WHY DO THEY CALL IT TIGERTAIL AVENUE? (REWRITE)

Why do they call it Tigertail Avenue

By Wellborn Phillips, 05/27/13

Tigertail Avenue in Coconut Grove  is named for a famous Seminole Indian. This is the story of the legends and history—and some fiction that surrounds it.

Tigertail was born in Spanish Florida about l790. His Indian name was Thlocklo Tustenuggee or Fish Warrior. His father was chief of the Tallahassee branch of Seminoles that once lived in the area of the state capital.

Young Fish Warrior grew up as a conspicuous figure: over six feet tall, athletic, powerfully-built, with dark skin, deep furrows in his face and a nose and mouth considerably larger than the average.

The First Seminole War (l8l7-l8) occurred while Fish Warrior was still a young man. His tribe remained friendly with the white man and he lived for a while with the Robert Gamble Family. Fish Warrior developed polished manners, spoke English fluently was baptized a Christian, kept the Sabbath and developed friends among the whites.

The United States purchased Florida from Spain in l821. Two years later, its new Territorial Governor Duval sought a peaceful solution with the Indians. During negotiation of the Treaty of Moultrie Creek (held south of present day Jacksonville), Duval arranged numerous athletic activities to keep the Indians busy while their chiefs were involved in the negotiations. And young Fish Warrior became their star athlete. And a friend nicknamed him” tiger tail” because he wore strip of panther skin dangling from his waist.

The treaty of Moultrie Creek called for the Indians removal to a 4,000,000,000 acre reservation stretching from present day Ocala south to Charlotte Harbor. But it pleased no one. Charges of bad faith and fraud flew. During the next l2 years, moderate Indian leaders—Neamanther, John Hicks and others—were replaced or superseded by firebrands--Micanopy, Billy Bowlegs, Osceola—and Tiger Tail. And these new chiefs led their tribes to war.

The Second Seminole War (l835-l442) was one of the most savage and costly in American history. Causalities included l, 466 American troops, thousands of Indians killed, numerous plantations, destroyed and their owners’s slaves and live stock destroyed. (Mysteriously, the Robert Gamble Plantation was one of the few in the Tallahassee area that was left unharmed.)  But Tiger Tail had earned among the whites a reputation as one of the most talented and devious of the chiefs.

By the end of the war, the Indians were not completely defeated. There was no peace treaty. America just declared “We won.” And the troops went home. Some Indians retreated into the Everglades where their descendants live today. Others were killed or captured and shipped off to the Oklahoma Reservation. Osceola was captured under a flag of truce and held in the fort at St. Augustine where he died months later.

One night a village where Tiger Tail was staying was surprised by American troops. Supposedly, everyone was captured. The Indians showed the whites a very old Indian who had been beaten up in a drunken brawl. His features were not recognizable. And he Indians told the troops “that is Tiger Tail.” The jubilant troops carried the old Indian to a ship headed for New Orleans on the way to Oklahoma. The old Indian died in New Orleans.

More recent evidence indicates that Tiger Tail actually escaped from the village as the troops arrived, then led into the Everglades where he lived for a while. Others say he went along to Oklahoma, still not recognized as the Indian American troops especially wanted to catch and then later, he escaped to Mexico and finally found his way to South Florida.

In the l860’s, an Indian arrived in Dade County and settled in the woods in an area that would be soon known as “Coconut Grove”. He was believed to be about 70 years old, but well-built and strong, six feet tall, with dark skin, deep furrows in his face and a large mouth and nose. He said his name was Tiger Tail. He camped on the bluff about where Aviation Avenue is today.

 At the time, the area had a few squatters, but very shortly, the first of the permanent settlers (Dr Beasley, the Frows, Peacocks and Pents would arrive).And Tiger Tail was friendly with every one, wandering up and down the trails, sometimes trading, other times just visiting.

Most of the trails were ill-defined, but there was one that was a branch of the main trail that paralleled the coast, beginning about where 27th Avenue is today and continuing into the woods to present day l7th Avenue. This trail was nicknamed “Tiger Tail’s Trail” after the new settler’s new Indian friend.

In l882, the old Indian was standing under a tree during a rain storm when lightning struck the tree and killed him. The chance to establish his identity for sure died with him. But the trail remains as one of Coconut Grove’s favorite Avenues and Tigertail has become one word.

In l9l2, when developers began plating new subdivisions, starting with the First Amended Plat of Silver Bluff, they named the new street after the old Indian where ever it coincided with the trail of long ago And the Board of County Commissioners made it part of history when it accepted the plat.