2003-035 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

USDUNPS NRHP Registration Form Jungle Trail Indian River County, Florida Page 15 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section 8 Page 9 (Narrative Summary of Significance, Continued) served as the original alignment for State Road A-1-A for the area north of Vero Beach, initially designated in 1946. State Road A-1-A provided an important link between coastal communities after World War II and helped foster tourism and land development that came to characterize the east coast of Florida in the 1950s-1960s. It is likely that the original alignment of Jungle Trail was inconsistent with the overall plan for A-1-A, the so-called"Ocean Hiway,"which was supposed to be straight, broad, level, and cater to tourists as a scenic byway. By the early 1950s the new A-1-A alignment had been constructed through much of Orchid Island and monies were budgeted for construction of the segment north of the Sebastian Inlet(Florida State Road Department 1951). The link between the Jungle Trail, Indian River citrus, and mid- twentieth century tourism in eastern Florida may be the most significant aspect of the trail. The Jungle Trail represents a short but important period in the recent history of Vero Beach and Florida's Atlantic Coast, the transition from the agricultural endeavors of the citrus industry to the rise of extensive developments that radically changed the physical and cultural landscape. Breslauer(2000:14)notes that the development of the state road system in the 1920s is closely tied to the appearance of commercial roadside attractions, which catered to motoring tourists traveling into and through the state. Many smaller tourist venues, like motels, restaurants, gift shops, fruit stands, and novelty structures appeared as well during the heyday of road side attractions, including those associated with the Jungle Trail (e.g., Jungle Treasure House, Driftwood hotel). Many of the early commercial roadside attractions capitalized on the"tropical"and "natural"associations that Florida evoked in the minds of travelers. The Jungle Treasure House and Jungle Trail are certainly part of this tradition. The scenic quality of the trail preserves aspects of the rural agricultural landscapes associated with the citrus industry and sense of coastal wilderness that attracted tourists and ultimately developers to the Vero Beach area. Fekete (1962:183)notes that many rural areas in Florida experienced considerable change in land use during the period 1948 to 1960. In the case of Orchid Island and coastal Indian River County these are due to an increase in tourism, coupled with the conversion of citrus groves into residential developments. Byways like the Jungle Trail, and their associated minor attractions, often were consumed by planned residential neighborhoods (Breslauer 2000:16; Mormino 1987). Yet a portion of the winding, narrow dirt road survived, allowing present-day visitors a glimpse of Orchid Island's past. Jungle Trail also is tied to the history of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the nation's first such preserve, designated by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. Pelican Island is recorded as 81R33 in the Florida Master Site File, and is a National Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places site. The alignment of the Jungle Trail, when first built, deviated from its planned course and encroached on wetlands, requiring construction of some embankments. These structures helped convert approximately 14 acres of wetlands into uplands,which were added to the tax rolls. Discovery of this error led to litigation that ultimately added lands to the refuge in 1963 and in 1999 (Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund 1964, 1999a, 1999b). New facilities are currently being developed to provide access from Jungle Trail to the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge using some of the uplands that were conveyed to federal control in 1999 (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 1998). Several unusual aspects contribute to the significance of the Jungle Trail, including that it is still unpaved, largely follows its original alignment, and has its original and varied width (15 to 27 feet). Efforts by the community have helped to preserve a 30-ft. wide buffer on either side of the road in order to retain the Australian pine windbreak, citrus trees, and native hammock vegetation. The road is currently used by vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and provides a glimpse into the character of the Indian River and Orchid Island areas in the early twentieth century.