Kissimmee: Gateway to the Kissimmee River ValleyKissimmee, Florida traces its name to the Jororo tribe, among the first to settle along the river valley. Riverboat captains, entrepreneurs, and speculators found Kissimmee and nearby Lake Tohopekaliga irresistible, and soon settlers followed. The 1880s marked this city's first brush with tourism, as the Tropical Hotel became the largest resort hotel south of Jacksonville. As the cattle town struggled to survive floods, the Depression, and downtown neglect in favor of spillover Walt Disney World business, committed citizens fought back and spiritedly rekindled the town into a favored tourist spot. |
Contents
Introduction | 7 |
4 | 32 |
6 | 67 |
7 | 87 |
8 | 95 |
9 | 117 |
Opening of Walt Disney World Helps Kissimmee Recapture Its Past | 143 |
Restoring the Meandering Kissimmee River | 149 |
157 | |
Other editions - View all
Kissimmee: Gateway to the Kissimmee River Valley Jim Robison,Osceola County Historical Society Limited preview - 2003 |
Kissimmee: Gateway to the Kissimmee River Valley Jim Robinson,Osceola County Historical Society No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
acres alligator Army Augustine became boat Bone Brevard Brevard County Broadway Broward built Buster cattle cattlemen Central Florida Cloud coast Confederate courthouse Cow Cavalry Cracker crew Crow writes Cuba cypress Demens Disston downtown Kissimmee dredges drive early east East Lake Tohopekaliga Everglades father Flagler Floridians Fort Basinger frontier gator Hamilton Disston Henry Henry Flagler herds historian hogs horses hunting Ingraham Jacksonville Jacob Summerlin Jesup Johns River Kenansville Kissimmee and St Kissimmee City Kissimmee River Valley Kissimmee Valley Kissimmee's Lake Monroe Lake Okeechobee Lake Tohopekaliga lakefront land late later Lesesne lumber Makinson Narcoossee newspaper opened Orange County Orlando Osceola County palmetto pine pioneer plantation prairie president ranch ranchers Reedy Creek riverboat captain roads Sanford Seminoles settlement settlers Shingle Creek slaves soldiers South Florida Railroad Spanish steamboat steamer stories swamps told took trails traveled tribes troops Tucker wild Wildcat Willson wrote