Fort Myers, the commercial center and county seat of Lee County, is located in the southwestern corner of Florida, on the southern banks of the Caloosahatchee River--the river which takes its name from Calusa Indians that once inhabited the region. Fort Myers derives its name from a fortification founded first as Fort Harvie in the 1840s and later as Fort Myers in the 1850s--a stronghold that served as a base of operations against Seminole Indians in the area. Named in honor of Colonel Abraham C. Myers, a Jewish West Point graduate from South Carolina who went on to serve as quartermaster general in the Confederate Army, Fort Myers was occupied by Union soldiers during the Civil War. The fort earned the distinction as the site of the southernmost land battle of the war, when confederate forces tried unsuccessfully wrest it from Union control in February 1865. Homesteaders began arriving to the area after the war's end to farm and raise cattle.

Incorporated in 1885--Fort Myers welcomed its most famous resident, Thomas Edison, that same year. Edison built a vacation home and laboratory in town. The inventor's longtime friend Henry Ford, also a frequent visitor to Fort Myers, opened the town's first Ford car dealership in 1914.

A decade before Ford began selling cars in Fort Myers, the railroad arrived, aiding the emerging industries of citrus farming and shrimping and the well established cattle industry. Land sales reached a peak during the 1920s before over-speculation, two disastrous hurricanes, and the Depression of the next decade turned the land boom into bust.

However, all was not doom and gloom. In 1928, the Tamiami Trail Highway linked Fort Myers with Tampa and Miami. And in 1930, William T. "Wild Bill" Belvin entered the wilds of Lee County for one year, nude and without supplies, to promote the county's quality land and temperate climate.

Aided by federal programs, perhaps more than Wild Bill's efforts, Fort Myers survived the Depression better than other Florida towns. During World War II two Army air bases opened in the area, and the city became home to thousands of GIs from across the country, many of whom returned after the war. Since the Word War II era, Fort Myers, like much of Florida, has experienced tremendous growth.

Fortunately, Fort Myers growth has not come at the expense of its history. Visitors will find many historic landmarks and buildings scattered throughout the city. The downtown commercial district is home to 69 buildings of historical significance. To the south is the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estate. Every year, the city honors Edison during a two-week celebration known as the "Festival of Light." Additionally, the city offers a wide array of museums, including the Southwest Florida Museum of History, the Railroad Museum of South Florida and the historic Burroughs Home. Through these preservation efforts, Fort Myers remains one of the most historically significant cities in the state of Florida.

This podcast made possible through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. Script written by Kyle Burke. Narrated by Sandra Averhart.