{"product_id":"ditch-of-dreams-the-cross-florida-barge-canal-and-the-struggle-for-floridas-future-9780813061733","title":"Ditch of Dreams: The Cross Florida Barge Canal and the Struggle for Florida's Future","description":"\u003cp\u003eTraces the long standing effort to build a canal across Florida \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Offers timeless lessons about pork-barrel politics and the power of citizen-environmentalism. Most important, it reminds us that today's economic coup may well be tomorrow's environmental crisis.\"--Cynthia Barnett, author of\u003ci\u003e Mirage\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Ties the exploitation of the Ocklawaha to Florida history across nearly two centuries. Moreover, they bring to life the personalities of canal supporters and detractors, including such dynamic individuals as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Claude Pepper, and Marjorie Harris Carr.\"--Frederick Rowe Davis, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Saved Sea Turtles\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For centuries, men dreamed of cutting a canal across the Florida peninsula, despite the enormous technological and financial challenges of doing so. Heedless of environmental concerns, groups of water transportation advocates consistently lobbied the federal government to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, a project intended to place Florida at the very center of American commerce and prosperity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Steven Noll and David Tegeder trace the twists and turns of the project through the years. The story of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, crucial to twentieth-century Florida history, is complex, featuring competing interests amidst the changing political landscape of modern Florida. \u003ci\u003eDitch of Dreams \u003c\/i\u003ereveals much about the clashing visions of progress, economic growth, and environmental preservation in the fragile ecosystem of Florida, while exploring the tangled web of politics, influence, and power in the Sunshine State.\u003cbr\u003e The history of the canal is not just a story of Florida's past, but a compelling lesson for its future. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSteven Noll\u003c\/b\u003e, master lecturer in history at the University of Florida, is the author of \u003ci\u003eFeeble-Minded in Our Midst \u003c\/i\u003eand editor of \u003ci\u003eMental Retardation in America. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Tegeder \u003c\/b\u003eis professor of history and chairperson of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Santa Fe College. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University Press of Florida","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50413250773266,"sku":"9780813061733","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_49e2dca1-6149-4b76-9bed-295e6a667e9a.jpg?v=1729351197","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/ditch-of-dreams-the-cross-florida-barge-canal-and-the-struggle-for-floridas-future-9780813061733","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}