As part of our 150th birthday, the Orlando Sentinel will reprint articles from our archives as part of our Monday Memories feature. Here’s one from 85 years ago today, Jan. 5, 1941, that appeared on Page 2 of The Sunday Sentinel-Star:
Orlando Chamber Deluged With Inquiries From North
With the holiday season out of the way, Mr. and Mrs. Northern United States and children turned their collective attention to a Winter vacation in Florida and Orlando has caught the fancy of many sunshine enthusiasts eager to beat a hasty retreat from wintry blasts of ice and cold.
Evidence of this fact is to be found in the daily deluge of mail that is flooding the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce. Prospective holiday seekers are primarily interested in housing accommodations and living costs. They also want to know what they can do to enjoy themselves after they arrive – places to see and opportunities for recreation.
The handling of these inquiries is a relatively simple job for the civic organization staff under the direction of Secretary A.C. Slaughter. A highly organized system has been developed to provide for prompt attention to this mail. But many Southern-bound travelers require more detailed replies and hours of research are sometimes necessary to supply all the information demanded. For example: A resident of Johnstown, Ohio, wanted complete real estate values, business opportunities and living conditions.
“Is your climate corrective for rheumatism?’ he asked. “Does Orlando have good deep well water? Send me your newspaper.”
Orlando Sentinel 150th birthday logo for Monday Memory feature.
Rosanna Crawford of Philadelphia requested a list of reasonably-priced Orlando hotels convenient to the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Mrs. F. T. Hunsinger of Douglassville, Pa., wants a camping place near the beach, while N. Vittetoe of North Little Rock, Ark., wants to know if figs are raised in Orlando and if fig farms are for sale.
A resident of Roanoke, Va., desired complete information on Florida divorce procedure along with figures on the costs of living.
A citizen of Shadyside, Ohio, asked for prices of oranges and tangerines at the packing houses in six or 12-ton lots.
E.R. Newmann of Newmann and Sideman, Chicago attorneys, wrote, “I have observed the ads in various magazines inviting vacationists to Orlando and extolling among other things the fine fishing possibilities. I am a disciple of Izaak Walton. Will you answer frankly and fully. the following questions?
“Is there really good sporting, freshwater fishing in or near Orlando? If so, are guides necessary and what is their charge? Is fishing done from an ordinary boat or from launches? Can good accommodations be procured within reach of a moderate purse?
“I presume that I will receive pamphlets and literature in answer to this letter, but I will appreciate direct communication with frank answers to the inquiries.”
Another Chicagoan, John Balk, requested information on lakes for some black bass fishing, while a practical nurse in Owasso, Mich., is anxious to line up a job in Orlando.
The postmaster of Greenfield, Mass., desired Orlando’s average temperature during January and February, while an executive of the RFC in Washington wanted a furnished apartment for four months and “I am anxious to start as soon as possible.”
Herman L. Freye, lumber executive of Muskegon, Mich., asked, “What information can you give us regarding tuition for two high school girls.”
A resident of Bethlehem, Pa., is seeking a private adult camp, “not a fashionable resort nor sanitarium but an opportunity for rest, instruction in sports and relaxation.”
William E. Hawley, editor and publisher of the Baldwin Bulletin of Baldwin, Wis., wants to spend February in Florida but was uncertain where to go.
A Chicagoan expressed desire to buy an orange grove in Orange County and wanted information on newly planted groves or undeveloped property sold and developed on a cooperative basis.
A businessman of Columbus, S. C. asked for information “covering the possibilities in your city for a retail ice cream store.”
Find more Orlando Sentinel history at OrlandoSentinel.com/150