Tuesday, March 29, 2011

History of the city of Sarasota, Florida

Archeological sites in Sarasota shows that for five thousand years ago while the current sea level existed, fishing in Sarasota Bay protein and large mounds of discarded shells and fish bones attest to the prehistoric human settlements that existed in Sarasota and were sustained by the bounty of its bay. The place was first explored by Europeans in the early 16th century. It has been also identified on maps by the mid-18th century as Zara Zote. Then, there were fishing camps (ranchos) along the bay that were discovered and established by both Americans and Cubans. In 1819, after the acquisition of Florida as a territory by the United States and five years before it became a state in 1845, the army established Fort Armistead in Sarasota along the bay. Shortly after the fort was abandoned due to severe epidemics, the chiefs of the Seminole Indians gathered to discuss their impending forced march to the Oklahoma Territory. These were Native Americans who had moved into Florida during the Spanish occupation. Most of the indigenous natives of Florida, such as the Tocobaga and the Caloosa, perished from epidemics carried by the Spanish. During the 1840s, Europeans settled in Zara Zote which was later on changed into Sara Sota. On the other hand, the first documented settler of European descent in the place was William Whitaker. He came to Sarasota in the 1800s and built a house in the Yellow Bluffs. Then in 1867, the Webb Family from New York came to Sarasota and named their homestead Spanish point. Although there is no similar documentation regarding the name of Sarasota, that federal one-word rule for postal designations may be the reason that Zara Zota or Sara Sota becameSarasota. When Florida was included by the United States as one of its states, one of the new counties that were created was Sarasota, and the city was made its seat. In 1885 a Scots colony was established in Sarasota. However, only a few Scots remained in Sarasota. One of them was the developer named John Hamilton Gillespie. In 1887 he built the De Sota Hotel which opened on February 25 hosting a large social event and celebration. In May 1886 he completed a two-hole golf course which is thought to be one of the first golf courses in America.
 
 
 
Soon, Bertha Palmer became the region’s largest landholder, rancher, and developer after the turn of the 20th century, where she purchased more than 90,000 acres (360 km2) of property. Bertha Palmer also owned a large tract of land that now is Myakka State Park. She also built a resort and quickly made Sarasota as a fabulous destination for winter retreats of the wealthy. Following the end of World War I, an economic boom began in Sarasota. The city was flooded with new people seeking jobs, investment, and the chic social milieu that had been created by earlier developers. 
 
In 1925, John Nolen, a planner, developed a plan for the downtown of the city. New Urbanism concepts focused upon restoring Sarasota to being a walkable community and taking the greatest advantage of its most beautiful asset, Sarasota Bay. The economic history of Sarasota was constantly struggling. Today, Sarasota became indentified as the center of the 2008 real estate crash. But then the city continues to strive for progress and further development. was the primary source of

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