Editing Lee County, Florida (section)

===Fort established (1850s–1860s)===
After Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, a number of settlers moved into Florida, causing conflict with the local Seminole Indians. Fort Myers was built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians during the [[Seminole Wars]]. The fort was named after Col. [[Abraham C. Myers]], who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort's establisher and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, Chief [[Billy Bowlegs]] and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west,<ref>Covington, James W. 1993. ''The Seminoles of Florida''. Gainesville, FL: [[University Press of Florida]]. {{ISBN|0-8130-1196-5}}.</ref> and the fort was abandoned. Billy's Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west. In 1863, the fort was reoccupied by federal troops during [[Florida in the American Civil War|the Civil War]]. In 1865, in the [[Battle of Fort Myers]], the fort was attacked by a small group of Confederates. The Union's garrison, led by Captain James Doyle, successfully held the fort and the Confederate forces retreated. After the war, the fort was again deserted.<ref>{{cite web |title=02, February in Florida History |url=http://www.myfloridahistory.org/library/flahistory/february |url-status=dead |publisher=[[Florida Historical Society]] |access-date=June 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014010803/http://myfloridahistory.org/library/flahistory/february |archive-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref> The fort was later disassembled and some of its wood was used to build parts of downtown Fort Myers.