Early Settlement in Florida

Early Settlement in Florida. Historic Ethel Trail. The first settlers in Florida were Paleo-Indians who arrived about 14,000 years ago. These hunters and gatherers built their settlements near springs. At least a dozen campsites have been documented along the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run. , , The French, Spanish and English , In 1562 the French established a small colony on the May River, now St. Johns, and built Fort Caroline which was later destroyed by the Spanish. In 1763 Britain briefly gained control of Florida and settlements were established at New Smyrna Beach and as far inland as the Wekiva River to grow indigo, a plant that produced dye for the wool industry in Europe. , , Indigo was harvested and fermented in some of Florida's hottest months, July, August, and September. Between 2 and 3 crops were harvested each year. This method remained the most profitable until 1878 when an artificial dye was created. You can still see wild indigo (flower, right) growing in the park. , , 18th and early 19th Century , In 1850, the population of Orange County-which then included what we now know as Orange, Volusia, Brevard, Osceola, Lake, and Seminole Counties - was only 466 people. An 1863 map shows no settlements in Orange County other than a handful of forts. Settlers began colonizing Central Florida after the Civil War, and by 1870, Orange County had 10,800 residents. In 2023, the population of Orange County was 1.43 million. , (captions) , Florida map 1845 , , Orange County map 1860