Original subtitles

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM IS ONE OF AMERICA'S FIRST

NATURALISTS AND HE'S DETERMINED TO EXPLORE,

CHART AND RECORD THE VERY EDGE OF THE SOUTHEASTERN FRONTIER.

NOW HE IS ON THE MOST CHALLENGING

EXPEDITION OF HIS LIFE IN THE NEWLY ACQUIRED

FLORIDA TERRITORY.

THE HOME OF THE SEMINOLES WHO DON'T TAKE KINDLY

TO INTRUDERS FROM THE BRITISH COLONIES.

♪ ♪

A COMMITTED PACIFIST, BARTRAM SHUNS

VIOLENCE AND CARRIES NO WEAPONS.

BUT HIS IDEALS MAY COST HIM HIS LIFE.

[SEMINOLE WAR CRY]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER EXPLORER

OF THE FRONTIER.

A TRAIL BLAZING NATURALIST WHOSE WORK BRINGS

THE WILDERNESS INTO THE LIVES OF EVERYDAY AMERICANS.

WILLIAM BARTRAM WAS A - A TRAVELER, HE WAS A WRITER,

HE WAS A SCIENTIST.

HE'S A COMBINATION OF STEVE IRWIN, JANE GOODALL,

AND ANTHONY BOURDAIN ALL ROLLED INTO ONE.

BARTRAM: WATCH OUT.

ANDREW NELSON: BARTRAM PROVIDES READERS ACROSS THE WORLD

WITH STORIES AND VIVID DEPICTIONS

OF PLANTS, ANIMALS AND PEOPLES

THAT THEY COULD ALMOST IMAGINE.

HE BEGINS TO HAVE A UNIQUE UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE

AND MAN'S PLACE IN NATURE.

HE'S UNDERSTANDING HOW EVERYBODY,

AND EVERYTHING GOES TOGETHER.

BRADY CRYTZER: HE WAS A MAN SO FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM BEGINS HIS JOURNEY FAR FROM

THE FRONTIER IN A CAREFULLY TENDED GARDEN IN PHILADELPHIA.

WHERE HE ASSISTS HIS FATHER, JOHN,

THE MOST RENOWNED BOTANIST IN AMERICA.

NELSON: PHILADELPHIA WAS THE INTELLECTUAL CENTER

OF COLONIAL LIFE IN THE 1760'S AND 1770'S.

THIS INCLUDED TREMENDOUS ADVANCEMENTS AND DEEP THINKING

ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD.

AND AT THE CENTER OF THAT CENTER WAS

JOHN BARTRAM, WHO ESTABLISHED ONE OF

THE FIRST BOTANICAL GARDENS IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES.

I'M PLEASED TO REPORT THAT YOU ARE INDEED NOW

OFFICIALLY THE KING'S BOTANIST IN AMERICA.

J. BARTRAM: THANKS TO YOU.

FRANKLIN: [SCOFFS] THINK NOTHING OF IT.

ADAMS: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS QUITE INFLUENTIAL WITH

THE KING OF ENGLAND TO APPOINT JOHN BARTRAM AS

THE ROYAL BOTANIST.

IT WAS QUITE A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

THE BARTRAMS AND THE FRANKLINS.

CONGRATULATIONS FATHER.

FRANKLIN: [GASPS] IT'S YOU WHO MUST BE CONGRATULATED, WILLIAM.

YOU CONTINUE TO DAZZLE WITH YOUR TALENTS.

THEY'LL BUZZ ABOUT YOUR WORK IN ENGLAND.

ADAMS: BEFORE THE INVENTION OF CAMERAS,

DRAWINGS AND ILLUSTRATIONS AND PAINTINGS WERE THE ONLY

IMAGES THAT PEOPLE WOULD SEE

AND WILLIAM REALIZED THAT AND AS A YOUNG MAN,

HE GOT QUITE GOOD AT IT.

NARRATOR: BUT BARTRAM'S OBVIOUS TALENT ISN'T ENOUGH

TO IMPRESS HIS FATHER.

J. BARTRAM: DON'T PUT ANY IDEAS INTO THE BOYS HEAD.

IT'S ALREADY FILLED WITH FAR TOO MANY UNACHIEVABLE DREAMS.

FRANKLIN: AH, YOU SHOULD NURTURE HIS DREAMS.

AFTER ALL, IT'S US DREAMERS WHO CHANGE THE WORLD.

ADAMS: THOSE OF US THAT ARE FATHERS SOMETIMES WERE

OVERACHIEVERS WITH OUR CHILDREN AND

PERHAPS WERE NOT AS FAIR AS WE COULD BE RECOGNIZING SOME

OF THEIR TALENTS AND SKILLS AS YOUNG PEOPLE.

JOHN BARTRAM FELL INTO THAT CATEGORY BECAUSE HIS SON

WILLIAM WAS A ROMANTIC, HE WAS A POET.

WHEREAS JOHN WAS VERY LOGICAL AND PRACTICAL.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: JOHN BARTRAM TRIES TO KEEP HIS SON FOCUSED

ON PRACTICAL CAREERS.

I COULD USE SOME ASSISTANCE.

ACTUAL PLANTS.

[GRUNTS]

NARRATOR: BY CONTINUING THE FAMILY BUSINESS OF SUPPLYING

CARTONS OF PLANTS AND SEEDS TO EUROPEAN

COLLECTORS KNOWN AS BARTRAM'S BOXES.

NELSON: IN EUROPE, THERE'S A VAUX

FOR IMPORTING PLANTS FROM THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT.

SO, BOTANY BECOMES NOT ONLY A WORTHWHILE SCIENTIFIC PURSUIT

BUT ALSO A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS.

YOU MUST LEARN TO PACK THEM SECURELY, SO YOU DON'T LOSE

ANY ALONG THE WAY.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO GET YOUR HANDS IN THE DIRT

AND EXPERIENCE THE WORLD WITH YOUR OWN TWO EYES,

WHICH IS WHY I WANT YOU TO JOIN ME ON MY EXPEDITION TO FLORIDA.

