![]() Kissimmee had a population of 4,310 in 1950. The freezes, combined with South Florida's growth and the relocation of steamship operations to Lake Okeechobee, left Kissimmee dependent on open range cattle ranching. Consecutive freezes in 18 wiped out the citrus industry. Hamilton Disston closed his Kissimmee land operation. had experienced up to that time, crushing land speculation and unsound debt. The Panic of 1893 was the worst depression the U.S. By 1884, the South Florida Railroad, now part of the Plant System, had extended its tracks to Tampa. Expanding railroads began to challenge the steamships for carrying freight and passengers. On February 12, 1885, the Florida Legislature incorporated the Kissimmee City Street Railway.īut the heyday of Kissimmee was short-lived. Concurrently, the South Florida Railroad was growing and extended the end of its line from Sanford down to Kissimmee, making the town on Lake Tohopekaliga a transportation hub for Central Florida. The Kissimmee shipyard was responsible for building most of these large steamships, which were just one jump ahead of civilization-with Kissimmee as the jumping off point. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the United States.ĭisston's dredging and land speculation required a small steamboat industry to transport people and goods along the new waterway. Disston had contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to drain its southern lands, for which he would own half of all he successfully drained. Its growth can be credited to Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia, who based his four-million acre (8,000 km 2) drainage operation out of the small town. ![]() The etymology of the name Kissimmee is debated, apart from general agreement that it is Native American in origin. The modern town, which is the county seat of Osceola County, was founded before the Civil War by the Bass, Johnson and Overstreet families. It was renamed Kissimmee when incorporated as a city in 1883. Allen who operated the first cargo steamboat along the Kissimmee River-the Mary Belle. This area was originally named Allendale, after Confederate Major J. ![]()
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