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The 11 km of walls, most of them in good condition, delimit the perimeter of the city's historic district.
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The Cartagena de Indias Wall was built for the defense of the city, it began at the end of the 16th century after the attack of the legendary Sir Francis Drake. The fortification is the most complete on the South American continent and one of the best and well-preserved walls of the walled cities in the world and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Since the founding of Cartagena de Indias in 1533, and throughout the Spanish colonial era, it was one of the most important ports in America. From there came the greatest riches that the Spanish Crown sent to its ports in Spain, for this reason it was necessary to build a wall with all the forts such as El Castillo de San Felipe and Bocachica to prevent them from being invaded by the English or French or saqueros by the pirates, thus the port of Cartagena was gaining importance thanks to its bay protected by the Spanish military, the construction of forts and walls and its proximity to the city of Panama, another important Spanish port.
The city of Cartagena was attacked numerous times by pirates and English, French and Dutch troops. For this reason, King Felipe II entrusted the mission to field marshal Luis de Tejada and the Italian engineer Bautista Antonelli to build 11 km of walls and forts that would serve as a defense to the city.
The construction was carried out in stages. The first of them began in 1586 by Bautista Antonelli, who was an Italian engineer who was at the service of the Spanish crown, later in 1609 Cristóbal Roda would come to intervene in the construction, achieving the fortification of the entire part of the city that faces the open sea.
Francisco de Murga strengthened the entire part of the Getsemaní neighborhood from 1631 to 1633, later Juan Betín repaired the walls destroyed by the sea in 1669. After serious damage by the sea and the attack on the city by Baron de Pointis , Juan de Herrera y Sotomayor restarted the repairs of the walls. At this time, the viceroy of Villalonga ordered Herrera to build underwater caissons in order to form a breakwater in front of the walls destroyed in 1721.
It was necessary to build another breakwater on the way between Punta Icacos (near the current Hotel Caribe) and Tierrabomba by Antonio de Arévalo, who was the most important engineer in the city. In the year 1796 the works in the center of the city would be finished.
The enclosures of the wall also had the function of separating rich people and poor people who could only enter to come to work in the city. The walls are complemented by fortresses on the coast such as the San Sebastian del Pastelillo Fort and the San Fernando de Bocachica Fort.
Visit this wonder especially at sunset where you can watch the sunset and take a pleasant romantic walk along the wall. The people of Cartagena usually visit it in the afternoons and with their partners they watch the sunset and fall in love!
This old abandoned piece of farm equiipment is called a No-Till Seed Drill. Given the condition it is in, it should probably be called No-Till or Drill Seed Drill. Found in an abandoned field in Southern Ontario, Canada.
comfortable!
protective!
fashionable!
feels like heaven when walking in these shoes!
disclaimer: descriptions may be just a wee bit exaggerated.
I'd be curious to know exactly how many abandoned farms in similar condition dot the landscape across this vast country today.
A dominant male lions in prime condition gives me a golden-eyed stare in this close-up taken at Lake Ndutu, Tanzania. It ws a little unusual to see that he lacked most of the facial scars that often occur soon males of this age.
10/05/2018 www.allenfotowild.com
The Tupolev Tu-144 (NATO name: "Charger'") was the first commercial supersonic transport aircraft (SST). It was one of only two SSTs to enter commercial service, the other being the Anglo-French Concorde. The design, publicly unveiled in January 1962, was constructed in the Soviet Union under the direction of the Tupolev design bureau, headed by Alexei Tupolev.
The prototype first flew on 31 December 1968 near Moscow, two months before the first flight of Concorde. The Tu-144 first went supersonic on 5 June 1969, and on 26 May 1970 became the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2. The frequent comparisons to Concorde led to the Tu-144 being known as "Concordski" in the West.
A Tu-144 crashed in 1973 at the Paris Air Show, delaying its further development. The aircraft was introduced into passenger service on 1 November 1977, almost two years after Concorde. In May 1978, another Tu-144 (an improved version, named Tu-144D) crashed in a test flight while being delivered, and the passenger fleet was permanently grounded after only 55 scheduled flights. The aircraft remained in use as a cargo plane until 1983, by which point a total of 102 commercial flights had been completed.
