The Mark and Marisa Renz Fossil Gallery's  collection represents creatures of the Glades from thousands and millions of years ago.  The collection consists of fossils of mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, megalodons, saber-tooth cats, a dugong, a giant land tortoise and many others.

These prehistoric artifacts were brought to the Lake Okeechobee area by The Belle Glade Culture during the period from about 500 BCE (or BC) - 1700 CE (or AD). The types of artifacts found nclude pottery, spear points/knives, shell sinkers/pendants, bone points, shell adzes, celts, and gouges.

How did gold and silver Spanish treasure make its way to this area to be discovered by local residents hundreds of years later? Learn how it could have made its way here from shipwrecks that occurred off Florida’s coast.

Bass, catfish and other fish have been tremendous magnets for sport fishing as well as commercial fishing.  The lake ecosystem which includes insects, birds, alligators, and other fauna and flora, plays a huge part in the history of the Glades area.

The Seminoles have inhabited this area for several hundred years. They are only tribe to have never signed a treaty with the United States Government. Learn about their heritage and the Big Cypress Reservation.

The large exhibit gallery is dedicated to sharing the history of Clewiston and its foundations: Lake Okeechobee, the sugar industry, the cattle industry, the soil, and most importantly, the community.

Clewiston played an important role in WWII when the Royal Air Force opened a flight training base at the local airfield. Learn about the RAF's No. 5 British Flight Training School (B.F.T.S.) at Riddle Field, its Cadets, instructors, and how the community loved and supported them.

Click the title above to read about the life of Cadet George Hogarth. Click here to read RAF Over Florida: Memories of World War II Brisitsh Air Cadets by Willard Largent.​​

​Sadly, 23 cadets lost their lives while training in Florida. They are buried in a British plot at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Arcadia, FL. Of these Cadets, 21 trained at Riddle Field, and two at Carlstom Field, the Arnold Scheme training base in Arcadia. All 23 are remembered each Memorial Day with a short commemorative service at the cemetery.​​​​​​​

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Chandler Mock, a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University until his graduation in May, researched and wrote biographies for the Cadets, with the exception of those who were Welsh. The biographies of the Welsh cadets were written by Renny Lloyd Prys, a member of the Gulf Coast St. David’s Welsh Society.

We extend our sincere thanks to both Chandler and Renny for their work in helping preserve and share the stories of these young men.

The images to the left are linked to a pictorial list and QR code that features all 23 Cadets. The QR code provides easy access to their biographies, which have also been uploaded to the 5BFTS Digital Archive hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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