Guide to the James F. Jaudon Papers

Contents

• Overview of the Collection
• Biographical Note
• Scope and Contents
• Arrangement
• Restrictions
• Index Terms
• Related Material
• Administrative Information
• Container List
  • Papers
  • Maps
  • Blueprints
  • Photographs

Overview of the Collection

Biographical Note

James Franklin Jaudon was born in Waco, Texas, on October 19, 1873, and moved to Orlando while still a youth. While in Orlando, he joined the Florida National Guard and quickly advanced to Sergeant. After moving to Miami in 1895, Jaudon helped organize Company L, Second Battalion, Second Infantry, in which he became Captain. He retired voluntarily on July 5, 1912.

In 1895, Jaudon and his brother, Paul, established Jaudon Bros., one of the first packing houses in Dade County. In 1906, Jaudon became one of the first tax assessors for Miami. He later became state assessor, a position he held until 1916, when he resigned to concentrate upon the construction of the Tamiami Trail and the development of land in southwest Florida. The “Bust” and ensuing Depression ended most of his projects. He then grew vegetables and sugar in the Ochopee area. J. F. Jaudon died in Miami on February 22, 1938.

Jaudon participated in a number of projects, including the following:

Chevelier Corporation. In 1916, Jaudon purchased the Hopkins Tract, 207,360 acres in mainland Monroe County. Jaudon organized the Chevelier Corporation to develop and sell land in the renamed Chevelier Tract, and served as its president until the late 1920s. They planned a city, Chevelier, which was never built; promoted the region as a location for agriculture, especially for sugar plantations; and sought oil and mineral rights leases (some oil exploration took place) and timber leases (pine and cypress). None of these plans succeeded. Bankrupt, the corporation dissolved in 1937. The land was sold to the federal government and became part of Everglades National Park.

Tamiami Trail. In 1916, to facilitate and promote development of the Chevelier Tract, Jaudon and others began construction of Tamiami Trail, the first cross-state road in the Everglades and south of Lake Okeechobee. It was completed in 1928. J. F. Jaudon has been called the “Father of Tamiami Trail” because of his great efforts to construct this coast to coast highway.

Belcher Asphalt Paving Company. Captain Jaudon was involved in the beginning stages of this company. Samuel A. Belcher started the company and concentrated on macadam paving, the Belcher System, fuel, road and refined oils.

W. H. Combs Company. James F. Jaudon, Paul B. Jaudon, and W. H. Combs purchased the funeral home of Nelson, Edwin and W. F. Miller, the first undertaker in Miami. The business had been established in 1896, and was located on the corner of NE 15th Terrace and 2nd Avenue, Miami. The Combs Funeral Home records are located at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.

Florida Sugar Cane Plantations Co. Established with James F. Jaudon as President in 1934, to develop 10,000 acres of Everglades land into a sugar-producing plantation. The main objective of the company was to produce rums and liquors. Capt. Jaudon and his associates lobbied various senators in Washington D.C. in order to get loans from R.F.C., W.P.A. and Federal Land Banks. They were never able to get the funding necessary to develop these lands.

Jaudon Bros. Established by James F. Jaudon and Paul B. Jaudon as wholesale commission merchants of fruits, produce and seeds. (B. F. Markle is noted in place of James F. Jaudon in the 1920 Miami City Directory.)

Jaudon Picture Show and Amusement Co. James F. Jaudon, Ivan S. Jaudon, and Paul B. Jaudon established this company. It was closed in 1918 with the death of Ivan S. Jaudon.

Royal Palm Sugar Cane and Planting Co. Established with James F. Jaudon as President and General Manager. S. E. Livingston, Mayor of Homestead, was the Vice- President. The company sought investors from the north to develop farming land in the Cape Sable District of Dade County as a joint venture with the Pennsylvania Sugar Land Company.

Tamiami Railway. Incorporated on August 1, 1917, with James F. Jaudon as President, in order to establish a railway between Miami and Fort Myers. The Tamiami Railway was to parallel Tamiami Trail, about one mile north. Miami granted a franchise to use certain streets and secured use of municipal railway and docks. The railway was never built.

Tamiami Trail Land Company. The company served as an independent extension of the Jaudon Realty Company. The sole purpose of the company was to sell and develop land in the Everglades, specifically those tracts in the planned city of Chevelier.

United States Sisal Trust. The company was organized with James F. Jaudon as vice-president, in order to develop and grow sisal in the state of Florida. Sisal hemp is a strong durable fiber taken from a West Indian agave. It is used for cordage and twine.

United States Sugar Corporation. Incorporated on September 28, 1919 (presumed year), with James F. Jaudon as vice-president, in Wilmington, Delaware. The company was established to produce white sugar and not raw sugar for immediate consumption.

Jaudon participated in the following ventures: Chatham Bend Company. Secretary. -- The Consumers Power Company. President. -- Everglades Development Association. Chairman, Board of Directors. -- Florida Rubber Company. President. -- Miami Mineral Oil and Natural Gas. President. -- Perrine Mercantile and Investment Company. Director. -- Sea Leather and Products Company. Sec. Treasurer. -- Southern Drainage District. President. -- Valmont Corporation. President.

Jaudon made financial investments in the following: Coliseum Corporation (Coral Gables, Fla.). $10,000 in stocks. -- Ocean Beach Pier (Miami Beach, Fla.) -- Vanderbilt Newspaper Corporation. $10,000 in stocks. -- Woodlawn Park Cemetery (Miami, Fla.).

Scope and Contents

The Jaudon papers contain a large amount of business correspondence and some personal correspondence. Within the files are business brochures, financial papers, and newspaper clippings. See Biographical Note for summaries of Jaudon’s projects, all of which are represented in the papers.

Arrangement

In four series: papers, maps, blueprints and photographs.

Papers are arranged in folders alphabetically by topics apparently established by Jaudon. Alphabetical arrangement begins with boxes 1 and 16. Within each folder, items are arranged chronologically.

Maps, blueprints and photographs have been separated and arranged in three series. The maps include printed and manuscript maps of South Florida.

Approximately 200 photographic prints are filed separately in the South Florida Photographs Collection (under JAUDON, JAMES FRANKLIN) and in the Artifact Photographs (by accession number).

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission from Historical Museum of Southern Florida staff required prior to reproduction of materials in a publication. Please contact archives staff for more information.

Related Material

Jaudon sent most of his Tamiami Trail records to an unknown location for "safe keeping." Those records apparently no longer exist.

Index Terms

These papers are indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Jaudon, James Franklin, 1873-1938
Tamiami Trail (Fla.)
Big Cypress Swamp (Fla.)
Everglades (Fla.)
Agriculture -- Florida -- Everglades
Real estate development -- Florida -- Everglades.

Administrative Information

Alternative Form Available

Digital images have been made of many items and are online at Reclaiming the Everglades, http://everglades.fiu.edu/reclaim/index.htm

Preferred Citation

James F. Jaudon papers, Historical Museum of Southern Florida

Bibliography

Chapin, George M. Florida : Past Present and Future. Chicago : S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1914. v. II, p. 613-614.

Container List

Series 1: Papers

Papers container list

Series 2: Maps