Plantation
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Native Americans had been living in Florida for thousands of years before the first Spanish explorers journeyed to the southeastern region of North America. The Tequesta tribe inhabited South Florida from approximately 400B.C. to 1700A.D. They lived on the beaches and around the mouths of rivers and inlets. They were not considered to be a farming tribe, but they did consume various wild vegetation which was plentiful.The Tequesta made flour from the coontie root and also ate manatee, turtle, lobster and other fish. The Tequesta were considered to be great fishermen and boatmen. They made trips to places such as Cuba. The Tequesta buried their dead in specially built mounds. One such mound exists on the 14th hole at the Plantation Country Club, which was excavated in 1975 by Mrs. Wilma Williams. The excavation led to many interesting artifacts, including pottery, tools, and animal's bones and of course, human bones. Mrs. Williams stated in a Sun-Sentinel article that the Tequesta would eat their dinner as they were building the mounds and simply throw the animal bones and other items onto the ground and cover it with a layer of dirt. Over 40 bags of human skeletal parts were extracted from this mound. The 14th hole has been nicknamed "Funnee-Okko-Pokko" or in English, "Bone Heap".
After Ponce de Leon, other explorers and settlers came to the Florida region, the Tequesta tribe disappeared. The tribe had developed a hatred toward the European invaders, since the tribe had been lied to and enslaved. Some Tequesta were killed in wars with the Europeans and other Native American tribes. Many died due to diseases carried by the European explorers.
By the 1800s, most of the tribes had disappeared from Florida. The Creek tribe, who originally lived in Georgia and Alabama had a despise for Europeans as well. The tribe moved to the attractive land in the north Florida region. These transients were called Seminoles, which is the Creek word for "runaways". The Seminoles, unlike the Tequesta, grew corn and raised cattle, pigs and chickens. Before conflicts arose with European settlers, the Seminoles lived in wooden two-story houses that were either on water or near the water's edge. For fear of losing their homes due to the heightening conflict with the United States government, they built "chickees", which were built on stilts and had a palmetto thatched roof. Each family had its own group of these structures, which were located primarily at the water's edge.
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Seminole War was a result of the US government trying to relocated Native Americans to reservations in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Some agreed to move out of Florida. One Seminole, Osceola (Asi-Yojolo) which means "Black Water", refused to move. He along with other Seminole warriors decided to make war against the settlers and force them out of their land. In response, the Tennessee Mounted Militia arrived and built the first fort in the area. The commanding officer was Major William Lauderdale. The fort was built opposite of the forks of the New River to prevent supplies from being imported from the Bahamas. The militia stayed for less than a year. Shortly thereafter, the fort was burned and destroyed. An artillery troop arrived and built a new fort for the Second Seminole War. The Seminole War lasted for seven years. After the war, Broward County was left virtually uninhabited other than by Seminoles for several decades.
The Developing Years (Early 19th Century)
In 1906, the Army Corp of Engineers attempted to drain the Everglades and the New River. During this early 19th Century period, many large land sales occurred and residents were moving into the area, In 1911, a drainage district out of Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades was completed in Plantation. The Sewell Locks (wooden locks) were built to allow barges carrying produce to venture to and from the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee. Today, the locks are a national monument. Even through the 1920s, Broward County remained a frontier with little development and infrastructure other than the Florida East Coast Railway and Dixie Highway, which was barely two lanes. As the decade continued, so did the project to drain the Everglades and to create a canal system. These projects led to a 'land boom' in South Florida. The purchase of large amounts of property, mainly mangrove swamps, increased the property values. Unfortunately, the 'building boom' that was to follow was unsuccessful. To make matters worse, a severe hurricane (in point of fact, one of the worst to hit Broward County) destroyed and ravaged the existing buildings. Fortunately, the canal system and islands off Las Olas remained intact.
In the 1940s, similar to the rest of the nation, Broward County was experiencing radical changes due to World War II and the increased economy. People were attracted to the tropical climate and lifestyle of South Florida. Broward County was an ideal location, since it possessed undeveloped and inexpensive land and had a canal system. The current US 441, which connected Palm Beach and then, Dade County was isolated and far west of any development. Along the two-lane highway, "chickees" could be seen in the oak forests. Along the highway, signs advertised land for "$10 down, $100 a month". In 1941, Frederick C. Peters took advantage of the cheap land and bought 10,000 acres for $250,000. The area was practically undeveloped and large alligators, snakes and other wild animals inhabited the land. The land was partially drained due to the construction of the Holloway Canals, but there was not any facility for irrigation. Although the City of Plantation was not even a conception yet, the area was nicknamed Plantation because many large tracts of land were purchased by city dwellers, who called them "plantations". Also, the area had been called the Old Plantation Water Control District as a result of the construction of the irrigation and drainage district in 1911. The Peters family was instrumental in the discovery of "Plantation Pride". Plantation Pride is a variety of sorghum that is used as livestock feed worldwide. It was considered to be one of the contributors to the reduction of world starvation due to it being inexpensive and nutritious. It still remains in global use today.
