A Story in Voxels: Oki Chobi.

Willows + wild orchids.
Giant lily pads and underwater beds of grass.
Gators, fish, and swans.

I happened to see a documentary about the Florida Everglades during the early 1900s. The tale was a tragic combination of natural and manmade disasters. Bureaucrats, billionaires, and farmers tried to tame the massive 700 square mile lake — but to no avail.

This alone could make for interesting visuals and assets.

…But I also think there is a lot more wonder + mystery in imagining + imaging the “before”… Before its 21st-century appearance of overgrown waterways and glassy desolation. Before it was deemed the infamous early 20th-century “swamp”…

…People lived here long before the gold-seeking ships arrived, before the fruitless searches for the fountain of youth. But we wouldn’t know this today looking at its vast shallow spread…so what did it look like?

Oki Chobi (most often spelled Okeechobee) was a lush expanse of greenery and wildlife. Anchored by hundred-foot lemon-scented cypress trees, the “big water” hosted beautiful rare flowers, abundant fruit, exotic birds, shimmering water creatures….and possibly an entirely different way of life: an adventure we have yet to discover.