I had no idea that Fort Myers was once called Fort Harvey. Fort Harvey was build because of the Indian uprising and the second and third Seminole wars and then became a northern fort during the wars between the states. I found it really neat that the name Fort Myers was after a man in love. Captain Myers was engaged to the general’s daughter, and so the fort was build for him. I never knew that the United states colored troops build Fort Myers or that it was founded so long ago in 1866 from travelers coming from Key west. The town of Fort Myers was so small back then but even so they had problems just as we do today. For example they built their first school but then some student burnt it down. I always thought Lee County was named after some random family that really didn’t mean much so it was interesting to see that it was actually named after Robert E. Lee. The idea that Hendry and Collier Counties were part of Lee County until the 1920s shows how remote it was back then, but how quickly it grew. In 1904 railroads became the main way of transportation and made city double. Even famous people such as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford came here to live and vacation and now people come just to visit what they have left. It is kind of funny to see that Southwest Florida has always been a place for tourist. It’s sad to see that the segregation of blacks and whites took longer than most other places. You hear and see things about racial segregation elsewhere but it’s unfortunate to see that it was at one point real in our own city. Seeing how FGCU is now a part of Fort Myers history is a huge accomplishment for the entire area of Southwest Florida. These videos helped to understand and have an appreciation of where we live.
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