Fort Myers & Sanibel/Lee County Traveler's Guide 2008 - (Page 20) ®® H I S T O RY O F T H E B E A C H E S O F F O R T M Y E R S & S A N I B E L w hile by no means comprehensive, here’s a survey of the development of Fort Myers and the surrounding areas from prehistory to modern times. For more information about history and heritage, visit 4 Forts & Seminole Wars Small army outposts are established along the Caloosahatchee River and at Punta Rassa; Seminoles like Billy Bowlegs fight – but are unable to retain their lands. www.fortmyers-sanibel.com. 1 Prehistory Mastodons and mammoths roam the grassy Florida peninsula during the Pleistocene period. Billy Bowlegs 1 4 12,500 B.C. 600 A.D. 2 1500 3 1600 1700 1800 1816 - First Seminole War begins 2 First Inhabitants Paleo-Indians like Useppa Man are known to have lived 10,0001,400 years ago. 3 Searching for Gold, Youth Explorers Juan Ponce de Leon (1513) and Pedro Menendez de Aviles (1566) try to subordinate the Calusa, but fail. Pedro Menendez 3 The Fierce People Calusa Indians, a strong and savvy people, rule the islands and waterways of Southwest Florida until the 1700s. Shipwrecked as a teen in 1545, Spaniard Fontaneda lives among the Calusa for 17 years. His writings reveal much about their society and culture. PAGE 20 http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com
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