The Tu-144 was later used by the Soviet space programme to train pilots of the Buran spacecraft, and by NASA for supersonic research.
´While several Tu-144s were donated to museums in Moscow Monino, Samara and Ulyanovsk, at least two Tu-144D remained in open storage in Moscow Zhukovsky.
Tu-144S, tail number 77106, is on display at Central Air Force Museum of Russia in Monino. Maiden flight was on 4 March 1975, the final one on 29 February 1980. The plane was used to assess the effectiveness of the air-conditioning systems and to solve some problems on the fuel system. It can be considered the first production aircraft, being the first to be equipped for commercial use and delivered to Aeroflot. The first operational flight was on 26 December 1975 between Moscow and Alma-Ata carrying cargo and mail. This aircraft was the first SST to land on a dirty runway when she was retired to Monino .
Another Tu-144, tail number 77107, is on open display in Kazan. The plane was constructed in 1975 and was a production model intended for passenger use. However, it was only used during test flights. On 29 March 1976 it made its last flight to Kazan.
TU-144S, tail number 77108, is on display in the museum of Samara State Aerospace University. It made its maiden flight on 12 December 1975, and its final flight on 27 August 1987. Development works on navigation system were made in this aircraft as well as flight-director approach.
TU-144S, tail number 77110, is on display at the Museum of Civil Aviation in Ulyanovsk. Maiden flight occurred on 14 February 1977, the final Flight on 1 June 1984. This aircraft was the second of the two planes used for regular passengers' flights on Moscow - Alma-Ata route. In 1977 it flew to Paris to take part in the XXXII Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. This was the last appearance of a Tu-144 in West Europe. CCCP-77110 was the last plane produced of the model Tu-144S, powered with Kuznetsov NK-144A engines. In the first half of 2008 the cabin was open for visits and between August and September was restored and painted in the original Aeroflot livery .
The only Tu-144, tail number 77112, on display outside the former Soviet Union was acquired by the Auto & Technikmuseum Sinsheim in Germany, where it was shipped – not flown – in 2001 and where it now stands, in its original Aeroflot livery, on display next to an Air France Concorde.
The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.
On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.
The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.
The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.
The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.
In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.
Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high-speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.
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© VanveenJF Photography
It is fascinating to hear what some people have been up to, before and during the lockdown.👂👂
An example of this were the actions of Mrs Trebogus, her sister Trixie Trebillcock and Betty Beswetherick, shall we say these three ladies are of mature years but nobodies fool.👵👵👵
At the beginning of March following their instincts the three ladies decided to move in together. They had several articulated lorry loads of beer delivered by Sharps Brewery, plus quite a consignment from Camel Valley Vineyard. 🚛🚛🚛🍺🍺🍺🍷🍷🍷
Mrs Trebogus always kept much food in her freezer, plus she had a large vegetable garden and of course the ladies culinary skills were legendary, they were well prepared. 🍖🍖🍖🍎🍏🍋🍊
The ladies felt they would be good company for each other, sure enough their hunch was proved correct as three weeks later the whole country went into lock down, which the ladies had no problem with as they were the type of people in common with so many others that did as they were told. The ladies were able to follow instruction, had respect and complied, plus these ladies all came from special forces backgrounds which required them working in some hostile environments, Trixie worked as a bouncer at Mothercare for many years, yes these ladies are tough.👹👹👹
As the lockdown progressed many on line fitness videos sprang up, the ladies were very keen to keep themselves in peak condition so they followed along with many of these workouts, however none of the videos were of such intensity in order to keep the ladies bodies in absolute peak condition, it just did not stretch the ladies enough, Mrs Trebogus had an idea.💃💃💃
She owns a Mercedes ML63 AMG, so the three ladies went into the garage, Mrs Trebogus got hold of the front bumper and lifted the Mercedes up and down in order to tone her arm muscles.
The other two ladies also carried out this manoeuvre, as mentioned they are tough.
Trixie suggested to Betty that she got underneath the Mercedes, put her feet under the bumper and lifted it up and down with her legs in order to strengthen the thighs.💪💪💪
Everything was going swimmingly then Mrs Trebogus had a go as she likes to keep her thighs in special peak condition, there was an enormous crack, Mrs Trebogus’s left leg fell off. Nothing to do with the vacuum cleaner incident I must add.
