Instructions:
1....Print this file.
2....At its end, click on "rules" to see a copy of the trail rules, print it, and then click where indicated at the end of the 3-page rules and patch order form to get back to the list of Florida trails.
3....If you want a hand-drawn map showing the locations of all of the sites, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Steve Rajtar, 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806.
4....Hike the trail and order whatever patches you like (optional).
WARNING - This trail may pass through one or more neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood. Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3) choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary with the individual and with the time and season of the hike, so you need to make the determination using your best judgment. If you hike the trail, you accept all risks involved.
This was the site of a large Caloosa Indian midden mound, atop which in the 1890s was built the Sportsman's Hotel, which served visitors until about 1920. The mound was originally 65 feet long and up to 50 feet high, but no longer exists.
Rupert W. Thomas owned the property during the 1930s.
Before the present home of the Chamber of Commerce was built here, this was the site of the Bungalow Inn, a popular lodging for tourists in the 1920s. The Chamber moved from a building at the later site of the GTE building on US 41.
This building was erected in 1914 as the home of Ruskin College's founder, Dr. George McA. Miller. He followed the theories of British Christian Socialist John Ruskin and, with A.P., L.L. and N.E. Dickman, purchased 12,000 acres in 1907-08. He believed in making education available to everyone. This was the third college he founded.
The remainder of the college burned down in 1919. This building became the home of the Ruskin Woman's Club in 1940.
The building designed by Adeline Dickman Miller shows a Swiss Chalet influence with elements of both the Stick and Prairie styles. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1974.
Beginning in about 1924, the area 1.8 miles to the southwest, at the intersection of Tamiami Tr. and Gulf City Rd., was a thriving wholesale fishing community. It was started by Frank and Sarah Ball of Manitoba, Canada, whose Frank Ball and Son's Fish Company trucked barrels of mullet, snook, speckled trout, and other fish to New York.
At that intersection was a fish store and garage which burned down in 1938. They were rebuilt in 1939 and closed after World War II. The concrete slab foundation remained for many years.
In 1950, Paul Dickman dredged the inlet at the mouth of the river to the west, just as his grandfather had done in 1908. In 1960, he and his brother, Lyle, built the 37-acre resort known as Bahia Beach. In 1961, Paul helped start the First Bank of Ruskin.
Ruskin College, a liberal arts and industrial school, was established in 1899 in Trenton, Missouri. When it outgrew its facilities, it moved in 1904 to Glen Ellyn, Illinois, but burned down in 1906. It was re-established in Ruskin in 1910 and lasted until 1919, when it burned down.
Lyle C. (the son of Paul) Dickman and his wife, Margy, married in 1956. Seven years later, they moved into this 23-room house.
This two-story home with the conical tower was built in 1910 as the residence of A.P. Dickman. Constructed of heart pine, it has verandas on both sides, and the second story is capped by a tower, now used as a study by the home's owner. It has been converted into a bed and breakfast known as the Ruskin House.
The nearby Ruskin Inlet meanders for three miles before reaching the Little Manatee River.
At this location was built the Ruskin Hotel, also known as the Ruskin Lodge, and the Venoa Hotel. Telephone service reached Ruskin in 1916. The hotels burned down in 1918, two years before the arrival of electricity to the area. The area was later developed as Bahia Beach.
This restaurant was run by Paul Dickman from 1929 until 1936, when it was taken over by Willie and Mary Walker. Behind it was Dickman's 1 1/2 acre tomato farm.
In 1941, Dickman helped form the Ruskin Vegetable Cooperative.
A Guide to National Register Sites in Florida, (Florida Department of State 1984)
A Piece of History, by Aleta Jonie Maschek (The Shopper Observer News)
Bahia Beach: Then and Now 1513- , by Willard Dickman Miller (Logan's Printing 1961)
Florida Bed & Breakfast Guide, by Valerie C. Bondy (Queen of Hearts Publications 1995)
Florida Historical Markers & Sites, by Floyd E. Boone (Gulf Publishing Company 1988)
Florida's History Through Its Places: Properties in the National Register of Historic Places, by Morton D. Winsberg (Florida State University 1988)
Indian Mounds You Can Visit, by I. Mac Perry (Great Outdoors Publishing Company 1993)
Ruskin Topics, by M.C. Leonard (Hillsborough Community College 1978)