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History of Fort Lauderdale

by Jim Esposito

From Big Bang to Present Day

When considering the history of Fort Lauderdale and the state of Florida, two interesting facts pop out:

First, the entire state itself was essentially a foreclosure. Florida was ceded to the United States by Spain in 1819 in exchange for the forgiveness of a $5 million debt.

Secondly, Major William Lauderdale, after whom Fort Lauderdale was named, only spent about a month in the neighborhood.

People in Florida see things differently. Surprised this guy doesn't have a fishing pole, trolling.

The Wayback Machine

Once the Earth cooled and the dinosaurs died after that asteroid impact, the crater of which is now called the Gulf of Mexico, the southeastern region of the Floridian peninsula was originally inhabited by the Tequesta tribe of Native Americans, according to archaeological evidence dating back some 4,000 years.

A socio-politically complex society whose main village was located at the mouth of the Miami River along the shores of Biscayne Bay, Tequesta culture centered around dugout canoes, carved by honored craftsmen with crude tools fashioned from sea shells. Picking through ancient trash heaps archeologists found bones from a wide variety of wildlife and fish, including deep water species such as mako sharks, swordfish and right whales.

Think about the (shall we say) fortitude required to paddle a dugout canoe into the ocean to go after blue water sharks and 40-foot whales. It brings a whole new meaning to the term "Stone Age."

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