Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1861
Voting 62 to 7, Florida secedes from the US, raising its fifth flag, the stars-and-bars
of the Confederacy. Florida's farms and cattle provide vital Confederate supplies dur-
ing the ensuing Civil War.
1868
Florida is re-admitted to the United States, but racial tensions between Southern
whites and freed African Americans run high, resulting in discriminatory 'Jim Crow'
legislation.
1894-5
The Great Freeze wipes out crops in Central Florida. Farmers and developers look
to South Florida for year-long growing conditions.
1905
The first of many attempts to drain the Everglades begins. In coming decades, thou-
sands of acres are destroyed as water is diverted from its natural flow from Lake
Okeechobee.
1912
'Flagler's Folly,' Henry Flagler's 128-mile overseas railroad connecting the Florida
Keys, reaches Key West. It's hailed as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World,' but is des-
troyed by a 1935 hurricane.
1925
Coral Gables, one of the first planned communities in the USA, is officially founded.
The 'City Beautiful' was designed by real-estate developer George Edgar Merrick.
1926
The Great Miami Hurricane devastates South Florida, killing 220 people, leaving up
to 50,000 homeless and causing some $100 million in damages. The Great Depres-
sion slows recovery.
