The Dauntless Dr. Snyder — Physician, Hotelier, and Politician in the Swamp

Dr. Kenneth E. Snyder came to Everglades City in the 1950s, serving as the last physician to work at the 5-bed Juliet Carnes Collier Hospital there. He worked closely with members of the Seminole Tribe, often doing house calls by airboat.

A member of the Collier County Schoolboard and proprietor of the town’s Illinois Motel (still a popular hostelry in Everglades), Dr. Snyder also served as the city’s mayor from 1959 to 1963 — fighting to keep the county seat in Everglades City in the aftermath of Hurricane Donna.

Museum Manager Thomas Lockyear will share photos and anecdotes from the Snyder family’s collection that were recently donated to Museum of the Everglades, bringing the story of an Everglader who wore many hats and touched many lives to life.