Although the settlers had difficulty farming the soil muck, they eventually managed by varying their crops of beans, potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce.

Nevertheless, a dirt road was constructed along the spoil bank of the Bolles Canal connecting Okeelanta with the cross-state highway at Six Mile Bridge, just southeast of Belle Glade.

By 1925, a visitor reported Okeelanta to be almost deserted, with the north side of the Bolles Canal reverting to sawgrass and boggy ground in front of the old hotel.

After the development of sugar interests in the area, Will expanded his efforts to have the state build a road from Miami to South Bay.

[citation needed] In 1937, the Florida Legislature adopted a resolution naming the road the Thomas E. Will Memorial Highway, which was opened to traffic in 1941.