April 6, 1959 - Seminoles vote to support building 'Alligator Alley'
Alligator Alley toll booth, 1969. Photo: Florida Memory
The governing council of the Seminole Tribe approved a resolution approving construction of a major expressway linking Florida's east and west coasts through the heart of the Everglades. Officially called "The Everglades Parkway," most people know it today as Alligator Alley. The tribal council's vote indicated the council was willing to grant right-of-way across the Big Cypress Reservation. The tribe also decided that the expressway would be good for business in Big Cypress. Alligator Alley opened in 1969 as an extension of Interstate 75.