Like you do, Mrs Trebogus dusted herself off and said this is not a problem as my car is an automatic (You still have to be there) but when the time comes and we are allowed out I still have my right leg in order to be able to drive. So she picked up her leg, hopped over and placed it in the big chest freezer she had in the garage.🏡
Trixie said “you should seek medical help”, no responded Mrs Trebogus we know the rules, we have been instructed to stay home, not to go out, we will wait until the lockdown is eased, I can still walk on the one good leg, do cart wheels with a slight shimmy, so I have nothing to complain about. Anyway like so many people, if we were really desperate there is always someone locally that can help out, that is human instinct. 🏃♀️💪
The weeks went by, sure enough, some of the lockdown measures were eased and in May people were allowed to drive for over an hour, but return on the same day. Not wishing to trouble the medical profession, Mrs Trebogus went onto the internet to look for alternative medical assistance, one name caught her eye, Mystic Peg, who specialised in limb reattachment services.👩💻
As Mrs Trebogus herself had worked with some of our special forces, she respected the anonymity of Mystic Peg who would only provide her post code, and a time to meet.👩💼
Like most of us long car journeys need to be planned, first you need a full tank of petrol, how many people keep a full tank of fuel just in case they need to go off at a minutes notice. Mrs Trebogus went and filled her Mercedes with fuel so that they could go off to the secret location.⛽️🚘
The sat nav coordinates were plumbed in and after quite some journey the three ladies reached their destination. Sure enough as our ladies got out of the car a fairy was waiting dressed in a Knights of the round table uniform, yes this was Mystic Peg, she said “come with me”, so Mrs Trebogus, with her leg under her arm, Trixie and Betty followed, they all set off into a park, keeping two meters away from Mystic Peg
Mystic Peg instructed Mrs Trebogus to sit on a special little stool, with a bit of her left hip hanging over the edge of the stool. Mystic Peg asked Mrs Trebogus to align the detached leg against her hip. Mystic Peg closed her eyes, muttered a couple of words and within moments, hey presto Mrs Trebogus’s leg was reattached and working like a new one.
As you can imagine (I can) Mrs Trebogus was so grateful to Mystic Peg for her services and asked what she owed her. Mystic Peg said "it is my pleasure to help good people like you and really it was such a simple job".😇👛👜💷💷💷
Mystic Peg went on to say, “as I have not seen many people for a while could I share a confidence with you Mrs Trebogus. Well don’t tell anyone but during the lockdown we had been made aware of a bloke who drove to this very location who could not see his hand in front of his face.
As none of us were on duty during lockdown he allegedly sat over there on a park bench, he gazed up towards the Magic Castle, bingo his eyesight came back, a miracle and he was able to drive all the way home to London”.🏰🙈😱
Mrs Trebogus responded to the fairy “you just cannot make that up”.😉
Thank you so much for looking at my photographs, the comments and banter you leave are so appreciated.
Have a good weekend
🍺🍺🍺🍷🍷🍷🐎🐷💃😎😂😂😂
Jake represents the Proletariat, desperately clutching at worldly possessions and societal expectations (the gift box) while simultaneously dangling over the abyss of environmental and economic catastrophe (the floor), suspended all along by the weight of history and bourgeois establishment (the cast iron staircase), ironically a situation of our own creation.
(yes I am joking here mostly)
Model: Chen Chen from Mannequin
Make Up: Emily Leong
Hair: Ash Loi
Styling: Rachel Lim
Wardrobe: Riyan Haffys from CLIIM
"My work encompasses the cultural state of modern society from a personal context. Enslavement has always been prevalent as long as mankind existed. The shift in the state of enslavement however has drastically changed from an authoritarian state to a self-imposed one. The backdrop serves as the classic allegory of a prisoner staring at the light from the window. The irony of this situation acts as a satire on how we all have the choice to walk out of the cages that we entrap ourselves into as the door is always opened for us."
