Clearwater Florida History

The city’s name came from the native Indian "Pocotopaug" and the abundant fresh springs along the shore. The inhabitants were mostly Timucuan, Calusa and Apalachee tribes. The first Spanish explorer to discover the Pinellas peninsula was Panfilo de Narvaez in 1528; then Hernando De Soto in 1539. In 1567 Pedro Menendez, searching for a route across Florida, brought Jesuit missionaries and a mission was established in Safety Harbor, but the Indians destroyed it. New settlements were not attempted until the 1830s and ‘40s when the federal government gave 160 acres to any man over 18 who would bear arms and farm the land. During the Seminole War of 1835, the government built Fort Harrison where soldiers could heal from their injuries. It was abandoned in 1841. The families who settled in the area were farmers who raised vegetables and cotton. With the arrival of the railroad and electricity, resort hotels were built, initiating the tourism industry. In 1912 Pinellas County was created and Clearwater became the county seat. From 1921 until 1925 a land boom brought developers and speculators; then the 1929 stock market crash brought depression and land values plummeted. During WWII, military training centers sprung up; after the war, many of the soldiers who were trained here, returned to live. In the 1940s, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team began spring training, bringing attention to the area which has continued to grow with retirees and vacationers.