Fort Lauderdale

Images of America: Florida

by Susan Gillis, Daniel T. Hobby

Like many Sun Belt cities, Fort Lauderdale has experienced phenomenal growth over the past several decades. Once a wilderness home for the Seminole Indians and a few hardy pioneers, the small community grew up around Frank Stranahan’s successful trading post, a convenient stop for hunters, fishermen, and sightseers preparing to head into the Everglades. But much more was in store for this rugged outback camp. Surveying Fort Lauderdale’s fascinating history chronologically, this pictorial retrospective begins with the 1890s, a time when this part of the country was still part of America’s frontier, isolated and wild. With the coming of the railroad and the twentieth century, an agricultural economy developed, and, soon, the Florida land boom would bring thousands of new settlers to the area. Fort Lauderdale’s glistening beaches and comfortable climate earned the city an early reputation as a tourist town and, eventually, as a Spring Break mecca.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 1999

Reviews

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Fort Lauderdale, how did I miss out on you? I will never understand. Just recently I visited the Bonnet House Museum in Fort Lauderdale and it was a beautiful, peaceful and engaging experience with the history of this beautiful city. I left enamored and wanted to find out more. The sight of Fort Lauderdale Beach, Las Olas Boulevard, Downtown and The Stranahan House are just a few of the eye-opening places Fort Lauderdale has to offer. This book does the city justice by showing images of this city’s pioneering past to its accelerated present and the changes this city has evolved to. Broward County was considered the swampiest county in the whole state of Florida and seeing what it has become now is simply unbelievable. I love this book. It’s definitely one of my faves from the Images of America series. The only little, tiny critique I have on this book is that there was not one picture of the Bonnet House or its residents Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife, Evelyn Bartlett. I would’ve liked to have seen them featured in this book since they were instrumental in Fort Lauderdale history. Other than that, this book is amazing and again, eye-opening!