We Built That

Abstract

The construction of the Tamiami Trail was an epic feat of engineering and it enabled the development of South Florida. But historical accounts ignore routinely its rival, the Cross State Highway. A study of this rivalry reveals the consequences of the contest for Dixie Highway routes as well as the marginalization of middle-class stakeholders by the corporate landowners who dominated the area and their use of marketing techniques to stage manage this process. This highway competition, against the backdrop of the Land Boom of the 1920s, also documents a shift in identity and power in Southwest Florida.