Florida History

A look at the past………Florida

Scientists say that about 20 million years ago, Florida was just beginning to rise out of the ocean. Changes in the tidal current, somewhere about the same time as the Ice Age; there began a build up of land, which would become Florida. Interestingly enough, the first winter visitors weren’t from the Midwest or New England. They were rhinoceroses, camels, saber-tooth tigers, mastodons, crocodiles and other critters of substantial size and stature. The physical evidence of Florida’s archeological history dates back over 10,000 years, an explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon was the one who really got it started in 1513.

In the early days of exploration, a king would send a subject out to unknown territory. They would draw a map, name it and return it to the king, who then claimed the land for his own. Sounds a little far fetched, however, that is what happened in Florida and many parts of the world.

Almost 500 years ago, Ponce de Leon then ventured beyond the “edge”, so to speak, and found what he thought was Bimini, thereby naming it La Florida in honor of the Easter Festival of Flowers in his native country of Spain. He then took a side trip and landed near St. Augustine. A map was drawn claiming Florida for the Spanish crown.

On other visits, he attempted to establish a colony between Sarasota and Fort Myers, but nothing came of it. Some time later, DeSoto also tried to establish a colony but the Calusa Indians prevailed (most of the time) for over 100 years against intruders who attempted to take over what is now Sarasota and Fort Myers.

To keep Florida’s history in perspective, it is helpful to realize that Florida was discovered 100 years before the pilgrims started packing their bags for Jamestown.

Beyond the issue of time in history, it should also be pointed out that many coastal areas looked a lot different than they do today—–pristine beaches in some areas, and mosquitoes, wild varmints and swamp land in others. What is now known as the Intracoastal Waterway was salt marsh or mangrove swamp, making navigation difficult or even impossible. Florida was a land of extremes and early settlers were faced with many difficulties and hardships of life.

In addition to the challenges of nature, there were more than 100,000 Native Americans living in the territory known as Florida when Ponce de Leon arrived. There were eventually conflicts and Native Americans were compelled to defend the land that they had occupied for thousands of years. Within 200 years after the Spanish landed in Florida, the entire Native American population was essentially destroyed, primarily from European diseases, war or enslavement. Tragically, the few remaining Indians were relocated to Cuba by the Spanish in the mid-1700’s.

For the next 250 years, after the discovery of Florida, Spain controlled most of the land. The French and English also made claims to parts of Florida. This, of course, leads to conflicts among countries as well as the Native Americans.

When the United States acquired Florida in 1821; it was described by a historian as a vast wilderness with only a few Indian trails and old colonial roads. At the time, there were only two centers of population in Florida—St. Augustine in the northeast and Pensacola in the northwest. There was dense foliage, muck lands, swamps and an abundance of creeks and streams which made movement in Florida very difficult. Most transportation was on foot or horseback.

The government back then, as today, stated that “transportation” was one of Florida’s biggest problems and in 1824 authorized the construction of a road between St. Augustine and Pensacola. During the territorial period (1821-1845) of American history, Florida was still considered a frontier. In 1827, the first steamboat service began on the Apalachicola River which was followed by a scattering of railroad lines in the mid-1830’s. Besides, foot or horseback transportation, most travelers depended on river boats with wood burning side or stern wheelers or steamships to travel along inland waterways.

After the Civil War, Florida began attracting visitors who had heard about the miraculous cures attributed to the mineral springs and warm climate. Interestingly enough, most tourist areas of the day were located inland along the steamship routes, not on the east and west coasts. Jacksonville was a primary entry point. From Jacksonville, tourists and freight moved along the St. Johns River, which was navigable to the central part of the state. Hotels and resorts sprang up near springs and along the St. Johns, giving birth to new tourist destinations—the popularity of which eventually declined with the expansion of the railroad and cheap fares which diverted visitors to the coastal regions of Florida.

A few years before Edison settled in Fort Myers, another man of vision spent the winter on the east coast of Florida in St. Augustine. This was Henry Morrison Flagler. He was 55 years old and one of the wealthiest men in the world and a partner of John D. Rockefeller at Standard Oil. It was 1878 and he was a visionary motivated by challenges of major proportions.

