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With its 660 miles of beautiful
beaches, more than 8,000 lakes (including Lake Okeechobee,
which measures 700 square miles), more than 33
springs and 4,500 islands, Florida is an
American aquatic paradise.
And since the earliest of times, Florida has meant
the dream of a new life in paradise for many:
Creek Indians
escaping the British; Spaniards and Greeks looking
for a better life; Cuban refugees dreaming of
political freedoms and tourists escaping cold
weather and industrial cities.
The "Sunshine State"
has always been a place where almost everyone
is from somewhere else.
People first reached Florida at least
12,000 years ago.
The rich variety of environments in prehistoric
Florida also
supported a large number of plants and animals.
Written records about life in Florida began
with the arrival of the Spanish explorer and adventurer
Juan Ponce de León
in 1513.
Sometime in April, Ponce de León waded ashore
on the northeastern coast of Florida, possibly
near present-day St. Augustine.
He called the area "La Flórida", in honor of Pascua
Florida ("the feast of the flowers"), Spain's
Easter time celebration.
Other Europeans may have reached Florida earlier,
but no firm evidence of this has been found.
Britain gained control of Florida in 1763
in exchange for Havana, Cuba, which the British
had captured from Spain during the Seven Years'
War (1756-63).
Spain evacuated Florida after
the exchange, leaving the province virtually empty.
The British had ambitious plans for Florida. First,
it was split into two parts: East Florida, with
its capital at St. Augustine; and West Florida,
with its seat at Pensacola.
British surveyors mapped much of the landscape
and coastline and tried to develop relations with
a group of Indians who were moving into the area
from the North. The British called these people
of Creek Indian descent "Seminolies", or Seminoles.
The two Floridas remained loyal to Great Britain
throughout the War for American Independence,
however, Spain regained control of the rest of Florida as part
of the peace treaty that ended the American Revolution.
Finally, after several official and unofficial
U.S. military expeditions into the territory,
Spain formally ceded Florida to the
United States in 1821.
As a territory of the United States, Florida was particularly
attractive to people from the older Southern plantation
areas of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia,
who arrived in considerable numbers.
Among Florida's native
population, the name of Osceola has remained familiar
after more than a century and a half.
Osceola was a
Seminole war leader who refused to leave his homeland
in Florida.
Seminoles, noted
for their fighting abilities, won the respect
of U.S. soldiers for their bravery, fortitude,
and ability to adapt to changing circumstances
during the Second Seminole War (1835-42).
Today, reservations occupied by Florida's Indian
people exist at Immokalee, Hollywood, Brighton
(near the city of Okeechobee), and along the Big
Cypress Swamp.
In addition to the Seminole Indians,
the Miccosukee Tribe also calls Florida home.
Prior to the Civil War, Florida had been
well on its way to becoming another of the southern
cotton states.
Afterward, however, the lives of many residents
changed.
The Ports of Jacksonville and Pensacola again
flourished due to the demand for lumber and forest
products to rebuild the nation's cities.
Beginning in the 1870s, residents from northern
states visited Florida as tourists
to enjoy the state's natural beauty and mild climate.
Steamboat tours
on Florida's winding
rivers were a popular attraction for these visitors.
In 1898, national attention focused on Florida when
the Spanish-American War began.
The port city of Tampa served
as the primary staging area for U.S. troops bound
for the war in Cuba.
Many Floridians supported the Cuban people's desire
to be free of Spanish colonial rule.
By the turn of the century, Florida's population
and per capita wealth were increasing rapidly;
the potential of the "Sunshine State" appeared endless.
By the end of World War I, land developers had
descended on this virtual gold mine.
With more Americans owning automobiles, it became
commonplace to vacation in Florida.
Many visitors stayed on, and exotic projects sprang
up in southern Florida.
Some people moved onto land made from drained
swamps.
Others bought canal-crossed tracts through what
had been dry land.
The real estate developments quickly attracted
buyers, and land in Florida was quickly
sold and resold. Profits and prices for many developers
reached inflated levels. |
