On the edge of the Gulf, where the tides swallow what time forgets, once stood Atsena Otie Island—a thriving community built on cedar, ambition, and the promise of progress. In the late 1800s, the island’s pencil factories hummed with life, shipping Florida’s forests to the world. But prosperity never lasts long on shifting ground. When a hurricane roared ashore in 1896, it didn’t just level the town—it erased it. What remained were stories whispered across generations, half-buried in salt marsh and memory. Boom or Bust follows the rise and ruin of Atsena Otie, exploring how greed, industry, and nature collided in a forgotten corner of the Gulf Coast. Through old records, photographs, and the echoes of those who lived there, this book uncovers the strange intersection between human ambition and the unstoppable forces that end it. Part history, part ghost story, Boom or Bust is a journey into the bones of Florida’s past—where every storm leaves a mark, and every ruin has a voice.