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About Coopertown
Formerly a Seminole Village Coopertown was founded by John Cooper in 1945 and has remained with the Cooper family since. The site where Coopertown occupies was originally an Indian village where the family of Jimmy Osceola lived in the early part of the 1900's. They lived a very simple life, as did many of the Seminole Indians living along the Tamiami Trail at that time. With the lack of "modern" transportation, they relied on the Everglades for much of their food. They cooked what they hunted over an open fire in the chickee (an open-sided Seminole dwelling, thatched with palms). Jimmy Osceola has since passed on, however Mrs. Osceola and her daughter, Maggie visited Coopertown on November 19, 1973. At the time, Mrs. Osceola's age was not known, however she was quite aged. Then Coopertown In October, 1945, the three Cooper brothers came to the Tamiami Trail from Melbourne, Florida, looking for better frog hunting in the Everglades. The brothers and their families lived in tent dwellings until 1947 when the original John Cooper home was built. Prior to this time, John Cooper and his wife, Marion, had worked in the manufacturing plants of Detroit during World War II. The Coopers originally came from White Oak, Missouri, where the family of 10 children farmed, raising milk cows along with white corn, cotton and oats. One of the Cooper brothers, James T. (Jay) went into the service for a five-year period. John went on to establish the Coopertown Airboat Tours. Home of the ORIGINAL Airboat Tour By 1945, John Cooper had a small frogging boat along the East-West Canal (the Tamiami Trail). Passing motorists noticed it and would ask for a ride in the interesting looking airboat. John obliged. At first it was a few people, but as more and more curious people stopped, John built a small passenger airboat to accommodate them. Today, the Kennon family, direct descendands of the Coopers, run the Coopertown ORIGINAL Airboat Tours. The Coopertown AIrboat fleet. consists of seven boats in operation, the largest boat with a seating capacity of 24 people. The smaller two-seater has been hired for movie and documentary filming and fashion photo shoots for clients from all over the world. More than 54 years later the same exciting airboat tour is given with experienced, well-trained and informative guides. For some, it is a completely new and different experience. For the tourist who come back year after year and the local people who bring their friends and family along, it is always fun and educational. The EvergladesTour There is an abundance of Everglades wildlife to see: alligators, birds, otters, fish and turtles. Exotic plants and flowers abound as well. Then there is just the pure thrill of the airboat ride across the wide open prairie of sawgrass! The airboat ride takes 35 to 45 minutes and is an eight mile round trip over and through the sawgrass. The return trip brings the airboat on a tricky maneuver among the hardwood hammocks (islands of solid ground spotting the "River of Grass"), where all sorts of wildlife are seen. The guide will stop for photo opportunities while willing Glades "residents" pose. A little history of the Everglades is given while our knowledgeable guides answer any questions about this fascinating environment. And then the passengers can just sit back and soak in the clouds on the horizon, the ripples across the water and spectacular "River of Grass"! Downtown Coopertown As the traffic down the Tamiami Trail grew, so did Coopertown. Brother James T. (Jay) built and opened a Bait & Tackle shop along with a grocery store and gas station. In April, 1967, Edward Williams purchased Jay's Bat & Tackle and then sold it to the National Park in June of 1996. Brother Marion opened a small stand, serving sodas, sandwiches and fresh 'Glades froglegs to the Airboat Tour passengers. Over the years, the stand grew into the Coopertown Restaurant under various local management. In June, 1967, Ellen Curtis leased the establishment and has promoted the now "world-famous" house specialty, Everglades Frog Legs - the platter or the dinner version, if you prefer. Of course, other "down-home" meals are served, as well as the "best hamburgers in town"! See what else the Coopertown Restaurant has to offer! Come to Coopertown and Sign Our Guest Book! The Coopertown Guest Book is filled with names of people who have visited our Everglades home from all over the world! There of signatures of many notables and celebrities, including Dennis Weaver, Doris Day, Bobby Breen, Robert Fuller, Burt Reynolds, Dana Andrews, Clint and Ronnie Howard and their Dad, Rance Howard and Andy White, producer of the series "Gentle Ben". Country singers Ferlin Husky, Slim Whitman and Bobby Lewis. Baseball heroes Micky Mantle and Billy Martin, and football players Jake Scott, Bill Stanfill and Bob Kuechenberg. Other famous names to visit Coopertown include Chuck Norris, Kurt Russell, Mariel Hemingway, Raul Julia and Beverly D'Angelo. We look forward to seeing your name too! Come and Visit Us Again! We, the residents of Coopertown, hope you have enjoyed your virtual visit to "Beautiful Downtown Coopertown" and we hope you will come and visit us to see the real thing soon!
Mayor Jesse Kennon |
Contact webmaster@coopertownairboats.com for comments or questions about this site.Copyright © 1999-2001 Coopertown
Airboat Tours
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