Discover the growth and transformation of Sarasota, Florida from
deserted land of milk and honey to the thriving, charming community it
is today.
Sarasota, Florida was not always the thriving urban community that
residents know today. This popular tourist destination on the Gulf Coast
began its course of modern development with the Homestead Act of 1862
and a promise to the inhabitants of Scotland that the land awaiting them
in Florida was one of milk and honey where gold grew on trees. Little
did the first settlers know that within a hundred years the deserted
land they then called home would transform itself not only into a
bustling real estate and tourism hub, but also into a charming community
with a personality all its own. From the 1920s to the 1960s, the Gulf
Coast town was described as a community where no one was a stranger. In
the 1920s, however, a clairvoyant full-page ad in the Sarasota Herald
predicted, Sarasota's Growth Cannot Be Stopped. Indeed it couldn't.
Sarasota soon became nationally known for its connection to the Ringling
Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, its famous art museum, and its
celebration of modern architecture. A long time resident of Sarasota,
Florida, Jeff LaHurd's ninth published work is his most comprehensive
account of Sarasota's history to date. In this precise exploration of
the city's history, LaHurd masterfully chronicles the lives lived and
the fluctuating growth of Sarasota.