NARRATOR: AS THE ROYAL BOTANIST, JOHN BARTRAM IS PREPARING

AN EXPEDITION TO THE NEW COLONY OF EAST FLORIDA.

WILLIAM JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO- TO GO ON THIS TRIP.

IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED TO DO.

HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE RUNNING A STORE.

HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE A MERCHANT.

NARRATOR: BUT WILLIAM HAS LITTLE IDEA OF

THE DANGER AND HARDSHIP THAT LIE AHEAD.

THEY SAY FLORIDA IS MAGICAL.

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC.

THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE ARE GOVERNED BY SCIENCE.

NOWHERE IS THAT MORE APPARENT THAN IN THE WILDERNESS.

BUT WHEN YOU ENDEAVOR INTO THE WILD,

THERE'S A RISK YOU MIGHT NOT RETURN.

♪ ♪

SURELY, WE'LL SURVIVE THE JOURNEY.

IF THERE'S ONE THING I'VE LEARNED IN MY TRAVELS,

IT'S THAT YOU CAN TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED.

YOU'D BE WISE TO BEAR THAT IN MIND.

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM SETS OUT ON HIS FIRST ADVENTURE

TO A WORLD ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM THE SHELTERED

ENVIRONMENT HE HAS KNOWN HIS WHOLE LIFE.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: IN 1765, WILLIAM AND JOHN BARTRAM

MAKE THEIR WAY SOUTH THROUGH GEORGIA TO FLORIDA,

WHICH SPAIN HAD CEDED TO BRITAIN TWO YEARS EARLIER.

♪ ♪

FLORIDA IN THE 1700s IS LIKE A COUNTRY UNTO ITSELF.

IT ENCOMPASSES NOT JUST MODERN DAY FLORIDA

BUT PARTS OF GEORGIA, ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI, AND LOUISIANA.

STRETCHING ALL THE WAY TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

FLORIDA WAS SO BIG AND SO UNMANAGEABLE THAT

THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO MAKE IT INTO TWO SEPARATE COLONIES,

EAST FLORIDA, AND WEST FLORIDA.

[BLADE HITTING LEAVES]

♪ ♪

ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?

[GASPING] JUST A BIT HUMID PERHAPS.

E.J. SNYDER: FLORIDA MUST HAVE SEEMED LIKE A JUNGLE BECAUSE

IT WAS SO MUCH MORE DIFFERENT THAN THE

WOODLANDS THEY WERE USED TO.

IT HAD TO BE LIKE AN OVERWHELMING WORLD

THAT THEY HAVE JUST WALKED INTO.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: PART OF THE BARTRAM'S MISSION IS TO FIND UNKNOWN

PLANTS THAT THEY CAN BRING BACK TO PHILADELPHIA

AND SHARE WITH THE WORLD.

MOST CURIOUS SHRUBBERY.

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

♪ ♪

NELSON: WHILE EXPLORING GEORGIA,

JOHN AND WILLIAM ENCOUNTER A

STRANGE TREE UNLIKE ANYTHING THAT THEY'VE SEEN BEFORE.

NARRATOR: EVERY SCIENTIST AT THE TIME WANTS THE GLORY

OF DISCOVERING A NEW SPECIES AND WITH THIS YOUNG

SAPLING, THE BARTRAMS HAVE JUST FOUND ONE.

CRYTZER: AND THIS IS WHAT GETS BARTRAM EXCITED.

WILLIAM USES HIS ARTISTIC ABILITIES TO DETAIL IT

AND SKETCH IT TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD.

AND JOHN WILL COLLECT THE SEEDS AND INTEND TO PLANT THEM

IN HIS OWN GARDEN IN PHILADELPHIA.

THIS TREE DOESN'T EVEN BELONG HERE.

I THINK IT'S AN ANOMALY.

NARRATOR: ABSORBED IN HIS SKETCHING, WILLIAM LEAVES

THE SEED ON THE GROUND AND THE BARTRAMS CONTINUE ON,

UNAWARE THAT THEY'RE NOT ALONE.

♪ ♪

NELSON: AS HOSTILE AN ENVIRONMENT AS FLORIDA MAY BE

IT HAD ALSO BEEN HOME TO A VARIETY OF NATIVE TRIBES.

THE SEMINOLE, THE CHEROKEE, THE CHOCTAW, THE CHICKASAW,

WHO HAD LIVED THERE SUCCESSFULLY FOR GENERATIONS.

NARRATOR: THESE TRIBES HAVE A LONG HISTORY WITH EUROPEANS

AND SOME HAVE EVEN INTERMARRIED BUT THEY HAVE

ALSO LEARNED TO BE DISTRUSTFUL OF EXPLORERS

NO MATTER THEIR INTENTIONS.

FOR TWO TRAVELERS DEEP IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY,

THE APPEARANCE OF CREEK WARRIORS IN FULL WAR

PAINT PRESENTS A THREAT.

RUN!

CREEK WARRIORS: [WAR CRIES]

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: BUT JOHN BARTRAM FEAR IS INTENSELY PERSONAL.

BRAD SANDERS: JOHN BARTRAM'S FATHER

MOVED TO NORTH CAROLINA WITH HIS NEW WIFE

AND THERE, HE'S KILLED BY INDIANS AT HIS HOME.

THEY ABDUCTED HIS WIFE AND HIS TWO CHILDREN.

THESE WERE HIS HALF BROTHERS.

CERTAINLY, HE HEARD THEM TELL STORIES ABOUT

LIVING IN CAPTIVITY.

AND IT JUST LEFT A TERRIBLE IMPRESSION ON HIM,

YOU CAN IMAGINE.

KNOWING THAT HIS FATHER WAS KILLED BY NATIVE AMERICANS.

