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History
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Hendry
County |
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Prior
to the 1880s, when the first formal settlements were established in
what today is called Hendry County, this area was populated by native
peoples, and then by participants in the Seminole Wars, and finally
by cattlemen, trappers, hunters, and traders. Reminders of these early
days today can be seen in some local street names (such as "Cowboy
Way" and "Fort Denaud Road") |
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Fort Denaud • |
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This
fort was established during the Seminole Wars. It was named after
Pierre Denaud, a trapper with a trading post. Reference to this fort
can be seen today in some road names near Alva and LaBelle. However,
the location of the original fort is in modern Hendry County. |
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Fort Thompson • |
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This
was a fort on the Caloosahatchee River, and it was built to store
supplies for the Seminole Wars. Named for Alexander Thompson (an officer
with the army, who was killed near Lake Okeechobee), reference to
this fort still can be seen today in some road names near LaBelle. |
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Names
of interest • |
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Captain
Melville Emory Forrey |
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was
born in Iowa in 1871. After serving in the Spanish-American War, he
came to LaBelle as a dredge boat captain, charged with dredging and
straightening the Caloosahatchee River. He operated a general store,
trading with the Seminoles. Forrey served as city councilman and mayor
of LaBelle, and in 1926 he placed the cornerstone for the Hendry County
Courthouse. Captain Forrey died in 1927. His Great Floridian plaque
is located at the Hendry County Courthouse, corner of Bridge Street
and Hickpochee Avenue, LaBelle. Captain Francis Asbury Hendry was
born in 1833 in Georgia. His family moved to Florida in 1851 and he
became a cattle farmer, owning 50,000 head by 1890. He served in the
3rd Seminole War and the Civil War, for which he raised a cavalry
troop. Captain Hendry helped establish Lee County in 1887. Hendry
was instrumental in the incorporation of Fort Myers, and served on
its first town council. He was one of the first Lee County commissioners
and served as state representative every other year between 1893 and
1903. He was also elected state senator. Captain Hendry was the founder
of LaBelle, which was incorporated in 1911. He served as mayor, town
clerk, marshal, alderman and minister. Hendry County, established
in 1923, was named for him. Captain Hendry died in 1917. His Great
Floridian plaque is located at the Captain Hendry House, 512 Fraser
Street, LaBelle. This is a private residence, and not a museum. |
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