Although best known as the winter home of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, Fort Myers has one of the most engaging and extraordinary histories of any city in Florida. The spawn of a hurricane, Fort Myers began as a U.S. Army post during Florida's Seminole Wars. During the Civil War, it became a battleground between Confederates and Yankees for cattle and, after the war, a gun-slinging cowboy town. New York cartoonist Walt McDougall blew into the area on a fishing trip, and his glowing description lured down other wealthy Yankee sportsmen who helped turn this isolated frontier town into a modern tourist destination. Historian and author Cynthia Williams explores the hidden stories behind the growth of this beautiful city.

In these photographs, the neighborhood service station, the drugstore soda fountain, and steamboat mail-delivery live on. Nineteenth-century storefronts stand amid condo towers. Cattle stroll to market, and post-World War II newcomers transform the paradise of Gilded Age millionaires and tin-can tourists. Fort Myers continues to reinvent itself, maintaining the treasures of its richly storied past.

Historical record of Southwest Florida and Lee County.

The once sleepy barrier island labeled Estero Island on navigational charts was dubbed Fort Myers Beach in the early part of the 20th century by city folks who spent their weekends on its wide, sandy beaches. Centuries earlier, an abundance of fish and other seafood made the 6.5-mile-long island attractive to its earliest inhabitants, the Calusa, as well as explorers, fisherfolk, and a pirate or two. In the late 19th century, early homesteaders were lured by stories of free tillable soil in a balmy climate surrounded by warm waters and ankle-deep shells. When pink shrimp, labeled "Pink Gold," were found in nearby waters, another influx of residents arrived. Today, the island is best known as an energetic resort community, but it retains the influence and charm of its remarkable past.

Located on the wide and beautiful Caloosahatchee River, just fifteen miles from the Gulf of Mexico, Fort Myers, the fabled "City of Palms," is known throughout the world for its tropical weather and many local attractions. Exotic flowers and shrubbery dot the city landscape, which today includes a revitalized downtown, inviting neighborhoods, endless shopping, and a breathtaking waterfront. Like many Florida communities, the origin of Fort Myers can be traced to the Seminole Indian wars of the 1800s. The fort itself-named for Lt. Col. Abraham Myers-was established in the frontier region to quell uprisings and help in the Indian Removal campaigns. It was later used by Union forces during the Civil War, was abandoned, and then reoccupied by courageous settlers who relied on the cattle business, and citrus and vegetable farming to sustain their families and their new town. As the years passed, Fort Myers grew and began to attract winter visitors, including such famous Americans as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, both of whom had homes in the area, as well as wealthy sportsmen eager to try their luck at tarpon fishing in nearby Gulf waters. When the railroad finally reached Fort Myers, tourists, transplants, retirees, and many more would discover the irresistible charms of one of Florida's newest gems. Located on the wide and beautiful Caloosahatchee River, just fifteen miles from the Gulf of Mexico, Fort Myers, the fabled "City of Palms," is known throughout the world for its tropical weather and many local attractions. Exotic flowers and shrubbery dot the city landscape, which today includes a revitalized downtown, inviting neighborhoods, endless shopping, and a breathtaking waterfront. Like many Florida communities, the origin of Fort Myers can be traced to the Seminole Indian wars of the 1800s. The fort itself-named for Lt. Col. Abraham Myers-was established in the frontier region to quell uprisings and help in the Indian Removal campaigns. It was later used by Union forces during the Civil War, was abandoned, and then reoccupied by courageous settlers who relied on the cattle business, and citrus and vegetable farming to sustain their families and their new town. As the years passed, Fort Myers grew and began to attract winter visitors, including such famous Americans as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, both of whom had homes in the area, as well as wealthy sportsmen eager to try their luck at tarpon fishing in nearby Gulf waters. When the railroad finally reached Fort Myers, tourists, transplants, retirees, and many more would discover the irresistible charms of one of Florida's newest gems.

A Land Remembered has become Florida's favorite novel. Now this Student Edition in two volumes makes this rich, rugged story of the American pioneer spirit more accessible to young readers. Patrick Smith tells of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family battling the hardships of the frontier. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias and Emma MacIvey arrive in the Florida wilderness with their son, Zech, to start a new life, and ends in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that his wealth has not been worth the cost to the land. Between is a sweeping story rich in Florida history with a cast of memorable characters who battle wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the Florida swamp. In this volume, meet young Zech MacIvey, who learns to ride like the wind through the Florida scrub on Ishmael, his marshtackie horse, his dogs, Nip and Tuck, at this side. His parents, Tobias and Emma, scratch a living from the land, gathering wild cows from the swamp and herding them across the state to market. Zech learns the ways of the land from the Seminoles, with whom his life becomes entwined as he grows into manhood. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series