After spending several seasons in St. Augustine during the mid-1880s, Flagler — like Edison — purchased real estate and made Florida his winter home, although he went about it in a slightly different manner. Flagler envisioned St. Augustine as a place for a world-class resort that would attract America’s wealthiest families. Consistent with his vision and his wealth; he started construction in 1885 on the Hotel Ponce de Leon, a lavish Renaissance Spanish palace. Flagler invested $2.5 million into the hotel venture, which opened in 1888 with an augural ball attended by President Grover Cleveland and other notables.

Not unlike the resorts of today, Flagler was concerned about the competition. Swanky resorts and railroads along the southwest coast of Florida led him to believe that he had to keep moving south along the Atlantic. As an inducement to do what few others would consider, the state gave him thousands of acres of land for each mile of track that he built. Armed with some very attractive government perks and a relentless vision, he started laying tracks to Ormond Beach, reaching the town in 1890 and purchasing the Hotel Ormond. Along the way, he assembled a vast domain of land as part of his Model Land Company. Shortly thereafter, he extended his rail empire, known as the Florida East Coast Railroad, to the Indian River.

In 1893, Flagler set his sights on Palm Beach and started laying tracks again. However, his vision of a winter wonderland and world-class hotels took on a new definition in Palm Beach. He started construction in 1894 on the Hotel Poinciana on the site where the Royal Poinciana Playhouse currently resides along the Intracoastal. Accommodating over 1,000 guests; it was at that time the largest hotel in the world. On the ocean side of Palm Beach, he build the Palm Beach Inn later called the Breakers. In 1903, it burned down and was rebuilt only to be lost to fire again in 1925.

Redesigned and opened the following year, the Breakers today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and stands as an exceptional example of Italian Renaissance architecture.

The elite of American society followed Flagler’s invitation. They came from far and wide to stake their claim to a piece of Palm Beach, to build huge mansions, and to revel in the legends of the past and present.

The prominence of Flagler as well as the fame of J.P. Morgan, John Jacob Astor, Woodrow Wilson and “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald hastened the emergence of Palm Beach. Shortly after Flagler’s arrival in Palm Beach, generous offers came from further south. The next rail link to the hamlet of Miami was completed in 1896. Flagler then built the Royal Palm Hotel on the bank of the Miami River, bought steamships, and scheduled cruises from Miami to Nassau where he purchased the Royal Victoria Hotel.

A man obviously motivated by challenge, Flagler started building “the railroad that went to sea” over a series of arched bridges and coral islands to Key West. Often called the “Eighth Wonder of the World”, the overseas railway was an engineering feat of major proportions. It cost an estimated $28 million and took the labor of over 3,000 men nearly eight years to complete.  On Labor Day in 1935, a hurricane caused severe damage and it was never rebuilt.

About a year after the first train arrived in Key West, Flagler died at age 83. The year was 1913 and he was buried in St. Augustine. Considered the master developer of Florida’s east coast, Flagler is credited with the creation of Palm Beach and Miami. To this day, no man has had a greater impact on our state.

Between the time of Flagler’s death and the Florida Land Boom of the 1920’s, another visionary gained prominence in Palm Beach society. His name was Addison Mizner, an architect who is credited with creating the Mediterranean Revival style that we know today as the “Palm Beach look”—barrel tile roofs, arched entries, fan-shaped windows and wrought-iron balconies.

Although he received no formal training as an architect, Mizner had more influence on the design of Palm Beach than can be found in any other city in the country. Born and raised in California, Mizner led a privileged life before he started designing oceanfront palaces in Palm Beach. He lived in Central America during part of his childhood and attended college in Spain. These experiences influenced his Spanish and Moorish themes, which were his most celebrated designs.

Influenced by his education and travels, Mizner was an artist with a talent for sketching buildings and streetscapes. The genius of his vision, however, was not fully realized until coming to Palm Beach. Although not his original intent to live in Palm Beach permanently; he decided to stay and was commissioned by wealthy families to create showcase designs. Mizner was known for his dramatic and theatrical styles and Palm Beach was a perfect place to fulfill his mission of becoming a society architect.

