Once Upon a Time in Tampa...: Rise and Fall of the Cigar Industry... - Paperback

by Wallace Reyes (Author)

Author, historian, and researcher, Wallace Reyes, Ph.D. presents for your consideration a 35 years of investigative work covering a series of events in his latest book, "Once Upon a Time - Rise and Fall of the Cigar Industry". It was in 1869 when Vicente Martinez Ybor, one of the most significant figures in the history of handmade cigars in Florida, established a cigar factory in Key West. He was Spaniard and fled Cuba, leaving behind his very successful operation after the colonial authorities discover his connections and support to the Cuban Revolution, under the advice of his accountant and friend Eduardo Manrara. After him many other manufacturers also follow his path. Tampa's unique history and legacy began in 1879 when Mr. Vicente Martinez Ybor at the age of 61, and other manufacturers wanted to relocate their factories from Key West. By the spring of 1885, Martínez Ybor had entered in negotiations with the Tampa Board of Trade; a few months later the deal was closed, and the construction of Cigar City started. Tampa grew from a fisherman village of about 400 to a town of 15,000 by the turn of the century; with most of the growth contributed to the love of Tampa's handmade cigars. The first cigar was made by Sanchez & Haya Cigar, Co. on Tuesday, April 13, 1886. Their monthly production was 500,000 handmade cigars. It was not always a paradise, weather conditions (hard freezes, hurricanes and heat), laboring problems (unions, strikes, and racial discrimination), sanitary problems, epidemic diseases, and building fires among others things were a menace to the industry. In this book you will see what happened in the early years in Tampa, during the Seminoles Wars, Statehood in Florida, during the Civil War, Hispano-American War, the First World War, the Golden Era of the Cigar Industry, the Prohibition, the Great Depression, the Second World War, the 50's, 60's, 70's and much more... that contribute to the Rise and Fall of the Cigar Industry of today... Come and travel in time to our humble beginnings, our first settlers, towns and cities. Consider the ethnic and cultural diversity, with its conflicts and achievements... how the cigar industry contributed to the independence of one nation and made the factory owners traitors of their own heritage. As the industry was developed, it transformed the region, setting the stage for industrial Florida. Learn about the aftermath and future of the national handmade cigar industry...

Author Biography

Wallace Reyes, born in Puerto Rico, Wallace started as apprenticeship as a cigar maker at the age of 14 mostly as a hobby in the family business, an art that he eventually mastered at the age of 28. He made Tampa his permanent home in 1977, after attending the University of Puerto Rico. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Ph.D. degree in American History. He became a historian and researcher that specialized in American history, particularly in the subject of the cigar industry and economic impact in America. In 1994, after the bereavement of his father, he put his education on hold to take control of the cigar company in Tampa, Florida (Gonzalez Habano Cigar Company) assuming the position of Vice President. Wallace Reyes obtained the Guinness World Record for the "World's Longest Cigar" twice during the Cigar Heritage Festival in Ybor City. First in November 2006 (101'.0 feet) (30.78 meters) and then in 2009 (196' 3 3/8" feet.) (59.82). Both times the record previously in Cuba belonged to Mr. José Castelar and by first time the record in the United States. This time, he shared the title with his lovely wife Margarita, who became the first female in the world to be recognized with this record. Dr. Reyes is active member in the City of Tampa and in the State of Florida education and business community. He continues to maintain his passion for the cigar industry and it's always trying to present the values of our past and history. Proof of this is his latest book - "Once Upon a Time in Tampa - Rise and Fall of the Cigar Industry".