A Brief History of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale was inhabited for more than a thousand years by the Tequesta Indians, and although the area changed control between Spain, England, the United States, and the Confederated States of America, it remained largely undeveloped until the 20th century. The first United States stockade named Fort Lauderdale was built in 1838, and was a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. The fort was abandoned in 1842, and the area remained fairly unpopulated until the 1890s. It was't until the Florida East Coast Railroad built tracks through the area in the mid-1890s that any organized development began, although a few pioneer families lived in the area since the late 1840s. In 1911, the city was incorporated, and in 1915 was designated the county seat of newly-formed Broward County.