When I looked at the field trips we were going to make during the class, the downtown Ft. Myers trip stood out. All the other trips were to conservations or other nature oriented places, but downtown was completely different concept. Little did I know that there was so much environmental experiences downtown. First of all was the river. It, along with the park and open area next to it was already so much more natural influence than I thought it would have. The river was a bit murky but with all the boat traffic it was no surprise. Still, wildlife in the area finds a way to survive. The amount of plant life in such a built up area such as downtown was surprising. Trees were abundant, most of which were tall and full grown being there for probably hundreds of years. There was even a garden of palm and fern plants and trees. This was really something that shocked me but in a good way. It was nice to see that space had been set aside for nature such as this. Also, the plants and trees brought in animal wildlife to the area. Many squirrels and birds set up home in the area because of this.
I was unaware of the historical past that Fort Myers had. Something that stood out to me was the statue of “Uncommon Friends.” This statue was a depiction of three historical figures that helped build Ft. Myers up many years ago. The friends were Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. They are sitting together, surrounded by water which displayed Florida’s wildlife including alligators, turtles, and frogs. Another piece of Ft. Myers history that stood out to me was the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center. We didn’t get to go inside but the outside alone was an amazing spectacle. The large columns were a great sight. Made of Florida key limestone with imprints of coral in them made them stick out. It looked like a building ripped from Rome itself. The mural was the next thing that impressed me. Something so large, so detailed made with tiles was something special. It depicted pretty much the entire history of Ft. Myers in one way or another including the Indians that lived here, the soldiers from the civil war, the unfortunate slavery, railways and cattle herding. It is one of a kind and one of the best pieces of artwork I have seen.
The museum was the next stop on the list. It was full of Ft. Myers history ranging from prehistoric times on up. The Indians I was aware of, but the animals that were here in prehistoric times was pretty interesting especially the giant megaladon shark. So much history in such a small museum was impressive to say the least.
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