Death in the Everglades: The Murder of Guy Bradley, America's First Martyr to Environmentalism (Florida History and Culture)

”Guy Bradley’s colorful life and violent death have always seemed the stuff of myth. . . . Death in the Everglades is both compelling history and a heart-tugging drama.”—Audubon

”An eye-opening, informative account of the rise and demise of the cruel plume hunting trade and of Guy Bradley’s heroic dedication to protect a beautiful and valuable natural resource: the egrets and flamingoes, roseate spoonbills and herons that still grace the Glades and our shorelines.”—Miami Herald

”Rescues from obscurity a key chapter in the history of American environmentalism. . . . With great finesse, McIver evokes Bradley’s tumultuous world, chronicles the pitched battle to save wild birds, and resurrects a true folk hero.”—Booklist

”Reminds us that Glades once was so wild that armed men quaked with fear.”—St. Petersburg Times

Guy Bradley, born in Chicago in 1870, was killed in 1905 only three years into his tenure as game warden in a south Florida that was still very much a frontier. His murderer, never prosecuted, was a one-eyed former Civil War sharpshooter who made his living supplying exotic plumage for women’s hats. At the time, an ounce of feathers was worth more than an ounce of gold. Bradley’s death sent shock waves across America and helped give impetus to the burgeoning environmental movement.