Journal #14 Downtown Ft. Myers

The field trip to Downtown Ft. Myers was very exciting. The trip promoted progressive learning and helped create a great sense of place. Ft. Myers is a very historic city that is located on the Caloosahatchee River. I learned that this town was a port and the river was used as a route for settlers to transport goods to the north. The area has an old historic appearance and with monuments scattered across the city. In the heart of Centennial Park was a statue of the three most prominent citizens of Ft Myers: Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone. These entrepreneurs and scientists resided in Ft Myers part time in the early 1900’s and have had their homes transferred into educational exhibits. I wanted to visit the houses of these 3 legendary gentlemen which are now museum exhibits, but we were on the other side of town with limited time. However I did see the Yacht Basin, Centennial Park, and the old post office which severed the town of Ft Myers in the early 1900’s. I was educated that Fort Myers was built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians. It was named after Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's founder and commander. Also residing in Ft. Myers in the mid 1800’s were the Colusa Indians (Cityftmyers.com). Calusa means fierce, and these Indians definitely upheld their name, massacring the area's few settlers. The Calusa were the first people to connect the Caloosahatchee River with Lake Okeechobee, which created a trading route between them and other tribes. Learning about the history of a Fort that I was born so close to was very pleasing for me. I was informed about the services of the Fort and waterways in the past but somehow never thought about too much. Having been born in Southwest Florida and learning about its rich history is very rewarding to me.

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