Fort Dallas

Fort Dallas at the mouth of the Miami River; source: State Archives of Florida, Florida MemoryThe U.S. military established Fort Dallas on the plantation of Richard Fitzpatrick in 1836. The fort, which was named for Navy Commodore Alexander J. Dallas, took advantage of the existing rock-walled plantation buildings that Fitzpatrick had constructed. The fort was abandoned in 1870 and later purchased by the Biscayne Bay Company, which kept an agent there to manage the property. One agent was J.W. Ewan, who operated a trading post at Fort Dallas starting in the 1870s. He lived at the fort until 1891 when Julia Tuttle purchased the property. For a time in the 1870s, space in Fort Dallas was used as county offices.

When the Expedition party arrived at Miami via the Miami River they were greeted by Julia Tuttle and stayed at the fort, which was on the north side of the Miami River, opposite the location of the Brickell store and home. The Expedition texts describe the renovations that the Tuttle family had completed between November 1891 and April 1892. The Tuttles were using the barracks building as an office and sleeping rooms, and both of the rock-walled buildings were surrounded by lemon, lime, cocoanut, and other tropical trees in a partially cleared hammock. The property also had a good stock farm, dairy, and garden. Years later, when the property was sold in the 1920s to a hotel developer, the Miami Women's Club and other club women in the region raised funds and moved the barracks building to Lummus Park land which the city of Miami had donated to preserve the building.

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For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015