Like many Sun Belt cities, Fort Lauderdale has experienced phenomenal growth over the past several decades.
Once a wilderness home for the Seminole Indians and a few hardy pioneers, the small community grew up around Frank Stranahan's successful trading post, a convenient stop for hunters, fishermen, and sightseers preparing to head into the Everglades. But much more was in store for this rugged outback camp. Surveying Fort Lauderdale's fascinating history chronologically, this pictorial retrospective begins with the 1890s, a time when this part of the country was still part of America's frontier, isolated and wild. With the coming of the railroad and the twentieth century, an agricultural economy developed, and, soon, the Florida land boom would bring thousands of new settlers to the area. Fort Lauderdale's glistening beaches and comfortable climate earned the city anearly reputation as a tourist town and, eventually, as a Spring Break mecca.