About Fort Myers FL

Fort Myers is a city in the state of Florida that is the county seat and commercial hub of the County of Lee. It is as well a key gateway to the southwestern part of the state of Florida and a very popular tourist destination. Fort Myers was named in honor of Colonel Abraham Myers. Over the course of the American Indian Wars in the mid 19th century, the United States constructed Fort Myers to be one of the very first forts, which were situated along the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers was primarily made use of as a strategic base of operations against the Seminole Amerindian tribes. It also emerged as a strategic outpost with access the Atlantic Ocean’s waterways.
 
Most of the Seminole where forced to move to Indian Territory on the western end of the Mississippi River. Yet, some of the leveraged on their in-depth knowledge of the Everglades and the Florida Wilderness to effectively resist the American incursions into their territory. These Indians were never conquered, and there are now 2 federally acknowledged Seminole tribes that still possess some control over their historic territories.
 
The Fort Myers Community was established after the termination of the United States Civil War by Captain Manuel Gonzalez in 1866. Gonzalez was highly conversant with the region as he spent a good number of years delivering mail and suppliers to the Union Army during the Seminole and Civil Wars. When the United States ultimately abandoned the fort, Gonzalez moved from Key West, Florida to establish the new community at Fort Myers. He eventually settled his family in close proximity to the abandoned fort, and founded the area’s very first trading post. Gonzalez traded tobacco, gunpowder and beads and sold otter, bobcat and alligator hides to the nearby Seminole tribes.
 
In the late 19th century, people from the northern part of the country started to travel to the state of Florida during the winter season. In 1881, industrialist Hamilton Disston visited the Caloosahatchee  Valley and commenced to dredge and drain the Everglades for development. He ultimately went on to link Lake Okeechobee with the Caloosahatchee River. This enabled steamboats to run from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Okeechobee. In 1885, the diminutive town of Fort Myers was incorporated, and became the 2nd biggest town on the Gulf Coast, south of Cedar Key.
 
In the late 19th century, 1885 to be more specific, Thomas Edison visited Fort Myers while cruising on the state of Florida’s western coast. He afterwards purchased 13 acres of land along the Caloosahatchee River, and built his home ‘Seminole Lodge’ as a winter retreat. In 1895, the Royal Palm Hotel was built as a luxury hotel, and rapidly attracted droves of tourists, and established the reputation of Fort Myers as a nationally acclaimed winter resort destination. At the turn of the century, access to the City of Fort Myers was substantially improved by the opening of the Atlantic Coast Line railroad. This route facilitated for both passenger and freight services to Lee County.
 
In 1916, Henry Ford bought the property next to that of Thomas Edison and ultimately built a craftsman style bungalow in 1911. In the year 1924, work on the Edison Bridge was initiated, and greatly augmented the population of Fort Myers. The bridge was eventually opened in 1951 on Thomas Edison’s 84th birthday, and the inventor was the first person to drive across it.
 
After the completion of the Edison Bridge, the real estate market of Fort Myers experienced a boom. A number of new residential subdivisions were constructed beyond the downtown area. In 1947, Thomas Edison’s wife Mina donated Seminole Lodge to the City of Fort Myers in memory of her deceased husband and for the express enjoyment of the general public. In 1988, the city purchased the Henry Ford Winter Estate, and opened it to public tours in the year 1990.