NARRATOR: SURROUNDED BY CREEK WARRIORS WITH NO WAY TO

RUN OR FIGHT BACK AND HIS FATHER PARALYZED BY

FEAR, WILLIAM BARTRAM'S FIRST EXPEDITION INTO

FLORIDA COULD PROVE TO BE HIS LAST.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: ON HIS FIRST EXPEDITION TO FLORIDA,

BUDDING NATURALIST WILLIAM BARTRAM AND HIS FATHER

JOHN HAVE ENCOUNTERED A BAND OF CREEK WARRIORS.

JOHN BARTRAM'S OWN FATHER WAS KILLED BY NATIVE

AMERICANS AND HE FEARS HE WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE.

BUT HIS SON DISPLAYS NO FEAR DESPITE BEING

ARMED WITH ONLY A PENCIL.

♪ ♪

J. BARTRAM: WILLIAM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

ADAMS: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOHN AND WILLIAM

ON THEIR VIEWS OF NATIVE AMERICANS WAS -

WAS QUITE DRAMATIC.

HE REALLY HADN'T HAD ANY EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCE WITH

THE NATIVE AMERICANS LIKE HIS FATHER JOHN HAD HAD.

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM IS RISKING HIS AND HIS FATHER'S

LIVES ON A GESTURE OF KINDNESS.

♪ ♪

FOR YOU.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: AND IT PAYS OFF.

♪ ♪

SANDERS: JOHN BARTRAM NEVER EVER OVERCAME HIS PREJUDICE

AGAINST INDIANS BUT WILLIAM BARTRAM ON THE OTHER HAND

WAS OPEN TO NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE - THE INDIANS.

HE LIKED THEM AND HE FOUND A LOT TO ADMIRE ABOUT THEM.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, THE BARTRAMS TRAVEL

HUNDREDS OF MILES INTO FLORIDA DOCUMENTING THE INCREDIBLE

FLORA AND FAUNA.

BUT THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND ANOTHER PLANT LIKE

THE ONE THEY DISCOVERED IN GEORGIA.

YOU DID PUT THE SEEDS IN THIS BOX, DIDN'T YOU?

U-UH.

YOU LOST THEM.

THE BOX MUST HAVE BEEN OPENED.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?

WE CAN SIMPLY RETURN TO THE TREE AND GET IT ONCE-

J. BARTRAM: THERE'S NO TIME.

NARRATOR: BY LOSING THE SEEDS, WILLIAM MAY HAVE LOST HIS

AND HIS FATHER'S ONLY CHANCE AT THE PRESTIGE

OF IDENTIFYING A NEW SPECIES.

PERHAPS WE'LL SEE ANOTHER.

J. BARTRAM: PERHAPS IT WAS A SPECIES

ON ITS WAY TO EXTINCTION.

WE'LL NEVER KNOW.

I'M SORRY.

I PROMISE,

ONE DAY I'LL FIND THAT TREE AND IT WILL

GROW IN OUR GARDEN.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: THE BARTRAMS PUSH DEEPER INTO THE FLORIDA

SWAMPS HOPING TO FIND THE TREE AGAIN.

CRYTZER: FLORIDA WAS A TREACHEROUS, DANGEROUS PLACE,

FILLED WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT COULD

KILL YOU VERY EASILY.

AND SOME OF THE MOST

DIFFICULT NAVIGATION STILL TO THIS DAY

ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

SNYDER: SO HERE THEY ARE WALKING AND THEY'RE GETTING

IN THE SWAMPS OF FLORIDA

AND IT'S LIKE EH- WE ALWAYS SAY, EVEN IN JUNGLES

AND THE SWAMPS IT'S - IT'S WHAT YOU

CAN'T SEE THAT'S GONNA GET YA'.

IT'S THE THINGS HIDDEN UNDERNEATH THE WATER.

OH, AH! [GRUNTS]

FATHER?

[GRUNTS] - WHAT'S WRONG?

I MUST HAVE STEPPED ON SOMETHING. [GRUNTS]

BARTRAM: HERE.

THOSE WATERS CAN HIDE ALL SORTS OF DANGERS,

SHARP ROCKS BEING ONE OF THEM.

NELSON: ONE FALSE

STEP COULD MEAN YOUR FOOT BEING SLICED WIDE OPEN.

J. BARTRAM: [GRUNTS]

AH!

WRAP IT UP, LET'S BE ON OUR WAY.

SNYDER: IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR FEET TO GET YOU FROM POINT

A TO POINT B, NOW YOU'VE MADE YOUR SITUATION WAY WORSE.

THAT WOULD BE BAD IN NORMAL TERRAIN BUT NOW

YOU'RE IN A SWAMP.

NOW, YOU'VE INCREASED YOUR CHANCE OF INFECTION.

A FOOT INFECTION IN THE INFANTRY AS WE USED

TO SAY IS - IS GOOD AS A DEATH SENTENCE.

♪ ♪

CRYTZER: JOHN BARTRAM'S AT AN AGE WHERE EXPEDITIONS LIKE

THIS AREN'T A GIVEN ANYMORE.

THERE'S NO GUARANTEE HE'S EVER GOING TO RETURN HOME AND

THE INJURY TO HIS FOOT

REVEALED TO HIM THAT THESE SORTS OF THINGS

MIGHT BE PAST HIM IN HIS YEARS.

NARRATOR: AFTER LESS THAN A YEAR IN THE FIELD, JOHN BARTRAM

HAS TO CUT THE EXPEDITION SHORT AND RETURN HOME.

♪ ♪

BUT THOUGH THE EXPEDITION IS OVER, WILLIAM SEES A

CHANCE TO FIND HIS OWN PLACE IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE

OF HIS FATHER'S SHADOW.

SO, HE DECIDES TO MAKE FLORIDA HIS HOME.

WILLIAM'S STARTING TO REALLY ENJOY AND APPRECIATE

AND LIKE QUITE FRANKLY, THE EAST FLORIDA TERRITORY,

AND SO HE WOULD LIKE TO SETTLE THERE.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: BARTRAM BUYS LAND TO GROW INDIGO,

A PIVOTAL CASH CROP THAT SUPPLIES BLUE DYE

TO THE WORLDWIDE TEXTILE INDUSTRY.

