Trapper Nelson Zoo Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Trapper Nelson Zoo Historic District, also known as Trapper Nelson Hunting Camp and Trapper Nelson Interpretive Site, is an historic district
located south of Hobe Sound
, Florida
, in the United States
. It is inside Jonathan Dickinson State Park
at 16450 Southeast Federal Highway. On October 3, 2006, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
. You can get there via the Loxahatchee River
(canoe, boat, or kayak) or by only one road.
of the Loxahatchee".
He was found dead in his cabin by a friend in 1968, and his death was ruled a suicide. His land was acquired by the state of Florida, and is now part of Jonathan Dickinson State Park
.
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
located south of Hobe Sound
Hobe Sound, Florida
Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,376 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography and climate:...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is inside Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jonathan Dickinson State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located in Martin County, Florida, between Hobe Sound and Tequesta. The park includes a variety of natural communities, such as sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps. The Loxahatchee River, which was...
at 16450 Southeast Federal Highway. On October 3, 2006, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. You can get there via the Loxahatchee River
Loxahatchee River
The Loxahatchee River The Loxahatchee River The Loxahatchee River (Seminole for river of turtles is a 7.6 mile river near the southeast coast of Florida. It is a National Wild and Scenic River, one of only two in the state, and received its federal designation on May 17, 1985. The 1930s pioneer...
(canoe, boat, or kayak) or by only one road.
Trapper Nelson
Vince "Trapper" Nelson developed a zoo on his property in the 1950s, and his camp and zoo became popular tourist attractions, where such celebrities as Gene Tunney and Gary Cooper visited. He was known locally as the "TarzanTarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
of the Loxahatchee".
He was found dead in his cabin by a friend in 1968, and his death was ruled a suicide. His land was acquired by the state of Florida, and is now part of Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jonathan Dickinson State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located in Martin County, Florida, between Hobe Sound and Tequesta. The park includes a variety of natural communities, such as sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves, and river swamps. The Loxahatchee River, which was...
.