The History Of Orlando

By Author: Jesse Henson
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Before Walt Disney came to town in 1971, Orlando was just another city; few people outside the Sunshine State knew it even existed. It's been around a lot longer than that, however.

Back before the first European settlers, the area held small populations of Native American tribes, who had inhabited the area for 6,000 to 12,000 years. When the Europeans began to arrive in Florida, the indigenous people were hit by diseases they had little resistance for; the natives revolted, and Spanish suppression reduced the number of tribes further. In 1763, Spain turned Florida over to Great Britain and left, taking the remaining Native Americans to Cuba with them.

During the American Revolution, the British recruited Seminoles to fight for them, making the Seminoles enemies of the newly minted United States. At the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, Florida was once again returned to Spain. Conflict rose between the U.S. and Spain; rebellion in the Spanish territories brought the Patriot army into Florida and the Seminoles - allies of the Spanish - attacked.

Between the United States, the British, the Spanish and ...
... the Native Americans, Florida was torn by war. Squatters and outlaws raided the Seminoles, spreading resentment among the Indians. The resentment grew as the U.S. drove the Mikasukis tribe from their village in 1817; a week later, Seminoles attacked a boat carrying around fifty people and killed most of them. Washington, D.C. ordered Andrew Jackson to invade Florida (still a Spanish territory) and pursue the Indians.

Spain ceded Florida to the U.S. in 1821, but an effective form of government was slow to come. By 1822, the Seminoles still did not have an official reservation established, didn't know where they could plant crops and had to deal with squatters moving into their territory. The secretary of the Florida territory estimated about 22,000 Indians with about 5,000 slaves occupied the area - many with no "valid" claim to the land.

The U.S. government finally signed a treaty with the Seminoles in 1823 for a four million acre reservation in the middle of Florida. The treaty promised the U.S. would provide necessary help, such as cattle, hogs, farm implements and a year's rations, until the Seminoles could plant new crops and harvest them. By 1826 -after much hesitation - most Seminoles were on the reservation, but the conditions were bad.

Some starved to death, unable to get enough food from what they were able to grow. The governor of Florida wrote Washington for help, but the requests only fueled a debate about whether the Seminoles were a problem and if they should be moved west. It took over five months for the requests to be answered while conditions for the Seminoles continued to deteriorate.

During a few years of uneasy peace, the calls to have the Seminoles sent west continued; the Seminoles were against any such move - Florida was their home. The reservation, however, was unable to provide enough sustenance for the tribes and the Seminoles were wandering off of it to find more food. In 1828, their old enemy, Andrew Jackson, was elected President and, two years later, in 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The Seminoles, unlike other tribes, refused to move; the ensuing violence between the Native Americans and the U.S., known as the Second Seminole War, lasted for the next seven years.

As the Seminoles and other Native Americans moved out of the area, settlers moved in. The first permanent settler, cattleman Aaron Jernigan, acquired land along Lake Holden and gave the surrounding area his name. From 1843 to 1856, the town of Jernigan grew up around Fort Gatlin, establishing a post office May 30th, 1850. The settlement expanded and officially changed its name to Orlando.

Named the county seat of Orange County in 1856, Orlando remained a rural backwater until the Reconstruction Era. The ensuing population explosion led to incorporation as a town in 1875. The first rail lines were introduced in 1881, bringing an influx of citrus fruit growers. In 1885, Orlando was incorporated as a city and Rollins College was founded. From 1875 to 1894, the city was the bustling hub of Florida's citrus industry.

In 1894, a three-day freeze struck, destroying almost all of the citrus trees in Orange County. Orlando was devastated; it took almost 15 years to recover, but recover it did.

By 1920, Orlando was a major city. A great building boom helped the city grow further, brought the Orlando Public Library in 1923 and the Municipal Auditorium in 1926. Federal government programs helped Orlando during the Great Depression, upgrading the Municipal Airport, building a new stadium, developing parks and creating jobs. In 1936, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park opened its doors and Orlando took its first step toward becoming a recreation mecca.

The end of World War II brought another building boom, more suburbs, new shopping centers and more roads. 1956 brought what is now the Lockheed Martin Company, the largest employer in Central Florida, and the Florida Technological University (now the University of Central Florida) opened in 1968.

Although Orlando was growing strong, 1965 may have been the most critical event for the city's economy; Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World after considering Miami and Tampa. The resort opened in 1971, bringing explosive population and economic growth. SeaWorld Orlando opened in 1973, Epcot Center in 1982, the Disney-MGM Studios them park in 1989 and Universal Orlando in 1990. Tourism became the focal point of Orlando's economy.

Thanks to Lockheed Martin, Orlando had also become a high technology corridor for military services. However, as the year 2000 approached, that technology was turned to the business sector. Software, digital media, biotechnology and simulation help fuel further development. Although Orlando is best known for tourism, it also has a strong reputation for high tech business.

In 2004, Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne hit Orlando, caused widespread damage and threatened the area's tourism industry. However, Orlando bounced back harder than ever. Now, the city is ranked as one of the top vacation destinations in the world. In fact, Orlando holds the world record for the most theme parks and entertainment attractions, with almost 100 attractions, more than 5,300 restaurants, 112,000 hotel rooms and the second largest convention center in the nation. Approximately 50 million people visit each year.
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