ADAMS: HE WASN'T ABLE TO DO A VERY GOOD JOB

AND HE STRUGGLED

AND THEN THE - THE TASK OF ALL THE LABOR THAT HE HAD

IN FRONT OF HIM DEFINITELY PROVED TO BE TOO MUCH.

SANDERS: HE LOST EVERYTHING.

IT WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT AND ALSO,

HE WAS PROBABLY AFRAID OF UM WHAT HIS FATHER WOULD SAY.

ADAMS: HE EVENTUALLY MADE HIS WAY BACK TO

PHILADELPHIA WITH HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS

AND HE REALIZED,

HERE IS YET ANOTHER FAILURE

WHERE I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND MY WAY IN THE WORLD.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM'S FAILURES IN FLORIDA HAUNT HIM.

BUT AN UNEXPECTED OFFER FROM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

WILL GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO REDEEM HIMSELF.

FRANKLIN: MY APOLOGIES, I NEGLECTED TO MENTION SOME

EXCITING NEWS FROM LONDON.

YOUR MOST GENEROUS BENEFACTOR, DR. FOTHERGILL

HAS AN INTRIGUING IDEA FOR WILLIAM.

- FOR WILLIAM? - YES!

THE GOOD DOCTOR WISHES TO COMBINE HIS PASSIONS

OF MEDICINE AND BOTANY BY FUNDING AN EXPEDITION

TO EXPLORE THE ENTIRETY OF FLORIDA ALL THE WAY

TO THE MISSISSIPPI.

TO WHAT END?

UM, HE'S SEARCHING FOR NEW TREATMENTS AMONGST

NATURE AND NATIVE MEDICINE.

HE THINKS THAT YOU WILLIAM ARE JUST THE MAN

TO UNDERTAKE THIS MISSION. [LAUGHS]

ME?

FOTHERGILL RESPONDED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE

INFORMING YOUR DRAWINGS.

IT SEEMS THAT IS WHAT WON YOU THIS MOST PRESTIGIOUS

COMMISSION. - [LAUGHS]

I HAVE NO WORDS.

SURELY YOU CAN MUSTER UP THE ABILITY

TO SAY YES, MY BOY.

NARRATOR: FOR WILLIAM BARTRAM, THIS IS THE CHANCE OF

A LIFETIME, NOT ONLY TO EXPLORE MORE OF FLORIDA

AND STUDY ITS PLANTS BUT TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT

THE ENTIRE NATURAL WORLD.

[GRUNTS]

I FULLY INTEND TO REACH THE MISSISSIPPI BY WINTER.

AMBITIOUS GOAL.

WHY NOT JOIN ME?

SHARE IN WHAT WILL NO DOUBT PROVE TO BE

THE GRANDEST OF ACHIEVEMENTS.

THAT KIND OF FORTITUDE AND PERSEVERANCE FAVORS THE YOUNG.

I FEAR THOSE DAYS ARE BEHIND ME.

THIS WILL BE OF MORE USE TO YOU NOW THEN TO ME.

MAY IT BRING YOU LUCK.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: WHEN BARTRAM ARRIVES IN GEORGIA, HE MEETS A

YOUNG MAN NAMED JOHN McINTOSH, WHO'S EAGER TO

JOIN BARTRAM'S EXPEDITION.

THOUGH McINTOSH HAS LITTLE EXPERIENCE IN THE WILD,

BARTRAM KNOWS A JOURNEY LIKE THIS WOULD

BE DANGEROUS TO UNDERTAKE ALONE.

McINTOSH: AH, WILLIAM, SPLENDID TO SEE YOU AGAIN MY FRIEND.

YOU'VE ARRIVED JUST IN TIME.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: FROM THE COAST OF GEORGIA, BARTRAM AND McINTOSH

SET OFF INTO THE WILDERNESS.

♪ ♪

NELSON: FOR MANY EXPLORERS, GOING TO FLORIDA IS

[LAUGHS] LIKE VISITING A DIFFERENT PLANET.

IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A LAND DESIGNED TO REPEL MEN.

AND YOU NEED TO BE CONSTANTLY ON GUARD FOR

A VARIETY OF THREATS.

WHAT IS IT?

♪ ♪

BARTRAM: STAY CALM.

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM HAS A LOVE FOR NATURE

THAT FEW CAN MATCH.

STAY CALM.

NARRATOR: BUT NATURE ITSELF COULD BE WHAT KILLS HIM.

NARRATOR: ON HIS SECOND EXPEDITION TO GEORGIA AND

FLORIDA, NATURALIST WILLIAM BARTRAM AND HIS FRIEND

JOHN McINTOSH ARE ENCOUNTERING THE DANGERS OF THE WILDERNESS.

STAY CALM.

I AM CALM.

SNYDER: SO, IN THE FLORIDA SWAMPS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE LOTS

OF BAD SPIDERS THAT ARE GONNA GIVE YOU NASTY BITES.

LET'S SAY YOU HAPPEN TO

GET BIT BY A BLACK WIDOW,

PUTTING YOUR HAND IN THE WRONG PLACE,

THAT'S- THAT CAN BE A DEADLY SITUATION

IN THE 1700s FOR SURE.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

NARRATOR: EVER RESPECTFUL OF NATURE,

BARTRAM ALWAYS TRIES TO FIND

A NON-LETHAL SOLUTION TO ANY THREAT.

♪ ♪

[BARTRAM LAUGHS]

NARRATOR: EVEN A SPIDER.

BARTRAM: AH.

NO! NO! THIS IS NOT A PET.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM NEUTRALIZES ONE DANGER,

BUT THERE ARE MUCH LARGER ONES LURKING DEEPER IN THE WILD.

♪ ♪

ON THEIR JOURNEY, BARTRAM AND McINTOSH

HAVE TO LIVE OFF THE LAND.

♪ ♪

McINTOSH! [BARTRAM GRUNTS]

McINTOSH! McINTOSH?

SOME ASSISTANCE.

