When Broward Rocked Before Woodstock
Just over a year before he produced Woodstock, a Coconut Grove head shop owner brought another influential rock festival to Gulfstream Park. History was made in 1969 at the Woodstock…
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John Dolen
107 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.
Modello Behavior
Modello was an early settlement that went on to be a crucial part of the area’s development. Whaddya mean you’ve never heard of it? Fort Lauderdale was named for a…
Under the Sun
Before the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald, The Tropical Sun brought the news – as well as poetry and some good recipes – to South Florida.…
Old-Time Religion
The area’s first religious gathering places were often humble affairs. But they had a profound effect on the community. The first known church built in Broward County was a lean-to…
At Home With the Bryans
When looking at key times in early Fort Lauderdale history, members of the Bryan family pop up almost everywhere. For those who read a little city history, the name Philemon…
Racist, Corrupt – and Sheriff
Sheriff Walter Clark was a liar, a friend to organized crime and a lawman who helped terrorize Broward’s black community. It should be apparent to anybody today that a man…
King of the River
He’s not as well known as the Stranahans, nor was he unfathomably wealthy like Henry Flagler. But like them, Edwin T. King was influential in the birth of Fort Lauderdale.…
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…
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…