The Boat Lullabies

Many people won't know where these were taken. Musa Isle was actually part of the Miccosukee reservation (Seminole, sort of) in the middle of Miami, Florida, on the Miami River. 27th Ave was a main drag, motels, tourist stuff, and the Miccosukee had a place there that led back to the river, where they held alligator shows, demo'd sewing those exquisite patchwork clothes and sold stuff to the tourists, including alligator handbags, belts, etc. They actually lived on Musa Isle in the middle of the river, and a half mile south of us back in the early sixties, until a Thanksgiving hurricane destroyed their chickees, etc. They sold out to developers and moved out into the Everglades where they run a very successful casino-nightclub. See more on my website and forum, about the Allapattah area of Miami, http://sneakykitchen.com

Thanks for the info! I think the photos are from the late 1940s/early 50s.

How well I remember the Indian rubbing the gator's belly and putting him to sleep.

We lived on 23rd Ave and 33rd Street from 1945 through 1957. We enjoyed taking relatives from "up north" to Musa Isle, the Parrot Jungle, Rustic Roller Rink, and Luby's Cafeteria. I can remember seeing signs in stores in Allapattah reading "Spanish Spoken Here"; understand the reverse is now true