North of Naples lie Fort Myers Beach and Fort Myers. "Where’s the Fort?", you might be wondering. In 1821 Florida became part of the US, and shortly thereafter waves of settlers arrived here. Being a teeny bit scared of the native Seminole Indians, the settlers were in dire need of some protection. Fort Myers, named after Colonel Abraham Myers, was built and was used as a base of operation during the ensuing war. The fort was abandoned in 1858 once the Indians had been put in their place. Later, in the 1860’s, it was home to Federal troops during the Civil War, but after these skirmishes, the fort was finally disassembled.