Abstract
"From a wretched place...in a wretched car we commenced our wretched ride." Elijah Swift’s remark summarized precisely the way he perceived his journey by rail from New England to Tallahassee-eight days of erratic schedules, lengthy delays, unpredictable hotel accommodations, questionable food, and fatigue. Swift had travelled this same route the year before, and the prospect of making another excursion to Florida could hardly have been attractive. The trip seemed interminable as one was jolted forward in railway car, steamboat, wagon, or stagecoach, and fortunate was the passenger who could doze or enjoy conversation with his companions.
Recommended Citation
Society, Florida Historical
(1976)
"Elijah Swift's Travel Journal from Massachusetts to Florida, 1857,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 55:
No.
2, Article 8.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol55/iss2/8
