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Placed on a boat to be transported from Florida toward Indian Territory in May of 1858, Polly escaped U.S. troops in St. Marks, Florida and traveled on foot back to Southern Florida. Representing the feelings of many Florida Natives who wanted…

Beede, who was commissioned by the federal government to investigate the condition of the Florida Indians, explains his difficulties in interacting with the widely spread indigenous camps in Florida. He notes that the Florida Indians seem well…

The influence that Florida Indian leaders, such as Chief Tallahassee, held in their local villages was sometimes misconstrued by white officials to suggest more political control over all South Florida Indians than they actually had. The independent…

Some Florida Indians expressed concern about state game wardens impeding their right to hunt and fish on what they perceived to be their traditional homelands. Such restrictions were in conflict with the Indians’ traditional uses of land and…

A Florida Indian tribal member greets American entrepreneur, Barron Collier, and Dr. Fons A. Hathaway, the Chairman of the State Road Department, during the opening of the Tamiami Trail. The road connected Tampa to Miami. It was built to provide…

The expansion of American culture into the swamplands of Florida is evident in this postcard. More isolated regions of the Everglades were also being affected by comprehensive swamp drainage projects.

During the height of the Great Depression in the 1930s, the CCC employed Native workers to improve reservations and surrounding lands through public works projects listed on the Achievement Record. Tribal members were more accepting of economic…

The story of Josie Billie––the older brother of medicine man Ingraham Billie––represents the choices that many Florida Indians were facing as their political and social structures were slowly being divided between reservation and off-reservation…

Seminole Indians often showcased their traditional dress and distinctive identity, even while participating in state events.