This shoot took a total of 3 weeks from pre-production to post-production. The first 2 weeks were spent on location scouting, gathering of the entire team and planning of logistics, props and wardrobe. The final week involved multiple visits to the site to plan and finally style the set. As this was purely a student project, I did the set styling together with props that were mainly uncovered trash. Objects like the broken typewriter was spraypainted silver to give it a nice sheen. Lighting tests were also conducted a day before the shoot to ensure the actual day will go on smoothly. A mixture of reflectors, color gels and flags were used to ensure I achieved the lighting I required. Unfortunately, I faced a slightly cloudy day which caused my lighting to be detracted a little differently from as I had planned it the day before. A final total of 4 different lights were used to fill in the direct sunlight which spilled through the doorway and the window to give it a slightly fantastical feel to it, together with the set design.
The Toden Arakawa Line, also known as the Tokyo Sakura Tram, is a historic tram line in Tokyo, Japan. Operating since 1913, it is one of the last remaining streetcar lines in the city, providing a nostalgic and scenic journey through the neighborhoods of Arakawa, Taito, and Bunkyo wards. The line runs along a 12.2-kilometer route, connecting Waseda Station in Bunkyo Ward with Minowabashi Station in Arakawa Ward.
The Toden Arakawa Line passes by various landmarks and attractions, including Oji Shrine, Asukayama Park, and the Sumida River. It offers passengers a leisurely way to explore Tokyo's traditional neighborhoods and experience the city's old-world charm. Despite its vintage appeal, the line remains a practical mode of transportation for local residents and visitors alike, with modernized tram cars equipped with air conditioning and accessible features.
Riding the Toden Arakawa Line is not just a means of getting from one point to another; it's an opportunity to step back in time and appreciate Tokyo's rich cultural heritage while enjoying a scenic journey through the heart of the city.
Meet Bob Adams, former USAF fire fighter, standing by Big Red, his 1954 American LaFrance 0-11A crash truck. The same truck he used to battle aircraft fires at Carswell AFB during the 50's and 60's.
Bob had been slowly restoring the truck at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum and wanted me to do a night shot of his truck once restoration had been completed. I was more than happy to oblige, on one condition... I wanted a live fire in the shot.
Not being a pyrotechnics expert, I quickly realized I was getting in over my head and needed help. My buddy Joseph Fischer, a museum volunteer and aviation enthusiast, who had originally contacted me for the photo session, felt confident we could pull something off.
At Joseph's suggestion, I had purchased a quart of charcoal lighting fluid at Target, naively hoping that would create the flames we needed. It would not.
A veteran fire fighter, Bob Adams was hesitant about a couple of untrained guys starting a fire on museum grounds, especially near his freshly painted antique truck. However he felt gasoline would give us a better fire effect, as long as we burned it in small amounts on bare concrete. We would get a big blaze that would last only a few seconds. We ended up using about three gallons of gasoline to get the shot.
Before the start of the session, we decided to move the truck out of the cluttered confines of the museum grounds, onto a security access road at next door Meacham Airport. This would give us the big open space I wanted for the shot. Joseph had called the tower to get clearance for starting a controlled fire and airport security dropped by, mostly to see the old firetruck for themselves. As long as the fire we started was contained to the pavement surface, they weren't too concerned.
The sun had set almost as soon as Bob positioned the truck and I immediately set up the tripod and began shooting. The first few shots were mostly to capture the early evening sky and the lights of the airport.
Over the next two hours would shoot a total of 171 exposures. I had brought my eleven year old grandnephew Jordan with me that evening, and gave him the job of holding the remote shutter release as I lit various parts of the truck with a LED light mounted to a long painters pole. The long adjustable pole allowed me to easily light the truck from up high and underneath. I appear in many of the shots, but would Photoshop myself out in post.
As it got darker, Joseph reeled out a water hose from the museum to wet the pavement around the truck. This made the roadway glisten as I bounced bright light off the pavement behind and beneath the truck. After shooting a few exposures of wet pavement, it was dark enough to shoot the fire. Joseph poured a trail of gasoline and I shot a few one second exposures before the fired burned out. The blazing gas was much brighter than I anticipated, so we laid down another trail, tossed a match and I shot a dozen more exposures between 0.6 and 1/30 sec. The flames at the left behind the truck, were added in post and made from the original dozen flame images shot.
