Glen J. Simmons (January 14, 1916 – July 21, 2009)[1][2] was an outdoorsman and guide who became notable as a master builder of skiffs, the "vessels used to navigate the Everglades,"[3] The skill made him a "Florida Local Legacy" and the winner of the Florida Folk Heritage Award in 1995.[4]
Simmons was born January 14, 1916, in the Florida City, Florida area and raised in nearby Homestead,[4][5][6] Simmons "spent much of his life in the glades, alone or with other gladesmen, hunting alligators, deer and turtles, as well as fishing"; his family, "like most poor farmers and settlers in the region, lived 'from hand to mouth' during the depression" that followed the Florida land boom of the 1920s.[1]
Starting at the age of 12,[4] Simmons built pole-powered skiffs used to navigate the Florida Everglades prior to the advent of fanboats; originally made of cypress wood, the craft boats were used for hunting and navigation.[1] Simmons earned a living by "hunting, fishing, banana farming, and guiding newcomers."[4]
An interest in writing about his experiences in the Everglades led him to approach Laura Ogden, a professor at Florida International University for help in writing a book: the collaboration led to the 1998 publication of Gladesmen: Gator Hunters, Moonshiners, and Skiffers (ISBN 9780813015736).[7]
Simmons' story was the inspiration for the name and the music of the Florida band Nate Augustus and the Gladezmen.[8]