Chiles and His Florida: Chattahoochee

Next in the continuing series of Panhandle small towns on the Chiles Trail is Chattahoochee, a US highway 90 settlement on a bluff looking out on the Apalachicola River. It must have been a heck of a walk up that hill and into town. I'm sure Chiles let out a sigh of relief when he got there, knowing that he was in Gadsden County, one of the few Democratic enclaves in North Florida and part of the Old Cotton Belt. The city is about 3,000 people and about half black and half white. I didn't see any cotton fields when I visited; just peanut and watermelon stands on the roadside, tall pines, and lots of small churches. Main Street was quiet. Nobody but me walking.

The Apalachicola River also marks the border between Eastern and Central Standard Time Zones, so Chiles must have checked his watch on the way over the bridge. Or maybe he waited till he got to the top of the hill. I would've.

The road to Chattahoochee. If you're walking uphill (East) into town, turn left and you see Georgia.

If Chiles stopped to catch his breath on his way up the hill and looked back (West) he would see the Apalachicola River bridge. There was probably more traffic on highway 90 in 1970 than today. This is because in 1970, 90 was the only thoroughfare spanning the length of the Panhandle. Interstate 10 had not been completed--until Chiles entered the U.S. Senate and focused on it.

This is almost the same angle as a photo in the news clips of Chiles' funeral. The state funeral procession drove from Century to Tallahassee at 35mph a few days after he died, passing through Chattahoochee. Beautiful vista.
I encourage you to click the photo to see it in full detail. The shades of green are rich and contrast well with the hazy blue sky.