Father of the Everglades

Ernest F. Coe was a Connecticut landscaper who settled with his wife in Coconut Grove Florida, in the 1920s. During his trips to the Everglades, he was shocked to learn of orchids and rare birds being destroyed. Coe was insistent that the state save its wildlife and unparalleled tropical beauty. He created the Tropical Everglades National Park Association (later Everglades National Park Association) and outlined a proposal for a national park. But it wasn't until 1947, nearly 20 years later, that Everglades National Park was established.

In 1996, on the eve of the park's 50th anniversary, a new visitor center was christened "Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center" in honor of the man who dedicated his life to the preservation of the Everglades.