In a town that loved an “architectural statement”, Mizner went on to create residences for such notables as Shearson, Dodge, Wanamaker and many others. “Mizneresque” homes dot the landscape today and many of them are on the National Register of Historic Places. Mizner was in his element at the right place and time. A few years after his arrival, one of the most significant events in Florida’s economic history occurred - the Florida Land Boom of the 1920’s.

Leading up to the boom that changed how Americans would buy land, Flagler’s expansion of the railroad from Palm Beach to Miami was probably one of the most significant events. It attracted investors and visitors from around the world and set the stage for what would happen in the 1920’s.

There were other events as well. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone were touting the virtues of Fort Myers to wealthy families, and Barron G. Collier bought 1.7 million acres to start his own county. Railroads continued to move southward and across the state. And thousands of veterans returned after World War I to areas they discovered during their military training in Florida.

A buying frenzy began and spread throughout the state. There were fortunes made in a matter of days. The state highway system was being developed, bridges were built and canals dug. People came by the thousands. Trains were filled to capacity. Land sales offices were opened in every major city throughout the state. Housing was in short supply and workers in some places lived in tents. Food and water shortages occurred. In 1925 alone, over a billion dollars in real estate was sold. It was a crazy time. And visionaries like Flagler made it happen even though he wasn’t around to participate in the boom that he began almost a decade before.

Mizner was one of those who benefited from the times, however. Backed by the fortunes of Singer, DuPont, Wanamaker, Vanderbilt and others, Mizner Development purchased several thousand acres in Boca Raton, including nearly two miles of oceanfront. Having previously “tamed” Palm Beach, Mizner was ready to tout his grand scheme for the “magic city”, including the Cloister Inn which later became known as the Boca Raton Hotel & Club. Designed by Mizner, the Cloister Inn opened in 1927 attracting socialites, entertainers and industrial tycoons from around the world. As noted by one historian, the opening was considered “the premier event of the American social scene” that year.

During the first day of land sales, Mizner Development sold over $2 million worth of property. Some say the sales eventually reached $26 million. The final tally is not as important as the legacy that remains even today. Mizner brought a sense of style and design to the Palm Beaches, setting in motion a certain appeal that has rarely been matched by any other architect of our time. Contemporary adaptations of Mizner architecture continue to influence the Gold Coast and are widely accepted on the Gulf Coast as well.

In 1926 a ship wreck in the port of Miami was the beginning of the end for the last land boom. Arrivals and departures were blocked for weeks, a rail embargo occurred next and the final blow was a hurricane the same year. A period of romance, adventure and power came to a halt.

The next 20 years were a time of depression, stabilization and rebuilding, followed by a war and a subsequent period of economic expansion.

Florida's Future:
Many experts feel that the present is the final land boom for Florida. This boom should peak in the next 12 to 15 years when the huge crest of the American Baby Boomers retire and move to their retirement residences. Florida's costal areas (areas which are within one hour traveling distance of an ocean) are being developed first. The interior lands will be developed next because the costal properties are no longer available and the high cost of land. Supply and demand will eventually raise the costal property values to a point that only the wealthy and the people that purchased the property earlier can live there.

The center of Florida will change from growing oranges and raising cattle to residences for those that cannot afford the costal regions. Florida agribusiness will still be strong into the twenty second century, but it will have to produce more effectively on less land as the residential developments will take almost half of the state.

SEE "FT. MYERS HISTORY" FOR MORE LOCAL HISTORY.

The scenery in Florida is always enchanting with the various wildlife, from pelicans to alligators; they all make up the unique lifestyle here. Enjoy the beaches, the river, the Gulf of Mexico and the many nature preserves. Each sunrise and sunset brings new joy of the ‘good life’ in Florida. The golfers are back on the course and enjoying the warm weather and the tennis tournaments are in full swing.

Come join the fun in sunny Florida!
For more information please call Doug Sloan at (239) 418-0527 or Toll Free: 1-888-818-8660