ROOTED HERE
The history of Fort Myers
River District storefronts, historic neighborhoods and local culture shape Fort Myers beyond the Gulf gateway.
People who shaped Fort Myers
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Fort Myers, Florida: Part One | Untold Stories | Florida History
A local history film shared by WGCU Public Media.
Watch on YouTube ↗Famous people born in Fort Myers
See all 48 famous people
- 1841
Fort Harvie is established
The military post that preceded Fort Myers was established on the Caloosahatchee River.
National Park Service ↗ - 1850
The post becomes Fort Myers
Troops rebuilt the post and named it Fort Myers on February 20.
National Park Service ↗ - 1866
Civilian settlement begins
Manuel A. Gonzalez, his family and other settlers arrived from Key West and established homesteads.
National Park Service ↗ - 1876
The town is platted
Fort Myers was formally laid out with a town street plan.
National Park Service ↗ - 1885
Fort Myers incorporates
Fort Myers incorporated on August 12.
City of Fort Myers ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk the Fort Myers Downtown Commercial District, a National Register district of 69 historic buildings around First and Hendry streets. Check current opening hours before visiting Edison and Ford Winter Estates.
For deeper research, the Fort Myers library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.