Last, we brought in Bob, to pose by his prized firetruck. He didn't really want to be in the shot. Bob Adams just wanted a nice picture of his firetruck, but Joseph insisted and I completely agreed. Without the fire, this would just be a night picture of a truck. Adding the fire, gave the picture context. Placing Bob in the shot, tells a compelling story.
Photoshop compositing took another couple of days. Of the 171 exposures made that evening, only 40 were used in the final image.
Update: Bob Adams, veteran USAF fire fighter and all around great guy, passed away November 2025. I had talked to him in August with the hope of doing another photo session with him and another of his fully restored trucks, but he fell ill weeks later. Rest in Peace Bob.
Bob had written a fascinating book that is available on Amazon, and frankly should become a movie!
Victory Liner Inc
Bus No.: 7053
Bus Body: Almazora Motor Corp.
Bus Model: AMC Tourist Star RE
Engine: MAN Diesel D08
Chassis: MAN Bus PBM-R39 - 18.350 HOCL
Seat Config.: 2x1 - 27
Operation: Provincial - North
Class: Air Conditioned Deluxe
"In January 2000 TE311 was delivered to RAF Coningsby for ‘spares recovery’ (along with Spitfire Mk XVI TB382, which was broken up for spares and struck off charge). Chief Technician Paul Blackah MBE decided that the aircraft merited a re-build to flying condition. This was started in October 2001, with a small team of engineers initially working on the aircraft in their own time, until official approval was received from the Ministry of Defence in 2007 to return TE311 to flying condition as part of the Flight"
For more information regarding this and the other aircraft of the BBMF visit the excellent BBMF website.
Make yourself at home in one of the 217 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and microwaves. 40-inch LED televisions with cable programming provide entertainment, while complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.
Conveniences include safes and desks, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as an outdoor pool, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and wedding services.
Enjoy a satisfying meal at a restaurant serving guests of Stadium Hotel. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge. A complimentary continental breakfast is served daily from 7 AM to 10 AM.
Featured amenities include a 24-hour front desk, multilingual staff, and laundry facilities. Planning an event in Miami Gardens? This hotel has facilities measuring 4000 square feet (372 square meters), including meeting rooms. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
www.emporis.com/buildings/341549/stadium-hotel-miami-gard...
www.guestreservations.com/el-palacio-sports-hotel/aboutth...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class has received several nicknames, initially being known as "Rooters" by their south London crews. However, the engines were more famously known as "Terriers" on account of the distinctive 'bark' of the exhaust beat.
A1X (Terrier) Class 0-6-0T No. 680s (54 ‘Waddon’, 751) designed by William Stroudley, built in 1875 at Brighton Works. This locomotive was given a Marsh A1X boiler but not the extended smokebox and remained classed as A1 although not in its original A1 condition.
Sold for £670 to Sheppey Light Railway in September 190 and given the No.751, in 1923 joined the Southern Railway at Grouping and was renumbered A751. Went to Departmental Stock in 1932 and worked at Lancing Carriage Works with the number 680s. It was withdrawn 31 May 1962 and was fully restored at Eastleigh Works before being presented to the Canada Railway Historical Association in 1963. Currently on display at Canada National Railway Museum, Delson, Quebec, Canada.
Photographer unknown – taken at Lancing Carriage Works C1960
The area that was to become West Palm Beach was settled in the late 1870s and 1880s by a few hundred settlers who called the vicinity "Lake Worth Country." These settlers were a diverse community from different parts of the United States and the world. They included founding families such at the Potters and the Lainharts, who would go on to become leading members of the business community in the fledgling city. The first white settlers in Palm Beach County lived around Lake Worth, then an enclosed freshwater lake, named for Colonel William Jenkins Worth, who had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida in 1842. Most settlers engaged in the growing of tropical fruits and vegetables for shipment the north via Lake Worth and the Indian River. By 1890, the U.S. Census counted over 200 people settled along Lake Worth in the vicinity of what would become West Palm Beach. The area at this time also boasted a hotel, the "Cocoanut House", a church, and a post office. The city was platted by Henry Flagler as a community to house the servants working in the two grand hotels on the neighboring island of Palm Beach, across Lake Worth in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of the Florida East Coast railroad. Flagler paid two area settlers, Captain Porter and Louie Hillhouse, a combined sum of $45,000 for the original town site, stretching from Clear Lake to Lake Worth.
