Florida has a rich and diverse history. Both Spanish and French colonies were started in the state. Before its modern “˜discovery’ by a Spanish Conquistador, Florida was inhabited by many native tribes, including the Seminoles. And even before that, Florida’s natural history shows the history of the state for eons.

Exploring Florida’s natural history shows us that Florida sits on limestone on top of bedrock in a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. An extended system of swamps, underwater caves, and sink holes provides much of the natural landscape. On top of the limestone is natural beaches deposited by rising and falling ocean water over millions of years. At the southern tip of Florida is the Florida Everglades, a naturally slow-flowing river and accompanying Everglades National Park swampland.

Native American tribes inhabited the state of Florida long before it was discovered by the Spanish. Those native tribes throughout history have included the Ais, Apalachee, Calusa, Creek, Seminole, Tequesta, Timicua, and Tocobago tribes.

Florida’s history as a modern European colony starts in April of 1513 when Florida was discovered by Spanish Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. Though history tells us Ponce de Leon may not have been the first Spanish explorer to discover Florida, he was the one who named it Florida after the Spanish word for Flowery Easter.

Over the next century, the Spanish and French took turns establishing colonies across the state. Spanish Pensacola was established in 1559. Fort Caroline was established in 1561 by French Hugenots, but was taken under Spanish control in 1562. The Spanish encouraged slaves to escape from the Carolinas and established the first black settlement in US history.

In 1763 the British divided Florida following the Peace of Paris treaty. Next in Florida’s history was the Treaty of Versailles following the Revolutionary War, and Florida and its history were again under Spanish control.

Seminole Indians, at the behest of the Spanish, led several raids into US states. The result was the First Seminole War in 1817 led by Andrew Jackson. The US gained control of East Florida with the Treaty of Payne’s Landing and promised any Seminoles who left the state a piece of land west of the Mississippi. Those Seminoles that stayed behind prepared to defend their land and their history. The Second Seminole War started in 1835 as Seminole Indians ambushed US Army troops in the Dade Massacre.

In 1845, Florida’s history changed again as it became the 27th state in the United States of America. The Third Seminole War effectively wiped out any Seminole Indians still residing in the new state by 1860.