In 1893, Danish-born labor leader, journalist, and land promoter Louis Pio published The East Coast of Florida: Its Climate, Soil, and Products. Originally written in Danish to promote Florida to Scandinavian audiences, Pio distributed about 50,000 small circulars and 10,000 books from his office in the Florida State Building at the Chicago fair. This circular features an advertisement for Linton Manufacturing Co., a Michigan-based lumber yard managed by politician and businessman William S. Linton. Linton, like Pio, was interested in land development in Florida. In 1896, Linton purchased land from the Model Land Company, a subsidiary of the Florida East Coast Railway, and founded a small settlement of Florida’s east coast: the town of Linton. Following several financial troubles in 1898, however, Linton abandoned the town, and it was quickly renamed Delray.

Submitted by: Kayleigh Howald, Delray Beach Historical Society