Native Americans lived in southwest Florida and along Sarasota’s waterfront more than 3,000 years ago. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers came looking for gold and silver. In 1821 Florida became a territory of the United States, allowing private ownership along the Sarasota Bay by white settlers. There were a series of wars between them and the Seminole Indians. It wasn’t until after the Civil War and the arrival of the railroad in the 1880’s that significant land development began. The Sarasota area was promoted in Scotland. Many immigrants left, discouraged by the wilderness. However, John Hamilton Gillespie, a Scottish aristocrat, remained and he is credited with constructing the first golf course in the United States. He also built the DeSoto Hotel for northern tourists seeking a refuge from the harsh winters. By the turn of the century, Sarasota was a major travel destination.
In the 1920s, John Ringling, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and his wife, Mable, built a magnificent Venetian-style estate on Sarasota Bay. Sarasota became a “circus town” when the circus made it a winter home in 1927. In the 1940s, the Sarasota School of Architecture was formed, and the resulting buildings that remain today, reflect the progressive views of art. In the 1960s and ‘70s, the area grew in population, attracting permanent residents and seasonal visitors who enjoy Sarasota’s cultural features, natural landscapes, attractions, and beautiful sunsets.
