Editing Hardee County, Florida (section)

==History==
Hardee County was created by an act of April 23, 1921<ref>{{cite web |title=Act of the Legislature of Florida to Divide the County of DeSoto, and to Create and Establish the Counties of Hardee, Highlands, Glades and Charlotte from Portions of DeSoto County, and Providing for the Organization and Government Thereof, 1921 |url=https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/350702?id=1 |website=State Library and Archives of Florida |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref> in which the [[Florida Legislature]] divided "old DeSoto County" into five parts, forming the Counties of Hardee, [[DeSoto County, Florida|DeSoto]], [[Charlotte County, Florida|Charlotte]], [[Highlands County, Florida|Highlands]] and [[Glades County, Florida|Glades]].<ref name="Historical Sketch of Hardee County">{{cite web |title=Historical Sketch of Hardee County |url=https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/321110?id=3 |website=State Library and Archives of Florida |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref>

The county is named after [[Cary A. Hardee|Cary A Hardee]], the Governor of Florida who served from 1921 to 1925 and who signed the act creating the county.<ref name="Historical Sketch of Hardee County"/>

The settlement of what is now Hardee County, Florida, began with the establishment of the Kennedy–Darling Indian-trading post on [[Paynes Creek Historic State Park|Paynes Creek]] in April 1849. The enterprise came to an end on July 17, 1849, when two of the clerks, George Payne and Dempsey Whidden, were killed by Indians. A third clerk, William McCullough, and his wife Nancy were also wounded, and the post was burned down.<ref name="History">{{cite news |url=https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~crackerbarrel/genealogy/Hardee21.html |title=Hardee County, Florida: A Brief History |access-date=October 9, 2023 |work=The Herald-Advocate |date=January 2, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Senate Executive Document, No. 49, 31st Congress, 1st Session, Washington, May 1850 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/SERIALSET-00551_00_00-001-0000-0000/summary |website=US Government Publishing Office |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref><ref name="History of Fort Chokonikla">{{cite web |title=History of Fort Chokonikla |url=https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/history-fort-chokonikla |website=Florida State Parks |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref>

Reports of the attack motivated the U.S. Army to establish a chain of fortifications across Florida, and construction began on [[Fort Chokonikla]] on October 26, 1849. The fort was subsequently abandoned in July 1850 due to an outbreak of sickness and never reoccupied.<ref name="History" /><ref name="History of Fort Chokonikla"/>

During the [[Seminole Wars]], [[Fort Green, Florida|Fort Green]] and Fort Hartsuff<ref>{{cite web |title=Site of Fort Hartsuff, Established August 8, 1856 |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=110528 |website=Historical Marker Database |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref> were both garrisoned in the area. Fort Hartstuff would later become the settlement and county seat of [[Wauchula]].

The [[Florida Southern Railway]] arrived in 1886 and ushered in a new era of increased settlement for what is now Hardee County, with many new settlers finding employment working with the railroad, tending stores, farming, ranching and teaching.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Plowden |first1=Jean |title=History of Hardee County |journal=City, County, and Regional Histories E-Book Collection |date=1929 |publisher=Florida Advocate |page=22 |url=https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/regional_ebooks/14 |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref>

At the dawn of the 20th century, the county seat Wauchula was incorporated in 1902, and the first bank was opened in 1904.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Plowden |first1=Jean |title=History of Hardee County |journal=City, County, and Regional Histories E-Book Collection |date=1929 |publisher=Florida Advocate |page=25 |url=https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/regional_ebooks/14 |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref>

A community group of activists referred to as "Divisionists" first began lobbying for the creation of new counties with the area of "old DeSoto County" in 1907, and after a 15-year campaign, the Florida Legislature separated Desoto into five parts, creating the 638-square mile Hardee County.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Plowden |first1=Jean |title=History of Hardee County |journal=City, County, and Regional Histories E-Book Collection |date=1929 |publisher=Florida Advocate |page=29 |url=https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/regional_ebooks/14 |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Historical Sketch of Hardee County"/>

On August 13, 2004, [[Hurricane Charley]] went directly through Hardee County. Maximum sustained winds in downtown Wauchula were clocked at {{convert|149|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} with higher gusts. Most buildings in the county sustained damage, and many were totally destroyed.