♪ ♪

[GRUNTS] SHE'S PUTTING UP QUITE A FIGHT.

[GRUNTS]

QUICKLY. QUICKLY.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: BUT IN THE COASTAL SWAMPS,

MAN ISN'T AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN.

♪ ♪

THROUGHOUT HIS TRAVELS, BARTRAM HAS MULTIPLE

CLOSE CALLS WITH THE NEAR MYTHICAL

PREDATORS OF THE SOUTHEAST,

[GROWLING]

ALLIGATORS.

ADAMS: HE HAD READ ABOUT SUCH ANIMALS IN CHINESE LITERATURE.

AND SO, WHAT HE FIRST CALLED THESE GIANT REPTILES

THAT HE WAS ENCOUNTERING WAS DRAGONS.

AND SOME OF THEIR BEHAVIOR EVEN APPEARED LIKE DRAGONS.

CRYTZER: HE WRITES ABOUT THE SPLASH

OF THEIR LONG, LEATHERY TAILS.

HE WRITES ABOUT THE SPRAY

AND THE MIST THAT COMES OUT

OF THEIR JAWS CHOMPING HIM.

HE WRITES ABOUT NEARLY ESCAPING DEATH,

NEARLY BEING EATEN HIMSELF.

BUT HE NEVER QUITS.

THIS IS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE THAT HE WANTS

TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD AND

HE'S DETERMINED TO SEE IT THROUGH.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: DESPITE THE RISKS, BARTRAM AND McINTOSH

CONTINUE TO MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH GEORGIA

HEADED FOR A MEETING THAT WILL CHANGE

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE SOUTHEAST.

♪ ♪

IN 1773, CHEROKEE AND CREEK LEADERS MEET WITH

BRITISH COLONISTS TO SIGN A MONUMENTAL TREATY.

SANDERS: THE CHEROKEE INDIANS HAD BEEN ALLIES

OF THE BRITISH DURING THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR

AND THEY GOT HEAVILY INTO DEBT DURING THAT TIME.

AND IN ORDER TO ABSOLVE THEIR DEBT,

THEY THOUGHT THAT THEY WOULD GIVE UP SOME LAND

IN GEORGIA.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: THE TREATY IS CALLED THE NEW PURCHASE

AND IT GRANTS THE COLONY OF GEORGIA

600,000 ACRES OF NEW LAND TO SETTLE.

♪ ♪

BUT BARTRAM IS MORE INTERESTED IN LEARNING

FROM THE CHEROKEE AND CREEKS.

♪ ♪

I COME OFFERING GIFTS

FROM MY GARDEN.

[SPEAKING CHEROKEE]

THEY'RE POTENT SEEDS THAT WILL GROW

INTO THE MOST SPLENDID MAGNOLIAS.

[SPEAKING CHEROKEE]

I'M SEEKING PLANTS THAT

YOUR PEOPLE USE FOR MEDICINE.

YOU MUST TRAVEL SOUTH

TO THE SEMINOLE NAMED COW KEEPER.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: TO FIND THE SEMINOLE LEADER COW KEEPER,

BARTRAM AND McINTOSH TRAVEL HUNDREDS

OF MILES SOUTH INTO FLORIDA.

BUT THEY ARE ENTERING TERRITORY THAT MAY PROVE

MORE HOSTILE THAN ANY THEY'VE ENCOUNTERED SO FAR.

CRYTZER: BARTRAM ALWAYS LOOKED FOR THE BEST IN EVERY

SITUATION, BUT THAT REALLY DID HURT HIM AT TIMES.

BECAUSE HE SOMETIMES UNDERESTIMATED

HOW MUCH DANGER HE WAS TRULY IN.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: A SEMINOLE WARRIOR GETS THE DROP

ON BARTRAM AND McINTOSH

AND BARTRAM'S JOURNEY

AND HIS LIFE

MAY BE COMING TO AN END.

[SEMINOLE WAR CRIES]

WILDS OF FLORIDA...

RRE

[SEMINOLE WAR CRIES]

NATURALIST WILLIAM BARTRAM IS

FACE TO FACE WITH A SEMINOLE WARRIOR.

♪ ♪

THOUGH HE'S UNARMED, BARTRAM STANDS HIS GROUND

AND DOES SOMETHING THE SEMINOLE NEVER EXPECTS.

♪ ♪

BARTRAM WAS ALWAYS TAUGHT TO LOOK FOR THE

THE GOOD IN ALL PEOPLE.

BUT HE'S NOT GOING TO FIGHT THIS MAN.

HE REACHES OUT WITH A SHOW OF FRIENDSHIP,

BECAUSE IT'S REALLY THE ONLY OPTION HE HAS.

COW KEEPER?

SEMINOLE LEADER?

♪ ♪

CRYTZER: WHEN MOST PEOPLE WOULD BELIEVE

CERTAIN DEATH WAS UPON HIM,

BARTRAM'S ABLE TO NOT ESCAPE BUT BE SET FREE

AND IT'S BECAUSE HE WAS SO FRIENDLY

WITH THE MAN WHO WAS ATTACKING HIM.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: THANKS TO HIS PEACEFUL NATURE,

BARTRAM NOW KNOWS WHERE TO FIND COW KEEPER,

THE SEMINOLE CHIEF HE BELIEVES

CAN HELP HIM FIND NEW MEDICINAL PLANTS.

BARTRAM: I'M HERE TO SEE COW KEEPER.

ADAMS: COW KEEPER, HE WAS THE CHIEF

IN MODERN-DAY GAINESVILLE TODAY.

SANDERS: WHITES CALLED HIM THE COW KEEPER

BECAUSE THE INDIANS THAT FOLLOWED COW KEEPER

BECAME VERY SUCCESSFUL RAISING CATTLE.

NARRATOR: TO GET THE INFORMATION HE SEEKS,

BARTRAM WILL HAVE TO EARN COW KEEPER'S TRUST.

WATCH OUT!

