When was everglades established

Soon they were relocated again to the Florida Keys. Second in power and number to the Calusa in South Florida were the Tequesta. They occupied the southeastern portion of the lower peninsula in modern-day Dade and Broward counties.

Like the Calusa, the Tequesta societies centered on the mouths of rivers. Their main village was probably on the Miami River or Little River. Spanish depictions of the Tequesta state that they were greatly feared by sailors, who suspected them of torturing and killing survivors of shipwrecks. With an increasing European presence in south Florida, Native Americans from the Keys and other areas began increasing their trips to Cuba.

Official permission for the immigration of Native Americans from the Florida Keys was granted by Cuban officials in Spanish priests attempted to set up missions in , but noted that the Tequesta were under assault from a neighboring tribe. When only 30 members were left, they were removed to Havana.

A British surveyor in described multiple deserted villages in the region where the Tequesta lived. The Creek invaded the Florida peninsula; they conquered and assimilated what was left of pre-Columbian societies into the Creek Confederacy. They were joined by remnant Indian groups and formed the Seminole, a new tribe, by ethnogenesis. The Seminole originally settled in the northern portion of the territory. In addition, free blacks and fugitive slaves made their way to Florida, where Spain had promised slaves freedom and arms if they converted to Catholicism and pledged loyalty to Spain.

These African Americans gradually created communities near those of the Seminole, and became known as the Black Seminoles. The groups acted as allies. After Florida became a U. Many others died in the war. Conflict broke out again in the Third Seminole War from to , when a few hundred Seminole fought off US forces from the swamps of the Everglades. The US finally decided to leave them alone, as they could not dislodge them even after this protracted and expensive warfare.

By , the Seminole in the Everglades numbered no more than They made a living by hunting and trading with white settlers, and raised domesticated animals.

The Seminole made their villages in hardwood hammocks or pinelands, had diets of hominy and coontie roots, fish, turtles, venison, and small game. Their villages were not large, due to the limited size of the hammocks. Between the end of the last Seminole War and , the people lived in relative isolation from the majority culture.

The construction of the Tamiami Trail, beginning in and spanning the region from Tampa to Miami, altered their ways of life. Some began to work in local farms, ranches, and souvenir stands.

Some of the people who interacted more with European Americans began to move to reservations in the s. These were their bases for reorganizing their government and they became federally recognized in as the Seminole Tribe of Florida. People who kept more traditional ways had settlements along the Tamiami Trail and tended to speak the Mikasuki language. They later were federally recognized in as the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.

As metropolitan areas in South Florida began to grow, the two groups were closely associated with the Everglades. They struggled to maintain privacy while serving as tourist attractions. They earned money by wrestling alligators and selling craftworks. As of , the Seminole Tribe of Florida had five reservations, and the lands of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians were collectively considered a sixth reservation. The two tribes have each developed casino gaming on some of their properties to generate revenue for support, services and economic development.

The military penetration of southern Florida offered the opportunity to map a poorly understood and largely unknown part of the country. An expedition into the Everglades offered the first printed account for the general public to read about the Everglades. The anonymous writer described the terrain the party was crossing: No country that I have ever heard of bears any resemblance to it; it seems like a vast sea filled with grass and green trees, and expressly intended as a retreat for the rascally Indian, from which the white man would never seek to drive them.

The land seemed to inspire extreme reactions of both wonder or hatred. He sent his observations to the New Orleans Times-Democrat. A national push for expansion and progress in the United States occurred in the later part of the 19th century, which stimulated interest in draining the Everglades for agricultural use. Indeed, it was considered the proper thing to do.

Walker to request those with experience in the Everglades to give their opinion on the possibility of drainage. Many officers who had served in the Seminole Wars favored the idea. In Congress passed a law that gave several states wetlands within their state boundaries. The Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act ensured that the state would be responsible for funding the attempts at developing wetlands into farmlands. Florida quickly formed a committee to consolidate grants to pay for any attempts, though the Civil War and Reconstruction halted progress until after The IIF found a Pennsylvania real estate developer named Hamilton Disston interested in implementing plans to drain the land for agriculture.

At first the canals seemed to work in lowering the water levels in the wetlands surrounding the rivers. They were effective in lowering the groundwater, but it became apparent that their capacity was insufficient for the wet season. It made news and attracted tourists and land buyers. Within four years property values doubled, and the population increased significantly.

The IIF was able to invest in development projects due to Disston purchase, and an opportunity to improve transportation arose when oil tycoon Henry Flagler began purchasing land and building rail lines along the east coast of Florida, as far south as Palm Beach in Along the way he built resort hotels, transforming territorial outposts into tourist destinations.

The land bordering the rail lines was developed as citrus farms. By the rail line had been extended to Biscayne Bay. Three months after the first train had arrived, the residents of Miami voted to incorporate the town. Miami became a prime destination for extremely wealthy people after the Royal Palm Hotel was opened.

During the gubernatorial race, the strongest candidate, Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, promoted draining the Everglades. In they established the Everglades Drainage District and began to study how to build the most effective canals, and how to fund them. Governor Broward ran for the U.

Senate in but lost. Broward was paid by land developer Richard J. Bolles to tour the state to promote drainage. Elected to the Senate in , Broward died before he could take office. Meanwhile, Henry Flagler continued to build railway stations at towns as soon as the populations warranted them. With the construction of canals, newly reclaimed Everglades land was promoted throughout the United States. Land developers sold 20, lots in a few months in Advertisements promised within eight weeks of arrival, a farmer could be making a living, although for many it took at least two months to clear the land.

Some tried burning off the sawgrass or other vegetation, only to learn that the peat continued to burn. Everglades National Park celebrates it's birthday on December 6th. How old is Everglades National Park? Before there was an Everglades National Park there was Everglades, the ecosystem. This Everglades has been around for 5, years!

The original Everglades used to reach all the way from the Orlando area to Florida Bay. It was a big wilderness of wetlands containing sawgrass marshes, freshwater sloughs, mangrove swamps, pine rocklands and hardwood hammocks.

So how did Everglades become a National Park? On December 6th, , the government set aside 1. It did not happen overnight. In fact, it took many years and was a slow process. Although the captivation of the Everglades has mostly stemmed from its unique ecosystem, an alluring human story of the Everglades is deeply interwoven with its endless marshes, dense mangroves, towering palms, alligator holes, and tropical fauna. Various groups and people navigated through and wrestled with the watery landscape to make it home, and even to exploit its natural wonder at times.

Explore This Park. Everglades National Park Florida. The Everglades is teeming with plant and animal species not found anywhere else on the planet. The Everglades provides important habitat for numerous species like the manatee, American crocodile and the elusive Florida panther.

Check out tips for staying safe while viewing wildlife. The Everglades receives an average of 60 inches of rain a year. To put that in perspective, Seattle, Washington, receives a little more than half of that annual amount! Exploring the third largest national park in the lower 48 states can be quite adventurous.

Visitors can canoe or kayak hundreds of miles of water trails, bike through pine rocklands or enjoy world-class fishing. Check out more amazing activities to experience in the Everglades.

From the original Archaic period settlements to the modern tribal communities of the Miccosukee and Seminole Indians, the region has a rich history of human culture. Learn more about the people who have called the Everglades home throughout the ages.

Invasive species are threatening the Everglades ecosystem. Far from their native homelands, invasive species like Burmese python have dominated headlines in recent years.