A Milestone Celebration

During Florida's land boom of the 1920s Americans flocked to the Sunshine State as never before. Countless new homes arose, as did commercial buildings and municipal projects. Famous cities of today, including Boca Raton, Hollywood, Coral Gables, and Venice, sprang to life during those heady times.

Eager for boom traffic, the Seaboard Air Line Railway connected both coasts of the state and advanced rails down to West Palm Beach, but President S. Davies Warfield wanted more! In 1926, two major extensions were rushed to completion - one to Naples, the other to the "Magic City" of Miami.

To open the additions, Warfield invited 700 guests from 18 states and pampered them aboard five identical passenger train sections of the Orange Blossom Special. Afterwards, he sent each invitee a souvenir: a leather slipcase containing two privately printed booklets, one describing the Seaboard and the territory it served, the other recounting the fabled journey just completed.

Rarely seen by the public and today treasured by collectors, the booklets are reproduced herein along with - for the first time - many historic images. Together they record a remarkable celebration of American railroad history.