To anyone who has spent much time in southern Florida, or on the blue waters of Biscayne Bay stretching southward from Miami inside the keys which fringe the low-lying coast, Ralph M. Munroe, endearingly known as 'The Commodore,' needs no introduction. A pioneer, who first felt the charm of that palm and pine-fringed coast over 50 years ago, when the end of the peninsula was as inaccessible as the western plateau in the days of the covered wagon, he soon succumbed to the lure of the country and became one of its early settlers, building a home in what was then practically a wilderness, and is now within the boundaries of a large city. In the development of the lower east coast of Florida he played a quiet but important part. to those who knew him it is easy to believe that his personality, his friendliness, and his good will were in a measure as responsible for attracting those who early followed his lead in settling the coast near the mouth of the Miami River, as were the climate and other features which have made the shores of Biscayne Bay irresistible to many. Ralph Munroe was a seaman before he went to Biscayne Bay, but the waters and life there gave him an opportunity to develop his love of boats, and to turn his talents to the designing a sailing craft that was peculiarly suited to shoal water, and was also so seaworthy as to be able to make the long runs up and down the coast outside, and to stand up in the rough waters of the Gulf Stream. These reminiscences of a long, useful and interesting life have grown from a simple note-book which Munroe started originally for the benefit of his children, in order that the pioneer days of the country he loved and which he did so much to develop should not be forgotten.

The Commodore's Story

Ralph Middleton Munroe

Historical Association of Southern Florida

They all called it tropical: True tales of the romantic Everglades, Cape Sable, and the Florida Keys

History

Brookfield, Charles M

Americas

The Miami River and its tributaries

Gaby, Donald C

Making golf history in south Florida

Unknown, Author

Frédéric Mialhe Toussaint was born in Bordeaux, France, on April, 14th, 1810. Arriving in Havana in 1838, he studied the city and its surroundings. His major work in Cuba as illustrator of the book "The picturesque Cuba Island" (La isla de Cuba pintoresca), published in 1838 with more than 25 lithographs depicting landscapes, has given a lasting image of colonial Cuba. His work overtook the initial purpose of his mission - he lithographed not only the beauty of some landscapes and urban buildings but also a series of prints which are considered as representative of 19th century Havana day-life, such as young women travelling in "quitrin" around "La Fuente de la India", or a baker passing by Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje square. He became part of the Cuban society working as a drawing professor in the Liceo Literario y Artitisco de la Habana and as the director of the San Alejandro National Academy of Fine Arts; and, in his spare time, explored the Cuban archipelago with scientist Felipe Poey. During this journey, he made bucolic prints depicting Nuevitas' sailors fishing sponges, or showing the coffee plantation of "La Ermita". Mialhe returned to France in 1854 where he continued his artistic work, and later died in Paris in 1881. Although rarely mentioned in Art history, he helped create a lasting picture of 19th century Cuba and is today recognized as one of the most important figures in Cuban culture: his work is presented in the Havana National Museum of Fine Arts and in the Museum of Colonial Art. An expert and great admirer of Mialhe's work, Dr. Emilio Cueto, retraces the French engraver's career through a presentation that aims to preserve his artistic legacy. In the continuity of his brilliant biography of the artist (Mialhe's colonial Cuba),

Mialhe's Colonial Cuba: The Prints that Shaped the World's View of Cuba

Cueto, Emilio

Book by Weiss, Susan, Weiss, Susan R.

Miami bibliography

Weiss, Susan

Weiss, Susan R.

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