The Untold Stories videos were very informative and interesting. It was very fascinating to see the amount of history this area has and all that has happened here. A personal moment of elation came when they remarked how Monroe County had once encompassed most of southern Florida, including all of what is now Lee County, and that the first two cities in Monroe County were Key West and Fort Myers. This was a fun fact for me being that I was born in Key West and now live here in Fort Myers. Watching the growth of the area as it became more and more of a hub for visitors was exciting. It was very interesting to see how the area grew with the railroad, and then the construction of Tamiami Trail. Then once big names started to come to the area such as Edison and Ford this attracted more visitors. The most interesting changes came with the influence of baseball and World War 2. The war brought many military families into the area, and the sleepy small community was soon busting with military action, and soldiers and their families were constantly going to the locals for a place to stay. Baseball became even bigger after the war, as big teams like the Red Sox and the Twins began to use Fort Myers as their spring training area, and this brought in much more business and visitors as fans would flock to watch their teams. The opening of first Edison College and then Florida Gulf Coast University cemented the city and area as a big city that had everything the rest of the world had plus a little bit more of its own. It had a popular downtown area, major schools and colleges, professional sports, beaches and resorts, and a wonderful open and accepting culture and community. This rich history defines what Fort Myers is today, a meeting place of the past and present, young and old, where everything works in harmony.
