{"product_id":"ditch-of-dreams-the-cross-florida-barge-canal-and-the-struggle-for-floridas-future-the-florida-history-and-culture-series-9780813034065","title":"Ditch of Dreams: The Cross Florida Barge Canal and the Struggle for Florida's Future (The Florida History and Culture Series)","description":"\u003cp\u003eTraces the long standing effort to build a canal across Florida  \"Offers timeless lessons about pork-barrel politics and the power of citizen-environmentalism. Most important  it reminds us that todays economic coup may well be tomorrows environmental crisis.\"--Cynthia Barnett  author of Mirage  \"Ties the exploitation of the Ocklawaha to Florida history across nearly two centuries. Moreover  they bring to life the personalities of canal supporters and detractors  including such dynamic individuals as Franklin Delano Roosevelt  Claude Pepper  and Marjorie Harris Carr.\"--Frederick Rowe Davis  author of The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles  For centuries  men dreamed of cutting a canal across the Florida peninsula  despite the enormous technological and financial challenges of doing so. Heedless of environmental concerns  groups of water transportation advocates consistently lobbied the federal government to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico  a project intended to place Florida at the very center of American commerce and prosperity.  Drawing on a wealth of primary sources  Steven Noll and David Tegeder trace the twists and turns of the project through the years. The story of the Cross Florida Barge Canal  crucial to twentieth-century Florida history  is complex  featuring competing interests amidst the changing political landscape of modern Florida. Ditch of Dreams reveals much about the clashing visions of progress  economic growth  and environmental preservation in the fragile ecosystem of Florida  while exploring the tangled web of politics  influence  and power in the Sunshine State. The history of the canal is not just a story of Floridas past  but a compelling lesson for its future.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45657487048757,"sku":"ByrdShop_081303406X","price":102.07,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780813034065_7bf3a5a9-46b3-4deb-b040-b7c211fb3a1d.jpg?v=1782042776","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/ditch-of-dreams-the-cross-florida-barge-canal-and-the-struggle-for-floridas-future-the-florida-history-and-culture-series-9780813034065","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}