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				“A Wilder Florida” A Journey Deep Into Florida's Past Coastal Outdoors By Phil H. Shook On the way down US 41, before the sign directs the traveler south to Everglades City and Chokoloskee, there is no mistaking the look and feel of a wilder Florida. The manicured lawns, glittering boutiques and country club elegance of Naples are only 30 miles to the north but the thick tropical vegetation and the nervous stirring of wildlife along the Tamiami Canal hint at new adventures ahead. This is the western entrance to the Everglades National Park, which offers a treasure trove of possibilities for the traveling angler and naturalist. Four miles south off US 41 on State Road 29 is Everglades City, the gateway to fishing, boat tours, canoe touring and wildlife viewing in Florida's Ten Thousand Islands area. Everglades City's population is only about 500 in the summer, but it grows significantly during the peak winter season when visitors descend on this coastal community. Framed in palm trees and resting quietly on a mangrove-lined river that is home to tarpon and snook is the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City. Originally a mansion built by William Smith Allen, an Everglades pioneer who developed the property in the 1870s, the Rod and Gun Club still retains the quiet elegance of a past era. Visitors can choose fresh fish or frog legs from the menu in the wood-paneled dining room or have drink on the open, outside porches while watching boats go by with the stone crab harvest from the local waters. While there are no longer rooms available for stays in the main lodge, now a bit seasoned with the years like the red cypress paneling, there are several simple cottages available on the grounds. The nearby dock and marina offers boat slips, guide services and a convenient walkway for making a few casts along the mangrove shorelines. (for information, contact the Rod And Gun Club (941-695-2101). Other restaurants in Everglades City include the Oar House (941-695 3535), which offers a full breakfast menu as well as the local seafood and reptile specialties (gator and turtle), and the Oyster House, located on the causeway between Everglades City and Chokoloskee (941-695-2073) which also offers regional specialties including scallops, catfish and lobster tails. For the naturalist, the walls of the Oyster House also offer a museum-like collection of local fish, wildlife and native artifacts including mounted sawfish, wood carved alligators, coastal murals, totem poles and a stuffed opossum and bear. A worthwhile stop for learning more about the area's colorful history is the Museum of the Everglades located on the town circle at 105 West Broadway. Artifacts and photographs tell the story of human habitation of the region from the ancient Calusa and the Seminole to the building of the Tamiami Trail. For additional information call (914) 695 0008 or visit the web site at www.colliermuseum.com. A short drive south of Everglades City across the three mile causeway is Chokoloskee Island. Built on a giant shell mound that provided the native Calusa Indians some protection form hurricanes and tropical storm surges, at a 20 foot elevation, it is the highest point of land for miles. Along the road anglers will spot a fly shop and small marina that rents kayaks and canoes. Anglers can hire local guides or prospect on their own for snook, redfish, tarpon and speckled trout on Chokoloskee Bay. The Ted Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee was built in 1906 by its namesake, a pioneer islander who served as the area's postmaster until the early 1940s. The store, which served as an Indian trading post as well as a post office, has been maintained as a museum with many original furnishings and is open to visitors. For information call (941) 695-2414. The Everglades National Park Headquarters and Visitor's Center also is located on the causeway between Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island. Visitors can view interpretive displays and obtain information on boat tours and canoe rentals for expeditions by water into the park. For the intrepid and well-outfitted flyfisher, there are campsites and elevated platforms located throughout the park. Evidence of proper equipment and preparation is required for park expeditions and 24-hour advance notice is required for tour permits. For additional information, contact the Everglades National Park Headquarters at (941) 695-2591. Chokoloskee Island Park and Marina (941-695-2414) offers trailer and tent camping as well as a boat ramp, docks and boat rentals. Chokoloskee Island RV resort and Marina is popular with visiting anglers fishing the Ten Thousand Islands backcountry and Gulf waters. Also popular with travelers are the airboat tours that take visitors along winding mangrove creeks where they can spot some of the area's rich birdlife including roseate spoonbills, herons and egrets. Located on the Tamiami Trail east of State Road 29 is Wooten's Airboat Tours. For information call (800) 282-2781. Captain Doug's florida Boat tours in Everglades City also offers airboat tours. For information call (800) 282-9194. Everglades Rentals and Eco Adventures in Everglades City offers half-day and full-day guided paddle trips into the Everglades. For information call (941) 695-4666. Barron River Charter offers tours of the Ten Thousand Islands area from a 22-foot pontoon boat, Participants have the option of wildlife viewing, photography, fishing and shelling on these tours. For information call (941) 695-1000.