Did you know that Miami is the only major city in the U.S. to be founded by a woman?
Julia Tuttle was an American businesswoman who was largely responsible for, and the original owner of, the land upon which the Magic City was built.
She first visited the Biscayne Bay region of Florida in 1875 with her husband, visiting a 40-acre orange grove her father had purchased. She loved the experience and moved to Florida herself a year later.
When her husband died in 1886, almost a decade later, Julia found herself in dire financial straits. To supplement her small income, she had to turn their four-story home into a boarding house.
When her father died and left her his land in Florida, she sold her home in Cleveland, Ohio and relocated to Biscayne Bay. With this inheritance, Julia became landowner of a total 640 acres in Biscayne Bay.
Julia immediately decided to take a leading role in the movement to start a new city on the Miami River, but knew that a railroad was necessary to attract development. She tried to induce Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Biscayne Bay, and offered to divide her large real estate holdings if he would do this.
She wrote numerous letters to Flagler in this connection and finally made the trip to St. Augustine to repeat her offer in person. Her efforts were of no avail at that time, but providence would favor Julia.
The Great Freeze of 1894-1895 devastated the orange belt of Central and Northern Florida, destroying valuable groves and wiping out fortunes overnight.
Julia informed Flagler that the freeze had spared the Miami River, sending as evidence a bouquet of flowers and oranges to Flagler, whose order to extend the Florida East Coast Railway was then given.
In 1896, train service of the Florida East Coast Railway came to the area. That same year, male residents voted to incorporate a new city, Miami, which steadily grew from a small town to a metropolis.
Julia died in 1898 leaving a large amount of debt, partly the result of her land grants to Flagler. Her children sold her remaining land to pay off the debt and her name was mostly forgotten until it was placed on a causeway for I-195.
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