Jake & Sherri Baillie's Page

Welcome!! This is our home away from home during hunting season. On the pages that I have here, you will meet our camp family, see what kind of year we have had and learn of one family's history that has came down from generations. There is a lot of pride and hard work to keep this as it was over 60 years ago. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Let's start out with a little bit of history. My husband is a 5th generation Floridian. In the early 1940's his Grandfather, Wallace, his Grandmother, Grace, friends and other family members started hunting in the Gulf Hammock Management Area in the small town of Inglis, just north of Crystal River. They would drive about 70 miles to the woods, and then they would have to park at the check in station and walk the rest of the way in, which is about 3 to 4 miles. In those times, this was an all day affair of traveling. They would then have to set up a camp sight, fix something to eat and get ready to start hunting. Boy, talk about the love to hunt!! At this time cattle was still free roaming through the woods, so they would have to be on the lookout for the cattle while they were hunting for deer.

Also during the early years, there was only a few vehicles made that could travel in this terrain. A few of them tried to drive the Model A Ford trucks because the tires where thin and the truck sat high above the ground. Boy, do I consider myself very lucky for living in these times, we have 4 wheelers, jeeps and 4 wheel drive trucks. They also have roads that can take us to the same areas where they once hunted.

By the mid 1940's they decided it was time to buy some property and build them a shelter so they could have a bed and a roof over their heads. They built what I call a lean to out of Cyprus trees cut out of the orange groves that they owned. Put tin on for a roof and put beds on one end and made a kitchen area on the other end. In the beginning, they took tin, wrapped into a cone like shape and made a fireplace. This is where they did their cooking for many years. They still enjoyed a good campfire to sit around and tell stories about the deer they got and also about the ones that got away.

As years passed they added a stove into the kitchen area, but still used the fireplace to cook some things like biscuits and such. In the early 1960's they built a room to sleep in. As times grew so did camp. They attached a bunkhouse to the back of the original building and then they added another bedroom onto the side. In the early 1970's they finally added a modern bathroom. At least the ladies didn't have to use the outhouse anymore!! This was a 5' x 8' room that had a sink, toilet and bathtub. What more could one ask for?? By this time electricity was wired in, so there was lighting, space heaters and wall unit air conditioners. All the modern conveniences of home.

In 1975 they took down the tin fireplace and put up a concrete brick one. This is the fireplace that is being used to this day.

One thing we have to watch is the rainy season and hurricane season. With Gulf Hammock being mostly swamp, close to the Gulf and being affected by the tides, we do have this problem to deal with on a yearly basis.

Within the last 8 years, we have added a screen room, another bedroom, a new bathroom and updated the electricity. Camp still has the orginal design from when it was first built almost 70 years ago with all the modifications that has been made to it. It is enjoyed to this day by many people year round with friends and family still telling stories around the campfire of the deer that was gotten and the ones that got away.