No, that title isn't referring to the marine distress signal but instead "Save Our Stiltsville". It is not an endangered specie more an endangered history, a slowly disappearing history of Florida. Stiltsville is a 70 year old aquatic neighborhood that sits just a mile off Key Biscayne. Basically just like in the picture, they are an odd collection of wooden homes on concrete stilts that sit on the flats in the northern part of Biscayne National Park. It all started back in 1937 with "Crawfish" Eddie Walker who built a shack on stilts to entertain all his buddies. He served his famous chilau which was a local "chowda" made with crawfish. Ofcourse that was accompanied by a 1937 version of Budweiser. If crawfish isn't your favorite and you want a fish recipe that is a little easier on the your aorta there is always room for a great green pepper tuna filet. Add some crushed garlic, a little olive oil, green pepper and lemon juice and you have yourself a perfect Self-size recipe. Visit Self-size com. and learn more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.So what happened to Stiltsville, Eddie and his boys. Well..as the movie line goes, "build it and they will come". They did and by 1960 there were 27 homes. It was a colorful community standing on stilts in shallow water and the mud flats. Colorful it was including some clubs that had gambling and other assorted entertainment. However, Mother Nature decided the neighborhood needed some updating so between Hurrincane's Betsy, Donna and the final knockout punch by Andrew the marine campsites were reduced to seven. Most of the final seven sit along the Biscayne Channel. It really is a site to see. The homes seem to float above the water which at low tide recedes to two feet. With all the grass flats and shoals, one sees an abundance of wildlife from pods of dolphins, turtles, egrets, herons and the ever present pelicans and commorants. Plus with the shallows it is a great place to engage in all types of water aerobics from snorkeling to swimming. Somewhat like you own aqua gym similar to what is included in my fitness tips at Self-size.com
However since the expansion of Biscayne National Park in 1980 the submerged lands that the homes sit on now belong to the National Park Service. The H2O habitats are still maintained by their owners but it was the Department of Interior that approved of a 15-member nonprofit trust to manage the properties and how to convert them to public use.
Life magazine in 1941 described Stiltsville as "an extraordinary American community dedicated to sunlight, salt water and the well-being of the human spirit". It still holds true. No matter how many times I boat out to Stiltsville for a day of relaxation I always come back to the dock in a "most excellent" frame of mind.
Just like Las Vegas, what happens there, stays there.
Ciao,
Angie of the Stilts
p.s. Don't forget to check out Self-size for the latest on nutritional and fitness news.
