New Forts, New Chiefs
Major William Lauderdale and Chief Sam Jones are the two most famous protagonists of the battles between the Army and Seminoles. But others came later. For those who have a…
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John Dolen
90 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.
Next Stop, New River
Oil magnate and railroad builder Henry Flagler couldn’t imagine a town at what would become Fort Lauderdale, but he reckoned it would make good farming land. As Brightline prepares to…
The Lauderdale Cannonball
Before fame, jazz legend Cannonball Adderley put his musical skill to work in local clubs and at Dillard High School. He played his alto sax with Miles Davis on the…
Going Underground
We might not give it a second thought today, but when the New River tunnel was proposed, it was one of the great local controversies of its time. Many of…
The Big Blow
Much has been written about the aftermath of the devastating 1926 hurricane. But what was it like to actually live through it? No real hurricane warnings were possible in the…
War on the River
He’s not as well-remembered as Maj. Lauderdale, but Lt. Levin Powell’s work in South Florida helped change warfare. Not many people would connect the Vietnam War to South Florida circa…
Welcome to Colohatchee
Before Wilton Manors and Oakland Park, a farming community thrived north of Fort Lauderdale. About the same time city pioneer Frank Stranahan was setting up shop at his trading post…
In the Zona
A few “gamblers at heart” helped built a town in a swamp. Then the horses came. More than a hundred years ago, the new county of Broward was forged around…
Becoming Broward
Local politics, a real estate boom and Prohibition all helped create Broward County. It was a long time coming, but not so easy to carve out Broward County. The area’s…
Before the Bloodshed
William Cooley’s name is synonymous with one of the grisliest acts in local history. But there’s more to his story than the massacre. William Cooley settled on the New River…