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He offered the Tallahassee agency $300 per acre for the land within four or five feet of water; $200 per acre for land at water level; and $100 for land underwater. With $10,000 borrowed from a friend, he purchased his first 250 acres on the northwest side of the lake. Then Travers had a good fortune of walking along Datura Street and getting part of his ear chopped off by glass falling from the Harvey Building. Naturally, being a lawyer, he sued and won $5000, which he immediately invested in his development. By 1949, Travers had the dredging machine scooping up sand from the bottom of the lake and using it for fill and began selling pieces of his dream. By the end of 1952, only three homes had been built along the small section of shell rock road, which later would become West Lake Drive. Travers lived in the one on the north side of the boat ramp, and the other two stood immediately south. Travers knew that he needed a bridge across the canal to connect the community to the outside world. Lake Lytal, then a county commissioner, convinced the commission to proceed with construction, knowing Travers was willing to kick in $10,000 to help pay for it. After the bridge opened in 1953, families, including Oens, Langfords, Lytals, trickled across to build homes. By 1956 there were 150 registered voters of "Lake Clarke Isles. "Travers began developing on the northeast side of the lake: Some old-time residents can recall walking on wooden planks over the canal at Pine Tree Lane so they could pick out their lots on location out on Venetian Way. Travers continued dredging, extending the main lake south to where it is today. He built roads and bridges. He dug and filled to make sustainable lots around the lake. He destroyed the wetland area in the process -- an action that would never be allowed under today's environmental regulations. He's also the man we can thank today for no sidewalks -- that's just the way Travers planned it. For years, there's been talk that Travers was instrumental in forming the town to go along with his development. In fact, though, he opposed it, he's said in the past that he much rather have had to deal with the county folks downtown than the residents looking right over his shoulder. |
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