During Native American History Month, we’re exploring a story often overlooked — the history of Fort Myers and its connection to the Seminole people.
“You name a city in Florida that’s a fort, and it’s almost certainly from the Seminole War period forts — and that’s true of Fort Myers,” said Dr. William Locascio, research coordinator for the Seminole Tribe for Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office.
Locascio explains how an 1839 treaty between the U.S. Army and Native Americans played a pivotal role in the tribe’s removal from Fort Myers.
“Tribal members agreed that they would move south of the Peace River, which is just between here and Sarasota, and would not expect any intrusions into their land. But within 10 years, up pops Fort Harvey on Punta Rassa. That’s the original fort established here.”
The fort wasn’t just a military installation, Locascio adds. It became a site tied to Andrew Jackson’s policies and the Trail of Tears.
“That’s what Fort Myers was when it was a military establishment,” he said. “It was a place to imprison tribal members before shipping them off to New Orleans, where they would walk to Oklahoma.”
But the local story doesn’t end entirely in tragedy. Captain Francis Hendry, the namesake of Hendry County, helped build a bridge of trust between the two cultures by integrating a Native American child into a white school.
“The Seminoles start to realize that they can develop productive relationships with settlers in different towns,” Locascio said. “Now Fort Myers can maybe become a safe place for them to go to at least acquire some goods that they’ll need. Fort Myers has certain gems of its history out there, but they’re not as visible as we might hope.”
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