♪ ♪

[GRUNTS]

♪ ♪

HE WAS ABLE TO INSTANTLY DISPATCH THIS RATTLESNAKE.

BEING THE SCIENTIST THAT HE WAS,

HE REMOVED THE FANGS AND ADDED THOSE

RATTLESNAKE FANGS TO HIS COLLECTION,

AND HE BECAME A HERO WITH THE NATIVE AMERICANS.

A MOST IMPRESSIVE FEAT.

BUT YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE.

I OWE YOU SOMETHING IN RETURN.

THERE WAS A CHIEF IN GEORGIA,

HE TOLD ME THAT YOU HAD A VAST KNOWLEDGE

OF BOTANICAL AND HERBAL MEDICINES.

SANDERS: COW KEEPER, HE LIKED WILLIAM BARTRAM.

IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WILLIAM BARTRAM,

BECAUSE OF HIS PERSONALITY

WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED PEOPLE LIKE THIS,

THEY LIKED HIM.

♪ ♪

COW KEEPER: THE FERN CAN BE USED

FOR CHILLS AND ACHES.

♪ ♪

THE IRIS ROOT IS GOOD FOR COLDS.

♪ ♪

A POULTICE CAN BE MADE FROM ACORNS AND CORN MEAL.

♪ ♪

IF IT IS MEDICINE YOU SEEK,

YOU MUST DEVELOP YOUR OWN REMEDIES.

THAT'S THE REASON I'VE COME ALL THE WAY HERE.

COW KEEPER: YOU MUST TRAVEL WEST TO THE GREAT RIVER.

THERE YOU WILL FIND AN ENGLISHMAN, RUMSEY.

HE HAS STUDIED THE MEDICINE OF OUR TRIBES.

HE WILL SPEAK TO YOU SO YOU MAY BETTER UNDERSTAND.

I WISH YOU GOOD FORTUNE AND PRAY TO THE SPIRITS

AND GUIDE YOU FOR YOUR TRAVELS.

ADAMS: COW KEEPER, HE DEVELOPED

A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH

AND THEY RESPECTED EACH OTHER,

IT WAS A MUTUAL KIND OF THING.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: WITH COW KEEPER'S ADVICE IN MIND,

BARTRAM AND McINTOSH MAKE THEIR WAY

TOWARD THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

NELSON: WHEREAS HIS FATHER WAS CONTENT TO RETURN NORTH,

BARTRAM WAS DETERMINED TO EXPLORE

THE ENTIRE EXPANSE OF EAST AND WEST FLORIDA.

ALL THE WAY TO THE MISSISSIPPI.

HE ESSENTIALLY WANTS TO

SURVEY THE ENTIRE SOUTHEAST.

NARRATOR: BUT HIS TIME IN THE FLORIDA WILDERNESS

IS STARTING TO TAKE ITS TOLL ON BARTRAM.

CRYTZER: IF YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE IN FLORIDA,

INSECTS ARE A PART OF LIFE.

THE MOSQUITOS CARRY DISEASES LIKE YELLOW FEVER, LIKE MALARIA.

IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON FOR A PERSON TO SPEND

JUST TWO OR THREE YEARS IN FLORIDA

BEFORE EITHER GETTING VERY ILL

OR DYING ALL TOGETHER.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM PRESSES ON.

HIS SYMPTOMS LINGERING AS THE MONTHS PASS.

BUT HIS SENSES ARE STILL SHARP ENOUGH

TO MAKE A STARTLING DISCOVERY.

THAT'S IT!

♪ ♪

I'M GOING UP. NARRATOR: IT'S FULLY MATURE TREE

THAT'S NEARLY FINISHED BLOOMING FOR THE YEAR,

BUT BARTRAM SPOTS ONE OF ITS LAST BLOOMS.

THE SAME AS ON THE SAPLING HE AND HIS FATHER

FIRST SAW YEARS BEFORE.

THIS TIME, HE IS DETERMINED TO BRING HOME

THE SEEDS TO HIS FATHER.

SNYDER: WHEN YOU'RE SICK AND IN AN ENVIRONMENT LIKE THIS,

YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO THINK SMARTLY

BECAUSE CLIMBING UP THAT TREE,

IF YOU'RE THAT SICK

AND YOU'RE WAY UP THERE,

YOU HAPPEN TO FALL OUT OF THE TREE,

YOU COULD BREAK YOUR NECK AND NOW,

YOU'RE GOOD TO NOBODY.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: BARTRAM MANAGES TO COLLECT THE SEEDS,

BUT HIS CONDITION IS WORSE THAN HE KNOWS

AND THIS TIME, HE MAY HAVE FINALLY

PUSHED HIMSELF TOO FAR.

[BARTRAM COUGHS]

BARTRAM!

WILLIAM!

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: DEEP IN THE TREACHEROUS

SOUTHWESTERN WILDERNESS,

NATURALIST WILLIAM BARTRAM HAS SUCCUMBED

TO A MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS.

[BARTRAM COUGHS]

BARTRAM! WILLIAM!

NARRATOR: AND HE'S BARELY CLINGING TO LIFE.

TODAY, FLORIDA IS CERTAINLY A DESTINATION.

IN THE 18TH CENTURY, IT WAS ALMOST A DEATH SENTENCE.

THERE'S A LOT OF DISEASES TRANSMITTED

IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE DID NOT UNDERSTAND.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM'S FRIEND JOHN McINTOSH

TRIES DESPERATELY TO REVIVE HIM.

♪ ♪

FOR IF BARTRAM DIES,

McINTOSH HAS ALMOST NO CHANCE

OF SURVIVING ON HIS OWN.

[BARTRAM COUGHS] AH, THERE YOU GO.

THERE YOU GO. COME ON, COME ON.

UP THE TREE. THERE YOU GO. YEAH, GOOD.

♪ ♪

THE FERNS FROM COW KEEPER.

[BARTRAM COUGHS]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

THERE YOU GO.

