The Houseboat
The hull was built around 1939 by John Collins, a fisherman and boat builder from Cedar Key who knew the estuary waters of the Big Bend intimately. The cabin was constructed by Henry Leggett, Vista's caretaker, and fitted with a kitchen, bunk beds, toilet, shower, and heating stove—everything needed for extended expeditions on the river and coast. The hull of the boat is constructed of creosoted heart cypress which has been sheathed at the bottom with copper. The hull is braced with heart long-leaf pine timbers. Steel tie rings for towing the heavy boat are located at either corner of the hull in the stern. Initially two motorboats, later they used a tugboat, towed the houseboat to the mouth of the East Pass of the Suwannee River and left it for a month at a time as a base for multi-day hunting and fishing trips into the Gulf and its coastal islands.
Aerial photos show that the houseboat remained moored to the Vista dock when not in use. Around 1974 it began to leak badly and was hauled out of the Suwannee River and installed as you see here. This marked the first time the camp was without its full complement of recreational equipment since the 1940s.
In 1972 the Vista camp was sold by the Cummer Company to Edward C. Roe and Christopher B. Cummer. By this point in time the camp was no longer used for company gatherings. While its recreational uses were maintained, they became less intensive so the houseboat removed from the Suwannee River using a marine railway—the angled track and cradle system you see on the river side of the boat. The boathouse became a bunkhouse for additional guests, extending Vista's capacity without altering its essential character as a camp.
The marine railway is itself a significant artifact. A system of rails, a rolling cradle, and a winch allowed a heavy vessel to be pulled completely out of the water for storage, maintenance, or protection from storms. Small marine railways were common on working waterways in the early-to-mid 20th century but are now rare. This one, built of cypress and metal hardware, is a relic of the era when coastal Floridians maintained their own boats in their own yards.
Aerial photos show that the houseboat remained moored to the Vista dock when not in use. Around 1974 it began to leak badly and was hauled out of the Suwannee River and installed as you see here. This marked the first time the camp was without its full complement of recreational equipment since the 1940s.
In 1972 the Vista camp was sold by the Cummer Company to Edward C. Roe and Christopher B. Cummer. By this point in time the camp was no longer used for company gatherings. While its recreational uses were maintained, they became less intensive so the houseboat removed from the Suwannee River using a marine railway—the angled track and cradle system you see on the river side of the boat. The boathouse became a bunkhouse for additional guests, extending Vista's capacity without altering its essential character as a camp.
The marine railway is itself a significant artifact. A system of rails, a rolling cradle, and a winch allowed a heavy vessel to be pulled completely out of the water for storage, maintenance, or protection from storms. Small marine railways were common on working waterways in the early-to-mid 20th century but are now rare. This one, built of cypress and metal hardware, is a relic of the era when coastal Floridians maintained their own boats in their own yards.
