LIVING HISTORY
For more than a century, the boathouse has been a landmark on the St. Lucie River. The lush resort was named for the large bay tree by the walkway.
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HOME & DESIGN
RICK CRARY
North’s long love affair with South Florida, precipitating
many migrations to follow.
CHICAGO INDUSTRIALIST
Among the rich northerners who vacationed at the
Royal Poinciana in Flagler’s time was Chicago industrialist
James Viles. Viles and his wife, Anna, spent at
least two winters there: in 1908 and ’09. But he headed
upriver, too. News stories about former President
Cleveland’s expeditions to Stuart had publicized the
fact that the St. Lucie River was chock-full of fish,
including tarpon and other heavy-fighters. That must
have been what lured him to Sewall’s Point.
Viles ended up buying a 10-acre river-to-river parcel
from Sewall, where he built a fine winter residence of
his own. He shared his new retreat with wealthy fishing
buddies, like bigtime banker Granger Farwell and
copier king, Albert B. Dick, who held the license to
manufacture Thomas Edison’s mimeograph machine.
They fished all day and played cards at night.
The 54-year-old Viles had made his millions as a
mogul in the meat-packing industry, an unsanitary
business at the time, or so a muckraking novel by Upton
Sinclair insisted. That 1906 bestseller, The Jungle,
caused such public uproar that Congress had to pass
the Pure Food and Drug Act. But by that time, Viles
had switched to manufacturing diesel motors and
railroad supplies. His company serviced 85 percent of
the railroads in the country. >>
THURLOW COLLECTION
Anna Underwood Viles was the wife of Chicago industrialist James Viles, who built
the original lodge in 1909.