The Pineapple Plantations
Following the
Second Seminole War (circa 1842), settlers began searching for a cash crop that
would grow well on this semitropical land. The first attempts at growing
pineapples had not been successful. Reintroduced to the area by Captain
Thomas E. Richards, who homesteaded in 1879 on land he said looked like
"the Garden of Eden".
Many
settlers began to plant these pines, as they were called. There was much
experimentation done with many varieties. Red Spanish were the most
common. Others had interesting names such as: Abbakashee, Egyptian Queens and
Sugar Loaf. It was estimated that within ten years two million pineapple
plants were growing in the area.
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Packing crates at Viking.
The dirt road is now U.S.1.
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At first schooners
took the pineapples to Baltimore, Maryland, where they fetched a price of about
$1.00 per dozen. The railroad was later used, but Mr. Flagler also
imported pineapples from Cuba. He charged the locals a premium rate to
ship theirs north. By 1895 the Jensen area was labeled the "Pineapple
Capital of the World". Just before World War I, problems like
nematodes, as well as spider mites attacked the plants. Additionally
several cold spells took their toll. Fertilizer became unobtainable during
the war. Most growers turned to the citrus culture.
Pictures courtesy/copyright St. Lucie County Historical Museum
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