Some 12,000 years ago, Calusa Indians established waterside villages throughout Florida. Relics of their ancient civilization, huge earth and shell mounds know as middens, still dot the Gulf Coast landscape. Also visible are remnants of extensive hand-cut canals, transportation routes that linked the Calusas other Indian settlements.

Spanish explorers arrived here in the early 1500s, claimed the land for Spain, and introduced cattle and ranching. They also introduced European diseases—measles, influenza and smallpox. By the end of the 18th century, few Calusas remained.

Other Native Americans lived in the large territory known as “La Floride”. Many Southeastern Indian tribes migrated to Florida, joining the descendants of tribes whose members had lived all across the Florida forests. The Indians called themselves yat’siminoli or “free people”, because for centuries their ancestors had resisted the attempts of the Spaniards, American and English to take their lands. Soon, all of the Indians in Florida came to be know as “Seminoles”.

Unable to support its colonial empire, Spain ceded Florida to the U.S., which made it a Territory in 1821. As white settlers and pioneers continued to move south the U.S. government began a concerted effort to remove the Seminoles. The Seminole Wars raged for years and were marked by cruelty and broken promises on both sides, a dark chapter in American history.

Fort Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee as a base of operations against the Seminoles. Originally named Fort Harvie, the site was chosen because it was less exposed to Gulf storms.

In 1850, the post was expanded and renamed Fort Myers in honor of Colonel Abraham C. Myers, who was about to marry the daughter of Major General David E. Twiggs, then commanding nearby Fort Brooke (Tampa). The expanded fort boasted a 1,000 foot wharf plus more than 50 pine buildings. The cleared ground around it fell roughly within the area bounded by present-day Hough, Monroe and Second streets.

Ft. Myers was abandoned in 1858, then re-occupied during the Civil War. At war’s end, Fort Myers was abandoned by the military once and for all.

Building materials were scarce after the war, and early pioneers thronged to Fort Myers to dismantle its wood buildings and set up a fledgling community. Woodplank walkways and shell-and-sand trails knit neighbor to school and several private homes. Herds of cattle were driven down the town’s main street to the long wooded docks along the water’s edge where they were lifted onto steamers using block and tackle, then shipped to Cuba in exchange for gold.

During the 1880s, people settled along the river away from the immediate fort area. Famed inventor Thomas A Edison visited Fort Myers and fell in love with its location and climate. He built a winter home on the banks of the Caloosahatchee, Seminole Lodge, along with a laboratory and botanical garden. Edison’s friend, industrialist Henry Ford, owned an wintered in the state next door to his friend. Together, the extraordinary pair entertained such notables as Harvey Firestone, William Burroughs and Charles Lindbergh. Both the Edison and Ford estates are now public museums.

Pineapple plantations were planted along the river and flourished on such a grand scale that the fruit was the central figure in the city seal d e s i g n e d when Fort Myers incorporated in 1885. A new courthouse was built, and citrus trees were planted. Cattle, farming and logging became the area’s early mainstays. Steamboats were moored at the tips of the docks, poised to head south to the islands or serve the Caloosahatchee.

By the turn of the century, the City Dock at the end of Jackson Street served as the city’s commerce center. An eclectic collage of wooden shacks, tinroofed shanties and tiny buildings housed everything from the undertaker and taxidermist to the city’s first Coca- Cola® bottling site. Fishing and farming became a way of life, and timberland on the other side of the river brought 25 cents an acre. Farmers shipped rail cars and steamers full of vegetables and tropical fruits to northern markets.

In 1898 the magnificent Murphy mansions was built on the corner of Fowler and First, setting a new standard of home construction along the riverfront and triggering Fort Myers’ millionaire’s row along First Street and Palm Beach Boulevard. In 1918, the Burroughs family purchased the residence, now the cityowned museum known as the Burroughs Home.

Ft. Myers had grown to 943 residents when the 20th century arrived. A power plant, some banks and several residential developments attested to the community’s growth, and the downtown streets were paved. The Atlantic Coast Line railroad service opened the gates to the city in 1904, the same year construction began on the Bradford Hotel. Today, the refurbished hotel on First street is a striking piece of history in downtown’s blend of old and new, past and present. The restored railroad depot houses the Southwest Florida Museum of History; flanking its exterior are a luxurious 84-foot Pullman rail car from 1929 (the last sleeper Pullman built in the U.S.) and a replica of an early “Florida Cracker” house.

America’s famous “Roaring Twenties” brought posperity and glamour to all of Florida, Ft. Myers included. Many downtown buildings and private homes within the city were built during the 1920s in the Mediterranean Revival style, a popular trend in Florida that incorporated a variety of architectual details. The S e a b o r a d R a i l r o a d arrived, too, a competitor with the older Coast line. Today, three terminals from this period can still be seen in the city.

Although the Great Depression hit Ft. Myers along with the rest of the country, some of the city’s most elegant building were constructed during the 1930s. The Federal Building (corner of First and Jackson streets) was completed, and the Edison Bridge was built, easing travel to the north. Construction of the Yacht Basin was begun in 1936, and after World War II, it became a municipal marina accommodating up to 50 boats. In 1972, the yacht basin’s facilities were expanded to its current capacity of 246 boats.

New commercial buildings and shopping centers have sprung up all around Ft. Myers, but the city’s downtown and historic residential districts have retained their distinctive charm.

Ft. Myers recently approved a Downtown Master Plan that incorporates historic preservation and renovation and calls for enhanced streetscapes; new public spaces; a compact, lively town center; improved traffic patterns with pedestrian and bike paths; and shops or businesses with residential units above.

Renowned urban planners Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, well-known for the successful revitalization of downtown Naples, Florida, came up with the concept for the master plan. It defines four distinct neighborhoods radiating from four centers, with a five-minute walk from each neighborhood edge to its center. The four neighborhoods will be linked by an efficient, usable transit system.