River, Fort, City — How Fort Lauderdale Came to Be

Fort Lauderdale’s story begins on the New River with the Tequesta, threads through Seminole country and Bahamian pioneers, then accelerates with a namesake wartime fort, Flagler’s railroad, and the dredged canals that made a “Venice of America.” We revisit the 1926 hurricane, the birth of Port Everglades, WWII training and Flight 19, and the beach wade-ins that opened public space. In one sweep, a river bend becomes a modern city—and the water keeps shaping its future.