On November 5, 1894, 78 people met at the "Calaboose" (the first jail and police station located at Clematis St. and Poinsettia, now Dixie Hwy.) and passed the motion to incorporate the Town of West Palm Beach in what was then Dade County (now Miami-Dade County). This made West Palm Beach the first incorporated municipality in Dade County and in South Florida. The town council quickly addressed the building codes and the tents and shanties were replaced by brick, brick veneer, and stone buildings. The city grew steadily during the 1890s and the first two decades of the 20th century, most residents were engaged in the tourist industry and related services or winter vegetable market and tropical fruit trade. In 1909, Palm Beach County was formed by the Florida State Legislature and West Palm Beach became the county seat. In 1916, a new neo-classical courthouse was opened, which has been painstakingly restored back to its original condition, and is now used as the local history museum.
The city grew rapidly in the 1920s as part of the Florida land boom. The population of West Palm Beach quadrupled from 1920 to 1927, and all kinds of businesses and public services grew along with it. Many of the city's landmark structures and preserved neighborhoods were constructed during this period. Originally, Flagler intended for his Florida East Coast Railway to have its terminus in West Palm, but after the area experienced a deep freeze, he chose to extend the railroad to Miami instead.
The land boom was already faltering when city was devastated by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. The Depression years of the 1930s were a quiet time for the area, which saw slight population growth and property values lower than during the 1920s. The city only recovered with the onset of World War II, which saw the construction of Palm Beach Air Force Base, which brought thousands of military personnel to the city. The base was vital to the allied war effort, as it provided an excellent training facility and had unparalleled access to North Africa for a North American city. Also during World War II, German U-Boats sank dozens of merchant ships and oil tankers just off the coast of West Palm Beach. Nearby Palm Beach was under black out conditions to minimize night visibility to German U-boats.
The 1950s saw another boom in population, partly due to the return of many soldiers and airmen who had served in the vicinity during the war. Also, the advent of air conditioning encouraged growth, as year-round living in a tropical climate became more acceptable to northerners. West Palm Beach became the one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas during the 1950s; the city's borders spread west of Military Trail and south to Lake Clarke Shores. However, many of the city's residents still lived within a narrow six-block wide strip from the south to north end. The neighborhoods were strictly segregated between White and African-American populations, a legacy that the city still struggles with today. The primary shopping district remained downtown, centered around Clematis Street.
In the 1960s, Palm Beach County's first enclosed shopping mall, the Palm Beach Mall, and an indoor arena were completed. These projects led to a brief revival for the city, but in the 1970s and 1980s crime continued to be a serious issue and suburban sprawl continued to drain resources and business away from the old downtown area. By the early 1990s there were very high vacancy rates downtown, and serious levels of urban blight.
Since the 1990s, developments such as CityPlace and the preservation and renovation of 1920s architecture in the nightlife hub of Clematis Street have seen a downtown resurgence in the entertainment and shopping district. The city has also placed emphasis on neighborhood development and revitalization, in historic districts such as Northwood, Flamingo Park, and El Cid. Some neighborhoods still struggle with blight and crime, as well as lowered property values caused by the Great Recession, which hit the region particularly hard. Since the recovery, multiple new developments have been completed. The Palm Beach Mall, located at the Interstate 95/Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard interchange became abandoned as downtown revitalized - the very mall that initiated the original abandonment of the downtown. The mall was then redeveloped into the Palm Beach Fashion Outlets in February 2014. A station for All Aboard Florida, a high speed passenger rail service serving Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, is under construction as of July 2015.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
The Sian Ka'an Biosphere is a 1.3 million acre biosphere reserve near Tulum, Mexico.
A convoy of a very bumpy and dusty bus followed by 6-7 air conditioned jeeps makes the journey to the biosphere. Hint: pay for the jeep!
Frame #4 of the aforementioned 24(220). One day I decided to be patient and two months later this is what showed up.
One of the three on the roll that I took a second shot of to be sure.