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Kirk Munroe

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Kirk Munroe
Born(1850-09-15)September 15, 1850
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
DiedJune 16, 1930(1930-06-16)(aged 79)
Orlando, Florida
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Period1876 to 1905
GenreChildren's novels
Spouse
(m.1883; died 1922)
Mabel Stearns
(m.1924)
Signature

Kirk Munroe(September 15, 1850 – June 16, 1930) was an American writer and conservationist.

Biography

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Born Charles Kirk Munroe in a log cabin nearPrairie du Chien,Wisconsin,[1][2]Munroe was the son of Charles and Susan (Hall) Munroe. His youth was spent on the frontier, after which his family moved toCambridge, Massachusetts,where he attended school until he was sixteen. He publicly dropped "Charles" from his name in 1883.[3]

In 1876, Kirk Munroe was hired as a reporter for theNew York Sun.Three years later he became the first editor ofHarper's Young Peoplemagazine;[2]he resigned in 1881. From 1879 to 1884, he was the commodore ofNew York Canoe club.During this time he helped found theLeague of American Wheelmenwith Charles E. Pratt on May 31, 1880.[2][4]Munroe was the Wheelmen's first Commander.[5]

He marriedMary Barr,daughter ofAmelia E. Barron September 15, 1883.[2]The couple settled inCoconut Grove,Miami, Florida,in 1886.[6]Mary accompanied him on several cruises on theAllapata,a 35-foot sharpie-ketch sailboat designed byRalph Middleton Munroe.While in Florida, Munroe became a noted member of the Florida Audubon Society, and recommended a family friendGuy Bradleyto the position as game warden in southern Florida. Bradley was later killed byplume hunterswhile on duty in the Everglades. Munroe built a tennis court on his property. It was the first tennis court in Miami-Dade county.[7]Munroe helped establish what is today calledRansom Everglades School.[8]

After Mary died in September 1922, he married his second wife, Mabel Stearns, in 1924.[2]Kirk Munroe died inOrlando, Florida,on June 16, 1930, at the age of 79.[1][2]He was buried next to his first wife, Mary, atWoodlawn Park CemeteryinMiami.[9]

Legacy

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The city of Miami's only tennis park is namedKirk Munroe Parkand is located at 3101 Florida Avenue in Coconut Grove.[10][11]The Library of Congress holds the papers of Kirk Munroe.[12]

Bibliography

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  • Wakulla(1886)
  • The Flamingo Feather(1887)
  • Derrick Sterling(1888)
  • Chrystal Jack & Co and Delta Bixby(1889)
  • The Golden Days of '49(1889)
  • Dorymates(1890)
  • Under Orders(1890)
  • Prince Dusty(1891)
  • Campmates(1891)
  • Canoemates(1892)
  • Cab and Caboose(1892)
  • Raftmates(1893)
  • The White Conquerors of Mexico(1894)
  • The Coral Ship(1893)
  • The Fur-Seal's Tooth(1894)
  • Big Cypress(1894)
  • Snow Shoes and Sledges(1895)
  • At War with Pontiac(1895)
  • Rick Dale(1896)
  • Through Swamp and Glade(1896)
  • The Painted Desert(1897)
  • With Crockett and Bowie(1897)
  • Ready Rangers(1897)
  • The Copper Princess(1898)
  • In Pirate Waters(1898)
  • Shine Terrill(1899)
  • Forward March(1899)
  • Midshipman Stuart(1899)
  • Brethren of the Coast(1900)
  • Under the Great Bear(1900)
  • The Belt of Seven Totems(1901)
  • A Son of Satsuma(1901)
  • The Blue Dragon(1905)
  • For the Mikado, or A Japanese Middy in Action(1905)

References

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Notes
  1. ^ab"Kirk Munroe, Author and Explorer, Is Dead".The Tampa Times.June 17, 1930. p. 1.RetrievedNovember 5,2018– viaNewspapers.Open access icon
  2. ^abcdef"Kirk Munroe's Death Removes Miami Pioneer".The Miami News.June 17, 1930. p. 3.RetrievedNovember 6,2018– viaNewspapers.Open access icon
  3. ^A Lost "Psyche": Kirk Munroe's Log of a 1,600 Mile Canoe Cruise in Florida Waters, 1881-1882; Edited By IRVING A. LEONARD(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-12-26.Retrieved2009-07-15.
  4. ^Oliver, Smith Hempstone; Berkebile, Donald H. (1974)."Wheels and Wheeling: The Smithsonian Cycle Collection".Smithsonian Institution Press.Retrieved2009-07-17.
  5. ^Vaux, C. Bower (1887)."1879 - 1883"(PDF).History of American Canoeing.RetrievedMay 14,2014.
  6. ^Leonard 1975. p. 27
  7. ^McIver 1987. p. 15
  8. ^Munroe 1930. p. 152.
  9. ^Grove Antiquarian: Kirk Munroe Time Line
  10. ^City of Miami Parks
  11. ^New Times - Best tennis park 2011
  12. ^Kitchens 2011
Bibliography
  • Kitchens, Allen H. (2011),Kirk Munroe Papers / Library of Congress,retrievedOct 11,2012
  • Leonard, Irving A.The Florida Adventures of Kirk Munroe.Chuluota, FL: Mickler House, 1975.
  • McIver, Stuart.One Hundred Years on Biscayne Bay.Coconut Grove, FL: Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, 1987.
  • Munroe, Ralph Middleton and Gilpin, Vincent.The Commodore's Story.(New York): Ives Washburn, 1930.
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Media related toKirk Munroeat Wikimedia Commons