Monroe Station Gladesmen Memories

[gladesman]

Lots of good Monroe Station (Gladesmen) memories here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Monroe-Station/127926003896482?v=wall

 

[bentonquick]

Back in the 70s my father was a member of the ECC and we would go out and get the area ready for the Wild hog BBQ. It was great fun and I remember it well. Greased poll, swamp buggy rides food was all great. We stored our swamp buggy there for years. We also built a hunting camp about 12 miles down the Monument Trail. I am in the process of building a swamp buggy right now and may take it back to the monument trail when it is finished if I am allowed. We also had several meals at Monroe Station. Thanks for the great post. Brings back fond memories.

 

[john1edwards]

Are they going to be able to save that place??? :dontknow:

 

[robert4570]

Are they going to be able to save that place??? :dontknow:

NPS is waiting for it to collapse under its own weight.
Currently the termites are holding it up.
Damn shame.

Recent pic.

 

[mohicanmike]

I WAS JUST A KID , IN THE BOY SCOUTS [1966] WHEN WE WOULD CAMP AT THE TWO ROCK PITS [ MONUMENT LAKES ] . AS I GREW OLDER ,TWO OF MY BEST FREINDS FAMILY HAD A CAMP OFF TURNER RIVER ROAD . WE WOULD GO HOG HUNTING ON THEIR WHEEL BUGGY . AND GO TO MONROE STATION , LOOP ROAD , MONUMENT LAKES , BIG CYPRESS AREA . WE WENT TO SEVERAL WILD HOG BBQ`S AT MONROE STATION . GREAT MEMORIES .

 

[CHAKA]

Monroe Station on the corner of the Loop Road and the Tamiami Trail was always a great place to go to in the 1960's before and after coming and going from our hunting camp on our land deep in the Big Cypress. I have alot of memories myself of the times spent there as my father and grandfather did, too. It was built in 1928 when my father was just a small child and stood almost a hundred years as a land mark for early Gladesmen and hunters to the early white people who settleled there. It was of course like all the land stolen and forced away from all of us in the Big Cypress by the State of Florida in the 1970's and made into a Preserve under the NPS National Park Service. Under there control and watchful eye places like this one slowly fell to the ground or left in a condition unrepairable intil they were destroyed. Finally in the year 2000, the Monroe Station Site was put on the National Register of Histroric Places in the U.S. to be protect as a Land mark forever. But, still no protection was given to Monroe Station and it was let to stand alone unprotected to slowly fall apart over the next 16 years. On 16 April 2016 Monroe Station was burned to the ground. Thanks alot NPS you Suck !

 

[coondog123]

I was born and raised in Dade County and we use to drive out to Loop Road and coon hunt perhaps a mile or two down Loop Road South of Monroe Station several times a week. Loved the place and went to about all the Wild Hog BBQ's there also. Just a great place in at a Great Time in my live. We would also go down to Monument Lake and walk the buggy trail going North. Treed a lot of coon in that area and walked a lot of miles.
Place will never be the same. In 1980 I moved to NE FL and there are a lot of woods up here and many places to just get out have have fun. Unfortunately none will be like the Glades.

 

[gladesman76]

Even though I was not around to experience everything that went down at Monroe Station; I was devastated to hear that it was burnt down and the NPS used that land for a parking lot for swamp buggies. I remember listening to my grandfather Buddy's stories about Monroe Station. I would love to of heard more stories but its sad to say the legend of loop road David Balman (Buddy) has passed this year.


"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you would miss it."