Orlando History
Stories abound about how this famous city first got its name. Perhaps the most reliable concerns an American volunteer soldier. During the Seminole War in 1835, Orlando Reeves was on his post which was located on what is now known as Lake Eola. Orlando noticed what appeared to be a log drifting in the lake. Once he realized it was an Indian sneaking up on the camp, he gave the alarm to alert his company. In gratitude, the volunteer soldiers who stayed to make the area their home named the town for their comrade.
By 1860, Orlando had become a small settlement devoted to raising cotton and cattle. The Civil War was hard, taking people and money away from the town and causing the economy to flounder. The cotton market was hit hard, with no one around to harvest and deliver the crops. A large rain storm ruined what was left of the cotton crops in 1871.
The town survived on cattle and an increasing amount of citrus farming. That was what Walt Disney found in the 1960's as he quietly bought up farmland for what was to become the world's largest theme park. Disney World opened in 1971, and is now the planet's most popular man made attraction. The park spurred all kinds of growth and other attractions to satisfy the hordes of well managed Disney tourists, transforming Orlando into a modern and successful city.
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