10-18][gaz-1895]
- 26 June 1895 (The Florida Agriculturist): DeSoto County’s cattle: “DeSoto county has the largest cattle owner in the world. Judge Ziba King has over 60,000 head running on the grass fields of this section. An average of from two to three hundred beef cattle go through the Park every week for the Tampa and Jacksonville market.”[fa-1895-06-26]
- 5 August 1896 (The Florida Agriculturist): Agricultural reporting on South Florida crop production, estimating a statewide harvest of 72,000,000 pounds of commercial watermelons.[fa-1896-08-05]
References
- redwood-1894-10-18 — The Redwood Gazette, quoting the Avon Park Idea. A Perilous Trip — Charles Chollar has One From Ft. Meade to Avon Park, The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 18 October 1894, page 2, quoting the Avon Park Idea. 18 October 1894. newspapers-of-avon-park.md
- gaz-1895 — Belden Publishing Company. Florida Railroad Gazetteer and State Business Directory, 1895 — table of Florida banks, and s.v. Avon Park. 1895. florida-business-directories.md
- fa-1895-06-26 — The Florida Agriculturist (DeLand, Fla.). Floridiana column, The Florida Agriculturist, 26 June 1895, page 15, quoting the Avon Park Idea. 26 June 1895. florida-agriculturist.md
- fa-1896-08-05 — The Florida Agriculturist (DeLand, Fla.). Floridiana column, The Florida Agriculturist, 5 August 1896, page 15, quoting the Avon Park Idea. 5 August 1896. florida-agriculturist.md
Related
- Finding: Charles C. Chollar, the Redwood Falls Origins, and DeSoto County Banking
- Finding: Avon Park had a bank in 1894, and Crosby was its president
- Entity: C. C. Chollar
- Entity: Hotel Verona
- Entity: Florida Development Company
- Entity: The roads to Avon Park
- Reference: The newspapers of Avon Park
- Finding: The Avon Park Weather Bureau station, 1892
Where this comes from
- Evidence
- corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
- Review
- unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
- Rights
- society
Sources
- The Redwood Gazette, quoting the Avon Park Idea, A Perilous Trip — Charles Chollar has One From Ft. Meade to Avon Park, The Redwood Gazette (Redwood Falls, Minn.), 18 October 1894, page 2, quoting the Avon Park Idea (1894)
- Belden Publishing Company, Florida Railroad Gazetteer and State Business Directory, 1895 — table of Florida banks, and s.v. Avon Park (1895)
- The Florida Agriculturist (DeLand, Fla.), Floridiana column, The Florida Agriculturist, 26 June 1895, page 15, quoting the Avon Park Idea (1895)
- The Florida Agriculturist (DeLand, Fla.), Floridiana column, The Florida Agriculturist, 5 August 1896, page 15, quoting the Avon Park Idea (1896)
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