♪ ♪

HEY, YOU NEED TO REST.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: THE MEDICINAL PLANTS GIVEN TO BARTRAM

BY THE SEMINOLE CHIEF COW KEEPER

PROVIDE ENOUGH RELIEF FOR BARTRAM

TO RESUME HIS JOURNEY.

♪ ♪

HISTORIANS BELIEVE THAT HE HAD

SOME KIND OF BOUT WITH

YELLOW FEVER OR MALARIA

AND IT MAKES SENSE WITH THE HABITAT HE WAS IN,

AND THE AMOUNT OF MOSQUITOS THAT WERE IN THE AREA.

WHOA, WHOA.

I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT IRONIES OF

BARTRAM'S STORY THAT HE WENT ON SUCH A PERILOUS JOURNEY

IN SEARCH OF MEDICINE AND THEN, HE ENDS UP BECOMING SO SICK THAT

THAT MEDICINE IS REALLY THE ONLY THING THAT CAN

SAVE HIS LIFE.

NARRATOR: AND BARTRAM WILL NOT REST

UNTIL HE HAS REACHED HIS ULTIMATE GOAL,

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

AS WINTER TURNS BACK TO SPRING,

BARTRAM REACHES WEST FLORIDA

AND THE ENVIRONMENT ITSELF SEEMS INTENT

ON STOPPING HIM.

CRYTZER: YOU KNOW, FLORIDA'S A DIFFICULT PLACE

TO MOVE THROUGH WHEN YOU'RE HEALTHY.

IT'S HOT, IT'S MUGGY, IT'S HUMID.

BARTRAM'S REALLY GOING TO SUFFER SOME

SERIOUS RESPIRATORY DISTRESS.

YET HE KEPT GOING, HE KEPT PUSHING THROUGH.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM'S QUEST FOR THE MISSISSIPPI

NOW HAS A MORE URGENT PERSONAL DIMENSION,

TO FIND RUMSEY, THE MASTER OF HERBAL REMEDIES

COW KEEPER TOLD HIM ABOUT, WHO MAY BE

THE ONLY MAN WHO CAN SAVE HIS LIFE.

[BARTRAM COUGHS]

♪ ♪

HE WAS RACKED WITH ILLNESS, WITH FEVER.

HIS JOINTS ACHED, HE'D BE SWEATING ALL DAY.

HE'D BE HAVING DELIRIOUS VISION.

YOU'RE RUNNING A FEVER.

PERHAPS WE SHOULD RETURN HOME.

♪ ♪

NO.

THERE'S NO PLACE HEALTHIER THAN...

AT HOME IN NATURE.

♪ ♪

SANDERS: DIDN'T STOP HIM, HE'D JUST GET UP

IN THE MORNING, VOMIT

AND THEN KEEP ON GOING.

HE WAS THAT KIND OF A STRONG PERSON.

HE KEPT IT UP AND HE KEPT GOING

WHEN SOMEBODY ELSE WOULD HAVE GIVEN UP AND TURNED BACK.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: BARTRAM'S CONDITION CONTINUES TO WORSEN

AS THEY TRAVEL WEST EVEN FURTHER FROM HOME

AND AS THEY REACH THE DENSE SWAMPY

COASTAL LANDSCAPE NEAR MOBILE,

THEY ARE FORCED TO CONTINUE BY CANOE.

[THUNDER ROLLS]

ROWING A CANOE UPRIVER IS ESPECIALLY

DIFFICULT FOR BARTRAM IN HIS CONDITION,

BUT HE MUST PERSEVERE.

BARTRAM: I- I CAN'T SEE!

ADAMS: HE WAS HAVING THIS TREMENDOUS PAIN

IN HIS HEAD AND IN HIS EYES AND HE WAS REALLY WEAK.

HE WAS LOSING A LOT OF EYESIGHT IN HIS LEFT EYE.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM IS LOSING HIS VISION

AT THE WORST POSSIBLE MOMENT.

NELSON: IN FLORIDA,

THE EXPLORER COLONISTS

ENCOUNTER SOMETHING THAT

HE IS UNLIKELY TO HAVE SEEN

ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT.

HURRICANES, STORMS, TORRENTIAL RAINS THAT GREETED MANY

WHO WERE OTHERWISE THINKING FLORIDA

MIGHT BE A TERRITORY OF SUNSHINE.

[HEAVY RAIN FALLING]

McINTOSH: WE'RE TAKING ON WATER.

WE'RE SINKING!

NARRATOR: NEARLY BLIND, HIS BOAT RAPIDLY FILLING WITH WATER

BARTRAM KNOWS THAT HIS END MAY HAVE FINALLY COME.

♪ ♪

McINTOSH: WE'RE SINKING! NARRATOR: NATURALIST WILLIAM BARTRAM

IS CAUGHT IN A STORM WHILE RAPIDLY LOSING

HIS EYESIGHT FROM A DEBILITATING DISEASE.

McINTOSH: WE'RE ALMOST THERE. HOLD ON. [BARTRAM GROANS]

NARRATOR: AS RAIN FILLS HIS CANOE,

IT'S STARTING TO SINK

AND IT'S UP TO BARTRAM'S FRIEND

JOHN McINTOSH TO STEER THEM TO SHORE.

WE CERTAINLY LOVE TO VALORIZE

THE IDEA OF MAN ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS.

BUT SURVIVING THE WILDERNESS

OFTEN DEPENDS ON THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY THE CASE FOR BARTRAM.

HE HAD A FRIEND, A FRIEND TO BE HIS EYES AND EARS.

A FRIEND TO HELP HIM ALONG.

MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THAT IS HOW WE SURVIVE.

[BARTRAM GROANS]

[McINTOSH GRUNTS]

McINTOSH: HO, HO, COME ON.

COME ON, GRAB MY- TAKE MY HAND.

TAKE MY HAND. COME ON, WILL.

COME ON, THERE YOU GO.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: DESPITE HIS CONDITION,

BARTRAM KNOWS HE HAS TO KEEP GOING

BECAUSE REACHING THE MAN CALLED RUMSEY

MAY BE THE ONLY WAY TO CURE HIM.

