James C. Clark Livres

Florida is a state of transplants. Even people who relocated here decades ago still claim their birthplace as their home. They might change their mind if they knew that the Sunshine State owns one of the richest histories in the nation. Decades before the Pilgrims, the Spanish celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida. Centuries before the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York, the holiday was celebrated in St. Augustine, where urban renewal was underway when Jamestown settlers arrived. Author James Clark offers a lifetime of places to explore and thousands of facts to fascinate, tracing the state's long history from Pensacola to the Florida Keys.

Orlando is known internationally as a tourist destination, attracting fifty million visitors each year to its numerous resorts and parks. In all that excitement, it's easy to overlook the city's interesting past. In the 1800s, the area was embroiled in the Seminole Wars, and Fort Gatlin was constructed to shield citizens from attacks. Soon, a city grew around the fort. During the cowboy era, thousands of cattle, ranchers and cowboys crossed the central Florida terrain moving livestock. Those pioneers soon moved to farming, and Orlando became the center of the Florida citrus industry. Join author and historian James C. Clark as he reveals the remarkable history of one of the world's most popular destinations.

Florida has a history as diverse as its residents. And much of that is still hidden. Since the arrival of the Spanish in 1513, the state has played host to strange stories. A heartbroken senator entered a mental institution over unrequited love for an heiress. Thousands of British pilots trained in flight schools across the state. And the true, and darker, story of Pocahontas is linked with the "first barbecue." Author and historian James C. Clark unearths a history hidden beneath swamps and sand for years.

Join author and historian James C. Clark as he chronicles the history of the Sunshine State in this concise and captivating history.In 1513, Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first set foot on Florida's east coast. The land he discovered was a geographic anomaly so distinctive that astronaut Neil Armstrong said Florida was the first shape on earth he recognized on his return from a visit to the moon 456 years later. This unique state witnessed momentous events from the 1959 arrival of the first Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro to the 1981 launch of the "Columbia," the first space shuttle.