Ross Allen Reptile Institute (1929-1969), Coral Springs, Florida

Promotional film likely from the late 1950s featuring Ross and his son Tom Allen. In the 1970’s, the success of Walt Disney World in Orlando hurt attendance at smaller tourist destinations throughout Florida, including the Ross Allen Reptile Instite. Ross planned to locate his last tourist attraction, Ross Allen’s Alligator Town, close to I-75 and Disney traffic, but died the month prior to the park’s opening in June 1981. In his honor, the largest island in Silver Springs was renamed Ross Allen Island in J