The Reshaped City
Here, water and land have long had a fluid relationship. Quietly flowed the New and Middle rivers, like something out of a Russian novel, until the Army engineers arrived. They…
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John Dolen
113 posts
John Dolen writes for several Fort Lauderdale area publications. Previously, he was an editor and supervisor for 27 years at the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
Early Resident Special
The choices may have been limited in the old days, but people took quickly to dining out. Ah, the selections: turkey or roast beef with sides of boiled spinach, buttered…
Heartbreak Hotels
Most of the buildings that housed the city’s first lodgings no longer exist. Construction of our first hotel begun in 1905 by Edwin T. King for Philemon Bryan, a railroad…
Young Love
There were plenty of places for early residents to meet and fall for one another. The singles scene in Fort Lauderdale in the early decades of the 20th century had…
In Service to Others
Among the city’s earliest civic associations, three groups stood out. In the worldwide pro-democracy movement, a difficulty frequently cited is the lack of indigenous civic organizations. Fort Lauderdale had no…
Breckinridge’s Retreat
Devoid of white settlers during the Civil War, South Florida played virtually no part in the nation’s great struggle. But its rugged coasts and hidden‑away rivers did provide for some…
The Hoosier Hospital
The Indianapolis entrepreneur had it all – wealth, fame and acclaim. That’s why a trip here in 1923 when he became seriously ill made such headlines. The Fort Lauderdale Herald…
Leading From the Front
Time after time, people thought they could get Dr. Von Delaney Mizell to back down. They were never right. Years before he co-founded Fort Lauderdale’s first black hospital or ran…
Forged in Fire
Early Fort Lauderdale leaders didn’t bother with a fire department – until a devastating fire changed their thinking. When you are building a small city with businesses, banks, a hotel,…
Landmark Marlin
Today, Fort Lauderdale is known as a gay-friendly tourist destination. But when the Marlin Beach Hotel opened in 1972, it made powerful enemies. Whether in brochures, online searches or even…