Cheers to the city that has been showing the world how to rage for 120 years! On July 28, 1896, residents met in The Lobby Pool and Billiard Parlor, today called SPACE (lolz), and voted to incorporate the City of Miami. Back then Miami was a frontier called Fort Dallas… you know like you see in Western movies, but instead of cowboys we had a femme fatale named Julia Tuttle with frizzy hair. See Exhibit A for frizz reference.
Tuttle, named the Mother of Miami, ignited the fire for the growth of our great city. She had a vision and saw Miami as the perfect spot for a resort town. Tuttle called on Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami. She pretty much seduced him and offered to divide her large real estate holdings if he accepted. Flagler played hard to get, and like the typical bro, he swiped left and ignored her requests.
After many unanswered letters, Tuttle rode her horse and buggy to St.Augustine to show Flagler that Miami girls are so much hotter. He agreed. He built the railroad. The railroad opened up new trading and business opportunities and this once quiet town quickly became the bustling city that it is today. Fort Dallas was no longer a frontier and it finally became cool, so cool that we needed to drop the name “Fort Dallas.” Let’s face it there’s nothing edgy about Dallas.
Proque Miami? The name Miami comes from the Tequesta, Miami’s principal native tribe, word “Mayami,” meaning “Big Water.” The Tequesta built their village on the north bank of the river – aka Brickell / Downtown today.
So today, exactly 120 years ago, 344 registered voters including 100 African American voters, packed into the Lobby, to cast their ballots to create a new city and legacy. They voted for the incorporation of the City of Miami.
A persistent damsel. A man with a train. A bunch of natives with a nifty vocab. That my friends, is how you build a city.
Go Shorty. It’s Yo’ Birthday.
Birthday Kisses,
~Brickellista
As one of Miami’s top bloggers, Evelyn Torres has become one of the leading voices in fitness, fashion, and Miami. Brickellista started as a Twitter alias in 2009 and has expanded to become a lifestyle blog capturing a Miami girl’s perspective. Evelyn is a businesswoman, entrepreneur, brand ambassador and on the pulse of the Miami social scene.
Today as founder and Managing Director of BrickellistaFiles.com, Evelyn is not only the face of BrickellistaFiles, but oversees the strategy and direction. She is the driving force behind the brand and has built the go-to site for everything Miami.