Making the Vista Camp a Visitor Destination

From the time Sandra Roe Smith and Linda Roe Alexander gifted the property to the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in 2011, Friends envisioned Vista being regularly open to the public as a vibrant cultural and educational hub, while preserving a precious capsule of Florida’s history. Vista holds a legacy—a story only it can tell. This isn't only about the buildings. This is about telling the refuge's history and it's current role protecting the river, restoring habitat and contributing to the re-wilding of North Florida. 

         Timeline

• 1900– Thomas J. Yearty began operating a cedar sawmill at Vista. Cummer Cypress Company leased the mill from 1902-1910.
• 1902- Cummer Cypress Company purchased land including the sawmill,
• 1920-1940- The Cook's house was built. It is the oldest building on the property that still exists.
• 1924- The Cummer Company sold the property when cedar had been logged out.
• 1936-1972- Cummer Company bought the property back to serve as a hunting and fishing camp for Cummer employees.
• 1936-1939- Main house is repurposed from a cedar sawmill building
• 1939- Houseboat built
• 1972- The property is purchased from the Cummer Company by Edward C. Roe, a partner in the firm.
• 1977- CR 347 is paved, significantly shortening the time it took to travel.
• 1979- The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge is created.
• 1988- Vista is given to Edward Roe's two daughters.
• 2011- These daughters donated the 14 acre site to the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge while maintaining it in a life estate.
• 2021- The daughters relinquish their life estate interest to the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
• 2011-2020– Friends plan & prepare.
• 2018-2020- Friends is awarded our first grant from the FL State Division of Historic Resources for $50,000 to produce the Historic Structure Report by Bender and Associates.
• 2021-2024– Friends undertook urgent saving actions on the Cook's House foundation, roof and windows using a $75,000 grant they received from the FL State Division of Historic Resources
• 2024-2026- Hurricanes and staff reductions affect Vista. Friends curate, mitigate, consult and re-plan
• 2023- The Refuge removed unsafe & unusable outbuildings
• 2026–  Friends facilitated a partnership between the Refuge and the UF College of Architecture to design and construct an interpretive trail and other landscape features
• 2028- Projected date for the dock to be rebuilt using a grant secured by the Refuge
• Beyond- The future of Vista

Friends and the Refuge continue to plan and prepare for Vista to welcome the public. Friends takes the near-term steps to open the property for visitor use, while the Refuge takes  long-term steps toward maximizing the visitor experience.

Currently, Friends is working toward interpretive trail signage that tells the story of the land's recreational use over time, as well as its evolution from a commercial, resource extraction past, to a preservation and conservation present and future.

The Refuge secured multi-million-dollar funding to restore and repurpose the dock. It is scheduled to be completed in 2028.

Friends Took the Lead

Although Vista is Refuge property, belonging to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends has taken the lead to pave the way to its future as a visitor destination and community asset. Given the staffing and funding challenges it faces, the Refuge does not have the capacity to initiate this work.

Soon after the gift was made, and while the life tenancy agreement was still in place, Friends began saving money annually from its small revenue base of about $5,000 a year to use for preparatory actions. In 2016, with consulting assistance from experts at University of Florida, Friends developed a Vista planning statement, began gathering maps, documents, and historical records, and did a careful photographic survey of the property.

Friends cleaning cobwebs

On to the Next Phases

Friends has been able to get the ball rolling and we keep making progress. Going forward, the partnership of Friends and the Refuge will continue to be the key to success.

Vista remains closed to the public but the goal of Friends is that Vista will one day be a publicly accessible site that will tell the story of how Florida has changed over the decades: from a region that drew its wealth from the land's raw materials, to one that depends on the health of the entire ecosystem to sustain communities and quality of life. The Refuge’s plays a central role in protecting the river, restoring trees, and contributing to the re-wilding of North Florida which Friends supports.