Sunday I drove downtown to take a narrated walking tour of the historic district of Fort Myers, originally known as Fort Harvie. Downtown's First Street was a cattle run and is now the one of the main streets in the historic district.
Ft. Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchie River as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians. It was renamed in 1850 for Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's founder and commander. The city was established in 1886 and is now the governmental hub of Lee County. The winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are located on McGregor Boulevard and are primary tourist attractions in the region.
Ft. Myers is also the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox. Former Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell is from Ft. Myers and was instrumental in bringing his team here in 1992. They originally played in the City of Palms Park but this season are relocating to their new 11,000 seat JetBlue Stadium near the Southwest Florida International Airport. Ft. Myers is also the spring home of the Minnesota Twins and city officials are hoping to bring another major league team into the city to occupy the now vacant City of Palms Park.