♪ ♪

SANDERS: BARTRAM, HE GOT WORSE.

HE COULDN'T SEE MUCH OF THE COAST ON THE TRIP

BECAUSE HIS EYES WERE SO SENSITIVE TO LIGHT,

AND HE SAID HE THOUGHT HE'D SINK UNDER THE-

WEIGHT OF THIS ILLNESS AND-

HAD RUN OUT OF OPTIONS.

[BARTRAM GASPING]

McINTOSH: MR. RUMSEY, I PRESUME?

RUMSEY: I BELIEVE I AM.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM AND McINTOSH HAVE

FINALLY FOUND MR. RUMSEY, BUT IT MAY BE TOO LATE.

♪ ♪

WE NEED TO BRING YOUR FEVER DOWN.

CHEW ON THIS.

NARRATOR: NO MATTER WHAT RUMSEY TRIES,

NOTHING HELPS EASE BARTRAM'S SYMPTOMS.

BARTRAM WAS IN THIS DIRE STRAITS

AND HE MAY NOT SURVIVE THE NIGHT.

RUMSEY: PERHAPS A POULTICE OF SOME KIND.

CANTHARIDES, CANTHARIDES,

CANTHARIDES, CANTHARIDES.

YOU MEAN BLISTER BEETLES?

INTERESTING NOTION.

ADAMS: HE KNEW OF A SUBSTANCE

KNOWN AS CANTHARIDES.

IT'S A GROUND POWDER OF THE BLISTER BEETLE

AND BARTRAM REQUESTED THAT HE PREPARE

A POULTICE OF THIS CANTHARIDES POWDER.

SANDERS: BARTRAM MUST HAVE KNOWN SOME MEDICINE

FROM HIS OWN FATHER BECAUSE

THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT ITS DESCRIPTIONS IN HISTORY

THAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK IT WOULD BE

GOOD FOR A VIOLENT FEVER.

NARRATOR: THE CANTHARIDES PASTE IS A LAST DITCH EFFORT

TO SAVE BARTRAM'S LIFE

AND IF IT DOESN'T WORK, HE WILL NEVER GET

TO COMPLETE HIS JOURNEY.

SANDERS: HE THOUGHT THAT THAT NIGHT WAS GOING

TO BE HIS LAST NIGHT.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

WELCOME BACK TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING.

McINTOSH: WE DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE GOING TO MAKE IT.

NEITHER DID I.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM'S YEARS OF SEEKING OUT

AND DOCUMENTING NATURAL MEDICINES HAVE PAID OFF

BY SAVING HIS OWN LIFE.

AFTER REST AND RECUPERATION,

BARTRAM AGAIN FEELS WELL ENOUGH TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD,

AND REACH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

♪ ♪

IT'S MAGNIFICENT.

SANDERS: IN 1775,

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WAS

THE END OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES.

IT WAS THE WESTERN BOUNDARY.

ADAMS: AND IT REALLY JUST MADE AN IMPRESSION ON HIM,

THAT HE HAD MADE IT TO THIS TREMENDOUS WATERWAY.

HE KNEW THAT THAT WAS GOING TO BE VERY SIGNIFICANT

FOR COMMERCE AND SETTLEMENT.

THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: WILLIAM BARTRAM RETURNS TO PHILADELPHIA

HAVING BECOME AMERICA'S FIRST TRUE NATURALIST

AND HE'S EXPLORED FURTHER THAN HIS FATHER EVER DID.

YOU ACTUALLY SET YOUR SIGHT ON THE MISSISSIPPI?

YES, FATHER.

AND WHAT'S MORE...

I FOUND THE TREE.

♪ ♪

AND...

I BROUGHT HOME SEEDS.

♪ ♪

ADAMS: HIS FATHER IS IN ILL HEALTH,

BUT HE REALIZED THAT HIS SON WILLIAM,

AFTER ALL THE CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLES

THAT HE HAD AS A YOUNG MAN,

HE HAD FINALLY FOUND HIS PLACE IN THE WORLD

AND HE HAS FINALLY SUCCEEDED.

NARRATOR: JOHN BARTRAM DIES LESS THAN SIX MONTHS

AFTER HIS SON'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN,

NEVER TO SEE THE TREE HE DISCOVERED WITH HIS SON

BLOOM IN THEIR OWN GARDEN.

WILLIAM NAMES THE TREE FRANKLINIA

AFTER HIS FATHER'S DEAR FRIEND, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

SANDERS: I THINK BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WOULD HAVE BEEN

QUITE PROUD OF THAT AND QUITE HAPPY WITH THAT.

NARRATOR: BARTRAM EVENTUALLY PUBLISHES HIS ARTWORK

AND AN ACCOUNT OF HIS EXPLORATIONS IN A BOOK

CALLED, "TRAVELS, BRINGING THE FRONTIER TO THE WORLD".

SANDERS: 240 YEARS AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF TRAVELS,

WE'RE STILL PARSING HIS WORDS AND RETRACING HIS STEPS

AND TALKING ABOUT WHAT HE SAW AND WHAT HE DID.

THAT IS PROOF POSITIVE THAT WILLIAM BARTRAM

TOUCHED SO MANY PEOPLE'S IMAGINATIONS.

ADAMS: HIS DESCRIPTIONS AND SKETCHES IN TRAVELS

REALLY IS THE BEGINNING OF WHO WE ARE

AND WHAT WE HAVE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

HE BRINGS A MESSAGE WHERE PEOPLE NEED TO RESPECT

EACH OTHER AND RESPECT THEIR HABITAT

AND RESPECT THE OTHER CREATURES IN THE WORLD.

CRYTZER: HE UNDERSTOOD THAT HIS ROLE AS A SCIENTIST

WAS NOT INDIFFERENT THAN HIS ROLE AS AN ARTIST.

HE WAS INSPIRED BY THE NATURAL WORLD

AND HE FOUND BEAUTY IN ALL OF IT,

EVEN WHEN IT WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM.