Jernigan to Orlando – Early History to Theme Park Central

From modest beginnings as the town of Jernigan to the vacation destination capital of the U.S., Orlando Florida has gone through many changes in its long history. Most of the few original settlers, such as Aaron Jernigan (for whom the original settlement was named) were cattle ranchers. Jernigan had purchased large tracts of land along Lake Holden. Later Orlando became the center of a major citrus-growing region because of it moderate climate and rare freezes, Orlando was Florida’s largest inland city by the late 1890s. Orlando was incorporated on July 31, 1875 and became a city in 1885.

Local legend says name Orlando originated from a soldier named Orlando Reeves (or Rees) who died in the area during the Second Seminole War. Legends conflict, however, as an Orlando Reeves operated a sugar mill and plantation about 30 miles north at Spring Garden in Volusia County. Pioneer settles simply found the name carved into a tree as “Orlando Acosta” and assumed it was a marker for his grave site. They then referred to the area as “Orlando’s grave” and later simply Orlando. Acosta was also a soldier but details of his life are uncertain. A memorial beside Lake Eola designates the spot where the city’s namesake fell.

Native Americans, mainly the Creek, originally settled the area. European settlers arrived in 1836 with the first permanent pioneer settlement happening in 1842. and it did not expand much until after the Third Seminole War in the 1850s. At the time of its incorporation in 1875 there were only 85 residents. As early as the late 1800s and early 1900s though it had become a popular resort.

In 1838 during the Second Seminole War to protect Orlando settlers from attacks by Indians the U.S. Army built Fort Gatlin just south of present day Orlando (it was quickly abandoned after the war’s end). By 1880 the South Florida Railroad extended its line into Orlando. The Orlando International Airport was built in 1970 in anticipation of the opening of Walt Disney Word in 1971, the theme park that put Orlando on the national map.

Other theme parks and amusements followed making it a major tourist destination. Some of these include Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Lake Buena Vista. These attractions form the backbone of Orlando’s tourism industry, making the city the first most visited American city.

The local economy has diversified since the establishment of tourism and today the region is the center of operations for many companies servicing Central Florida. It is also home to the University of Central Florida, the largest university campus by student enrollment in the state of Florida and the 2nd largest in the United States.