Disston purchase and drainage works

the origin of the drained interior

Founded

1881 to 1896

Evidence class

historic or successor

Place

Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee

District

The Glades

Status as of 12 September 2026

Historical; the canals begin the opening of the region.

Connections

4 edges, 4 distinct neighbours · betweenness 0.021 (rank 58 of 243) · location and lineage only 0.038 (rank 16) · outside share 0.25

Confidence

Medium · sources: [WDIS] (register)

Hamilton Disston buys 4 million acres at 25 cents an acre in 1881, reported by The New York Times at the time as the largest purchase of land ever made by a single person, and dredges over 80 miles of canals, connecting the lake to the Caloosahatchee [WDIS].

Connections

Location and lineage

• founded byHamilton Disston4 million acres at 25 cents an acre; over 80 miles of canals dredged from the winter of 18811881
• becameLaBellesettlement on the Caloosahatchee follows the dredging era1881 onward
• becameEverglades Drainage Districtstate drainage institutionalizes what Disston began1881 to 1907
• becameMoore Haventhe Caloosahatchee dredging opens the lakeshore muck James Moore plats1881 onward