This Quiet Corner

The tranquil wooded acres that now compose the Boyd Hill Nature Park in southeast St. Petersburg, Florida have only a short history of actual ownership. Early settlers such as Abel Miranda, John R. Hayes and William B. Coons lived on the outer perimeter of these acres. All of these men hunted the prolific woods, fished and took alligators from the waters of Salt Lake. They were all colorful characters who left a lasting mark on this land.

Abel Miranda, for instance, was a wealthy Minorcan sea captain who settled on the shores of Tampa Bay in the Big Bayou area in 1857 less than two miles from the area that is the city park today. He established a fish ranch, planted a citrus grove and built a hospitable home. He also began an extensive business with the fishing smacks from the Key West area and with Cuban fishermen. At the outset of the Civil War, Federal forces from Egmont Key, about 15 miles southeast in the mouth of Tampa Bay, commandeered one of the fishing smacks and under its innocent guise raided Miranda's holdings. They burned his buildings, destroyed his citrus groves and slaughtered his animals. They carried away everything they could carry and destroyed the rest. In retaliation, Miranda. a wily and experienced seaman, became a blockade runner. John Hayes was responsible for one of the first roads on the east side of the lake. He extended an old Tampa cattlemen's trail into a local roadway --along the approximate path of the present Ninth Street South in the area of Lake Maggiore.

John Bethell was an early settler who left his mark on more than just the land. He also left us the first written histories of the Pinellas Point area. In the Civil War's aftermath, the state of Florida found itself in financial difficulties. Bonds had been floated for the construction of railroads, and these were due. The costs of war were high and Florida was broke. The Swamp and Overflow Act of 1852 had allowed the state to claim lands thus designated as property of the state. In the final analysis, lands were taken that could in no way be called swampy. In this greedy grab for land, much of Florida's choicest acreage was annexed by officials for their own profit. With the day of financial reckoning imminent, Florida attempted to recoup some of its loss by selling the railroads, however that revenue fell far short of the funds needed. A quiet plan was made to sell a large tract of land on Florida's east coast. Creditors learned of the plan and filed liens against the land.

In 1877, Hamilton Disston, son of a sawmaker of Detroit, Michigan, became involved in the situation. An unlikely candidate for the role of savior --a typical rich playboy and a bit of a rake --Disston was, however, an astute businessman and developer as well. He offered the state $1-million for four-million acres of land. When the state accepted his offer, he sent his agents all over the state selecting the choicest lands. He wound up owning 18 percent of the state of Florida; over five-million acres acquired for approximately 20 cents per acre! His vast acreage included the lands that later became the "Nature Trail" and its swampy little salt lake that nestled in the woods.

In 1883, William B. Miranda, a nephew of Abel Miranda, made Disston's acquaintance through the purchase of a tract of land along what is now 22nd Avenue South. About this time, Disston formed the Disston Land and Improvement Company, and appointed William Miranda its first land agent. The new land company was incorporated in 1884 and Miranda platted all of Disston's holdings south of Central Avenue. During this platting, Miranda came upon the little Salt Lake in its quiet woodsy setting. It reminded him of the beautiful Lake Maggiore he had visited on the Swiss and Italian border in Europe. Because of this, he renamed* the lake Lake Maggiore. Originally pronounced Ma-JHOR-i, the name was corrupted through the years to Ma-GO-ry.

Hamilton Disston was very caught up in his plan to build a "dream city" on the site of what is now Gulfport, so apparently did not do much of anything with the land on St. Petersburg's southeast side. It wasn't until the advent of developer C. R. Hall and his wife Emma who came to St. Petersburg in 1912, that this land was sold as part of a development package. The Halls formed the Victory Land Company and began development of Lakewood Estates. They planned to make it the most opulent development of the city and laid sewage, water and power lines, built curbed streets and designed a golf course.

Unfortunately, a nearby outlet to Tampa Bay, called Salt Creek, periodically drained Lake Maggiore during low tides and created a smelly deterrent to prospective home¬sites in the vicinity. The aura of an unloved stepchild hung over this south-side area and Lakewood Estates was not the success of Charles and Emma Hall's dreams. This is the version of historian Karl Grismer. However, two other versions of how and by whom the lake was christened exist. The late Walter P. Fuller, also a local historian, credits Thomas Sterling about the same time (1884). A news story of May 5, 1925 says the lake was believed to have been named by a pirate, nut until Lakewoed Estates was developed during the Florida boom, most old timers called it Salt Lake (which it was at one time.)