In the early 1900s, U.S. Highway 41 ran from Copper Harbor, Michigan to Tampa, Florida. Between 1915 and 1928, only portions of main roads existed between Tampa and Naples. At that time, the “Velvet Highway” connected Tampa with Venice. Further south, prominent businessmen began to push for the continuation of U.S. 41 all the way to Miami, passing through Fort Myers, Naples and the formidable Everglades. They were told it was impossible, so in 1923 an adventurous group set out from Fort Myers in a 7-car caravan to prove it could be done!

Adrian’s Park Cabins were located on Venice Island at 1455 Tamiami Trail South, where Darby Buick stands today. Circa 1940.

“After five days, the party’s food gave out, while it fought off squadrons of mosquitoes, tiptoed past cottonmouths and rattlers, dodged log-like alligators, hacked its way through swamps and underbrush and built log bridges over streams that were not supposed to be there. After the rations ran out, the ‘Trail Blazers,’ as they were being called in the nation’s press as anxiety for their whereabouts grew, lived off the country on a menu which included venison, fish, frogs’ legs, swamp cabbage and palm hearts,” reported The New York Times.

Scores of men were hired to complete the Tamiami Trail, circa 1920.

“Three weeks after the party had left the end of a sand track near Everglades, the five Model T’s chugged into Miami. The other cars had bogged down in the swamps. Haggard but triumphant, the Trail Blazers had dramatized the potential feasibility of the road.”

That road trip set in motion the plans for the completion of U.S. 41 to Miami, to be designated the Tamiami Trail from Tampa to Miami. By 1928, the “impossible” road became a reality thanks to the hard work and devotion of many individuals, and the workers were considered “heroes.” The original 283.9-mile Tamiami Trail took approximately 13 years and eight million dollars to bring to fruition.

The original Trail traversed in front of the property where the Venice Regional Medical Center is now located on Venice Island. In the early 1900s, the Worthington Apartment building (left) occupied this corner, south of Palermo on the west side of Business U.S. 41.

continued top right

While the completion of the road was celebrated in Miami, Fort Myers and Tampa in 1928, the Venice area was experiencing an end to the land boom, and many people and businesses moved away. For several years, most people used Tamiami Trail to drive right past Venice onto larger cities.

Slowly, the area began to prosper and attract more residents, leading to a need for road enhancements. Thirty years later, The New York Times surmised, “The Trail has been improved and widened since its first completion. In its future there may be even more ambitious plans.” Were they ever right!

To improve safety and travel efficiency, a number of changes have been made to the original route over the years, including the addition of lighting, medians and sidewalks. Most sections have been rerouted and widened. Today, almost 80 years after the original road completion, the Trail is still being widened to accommodate the ever-increasing population of residents and tourists, in some areas to 10 lanes!

While the Tamiami Trail connects several major cities, it also passes through small historical towns, such as Venice, Laurel, Nokomis and Osprey. Many of these towns still possess quaint buildings and homes, and a quick side trip off the Trail can provide a charming glimpse of how life looked many years ago.

The Worthington Apartment building is long gone, and today the Venice Regional Medical Center is located south of Palermo on Venice Island.

If you travel further south and east on the Trail, you will be surrounded by nature as it traverses the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve.

As such, Tamiami Trail has been designated a National Scenic Byway for its unique scenery in this area. You can see alligators, eagles, osprey, deer, herons, egrets, anhinga, and if you are lucky, a rare Florida panther! 

Tamiami Trail mid-island looking north on a quiet Sunday in September. Today’s roadway on the Island still follows the original path of the 1920s Trail.

The Tamiami Trail has provided convenient access for millions of travelers over the years in south Florida, but it is also a trail lined with history and paved with dedication which begs recognition beside just being a paved roadway from point A to point B. Next time you are traveling the Tamiami Trail, remember the heroes who originally made it possible, and revel at the historical and natural treasures alongside its shoulders.

 Written by Lizette Lenhard
Historical Photographs Courtesy of
Venice Archives

Current Photos by Lizette Lenhard 
Printed November 2007
Web November 2007

DID YOU KNOW?

Although there is some discrepancy about the origination of the name, a popular belief is that the name Tamiami is a contraction of the names of the two major cities it connects: Tampa and Miami.

Tamiami Trail is another name for a small portion of U.S. Highway 41 in southern Florida. Actually, U.S. 41 runs from Miami, Florida to Northern Michigan.

Department of Transportation road name designations have changed many times over the years, and today the road is known by various names in different towns and counties. It may be referred to as U.S. 41, South Tamiami Trail, North Tamiami Trail, South Trail, The Trail, or Tamiami Trail East.

This road can lead to much confusion, especially when trying to find a specific address. Although the official name of the road is Tamiami Trail, address numbers start and end at city lines or other intersections, sometimes requiring a north or south designation added to Tamiami Trail.

To add to this confusion, in 1965, a business by-pass was created, called U.S. 41 By-Pass South, which splits from the original Tamiami Trail just north of Venice Avenue, running along the east side of the island before again connecting with the Tamiami Trail just south of Center Road. Normally, a by-pass is designed to avoid a busy section of town, but the by-pass in Venice is typically busier than Business U.S. 41!

The original Tamiami Trail travels across Venice Island and is also referred to as Business U.S. 41.

Another east-west route between Naples and Miami is Interstate 75, commonly known as “Alligator Alley.” The more leisurely Tamiami Trail actually runs south of I-75. 

The original Trail in South Venice headed south into Englewood along Englewood Road and River Road South. Today it has been rerouted east and west between SR 776 and River Road.