The State of Florida was sparsely populated (relatively) until the coming of the railroads sparked the growth of citrus plantations and the beginning of a tourist industry.
The 1920’s saw explosive growth of population as land speculators developed numerous new communities and towns, and rising prosperity afforded opportunities for second homes and extended winter vacations.
The early twentieth century saw the beginning of mass tourism to Florida as visitors flocked to warmer climate during cold months in the north.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida
We have seen a dozen postcard stories related to winter visitors in the Sunshine State.
In March of 1937, Emerson & Mary Johnson arrived in Coronado Beach.
Coronado Beach is a coastal town in Volusia County of east-central Florida.
In 1947, Coronado Beach was incorporated into the city of New Smyrna Beach.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Smyrna_Beach,_Florida
Soon after arriving, the couple met friends, Will & Hattie Van Buskirk.
That evening, the Johnsons prepared a postcard to other friends in Plymouth, Ohio.
Plymouth is a village in north-central Ohio; it was the site of a locomotive engineering plant almost until the end of the 20th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth,_Ohio
The face of the postcard is a photograph of a “Giant Papaya in Florida”.
The photograph was made by C. E. Landes, and the postcard was published by E. G. Kropp Company of Milwaukee.
One of the common subjects of postcards from Florida is the abundance of fresh fruit.
Thousands of postcards relate to oranges and orange groves, while many others focus on citrus that would be less familiar to the folks in northern states.
The papaya was not farmed commercially in Florida until the 20th century, and early crops were destroyed by blight.
It is likely that the papayas seen by visitors were cultivated in parks or grew in the wild as there was little agricultural production of papayas until blight-resistant strains were developed in the late 20th century.
From a website devoted to the history of the papaya:
“In the 1800’s, papaya was introduced into Hawaii, and in the early 20th century it was introduced in Florida. However, the Florida crop experienced the introduction of a viral disease which destroyed the crop. This left Hawaii as the only state in the United States to produce papaya commercially…”
Addressed to Mr. and Mrs. William Link, the postcard was mailed the day after the Johnson’s arrived.
On the reverse, the Links are addressed as Will & Edna.
The Johnsons report the good health of the Van Buskirks , but do not yet have any Florida experiences to share.
One hopes the Johnson’s enjoyed the remainder of their visit, and that they returned safely to their home.
