Preserving the Heritage of Florida’s Treasure Coast
St. Lucie County, Florida · Established 1905
The St. Lucie Record maintains a growing collection of original, well-researched articles on the history of St. Lucie County, Florida. From the ancient Ais people who fished the Indian River Lagoon to the modern rise of Port St. Lucie, our archive covers the full sweep of county history. Each article is thoroughly sourced and written to preserve these stories for future generations.
Browse the collection below, organized across our four main sections: Native History, Settlement Era, Modern Era, and Places & Landmarks. New articles are added regularly as our research continues.
In 1903, German immigrant Paul Kroegel became the first warden of Pelican Island — America’s first National Wildlife Refuge — at one dollar per month. Two years later, he was appointed one of the five original commissioners of the newly created St. Lucie County. Kroegel’s dual legacy as conservation pioneer and civic founder makes him one of the most remarkable figures in Treasure Coast history.
For at least two thousand years before European contact, the Ais people thrived along the Indian River Lagoon in what is now St. Lucie County. They built enormous shell middens, fished the rich estuarine waters, and maintained trade networks across the Florida peninsula. Spanish explorers encountered them in the sixteenth century, and Jonathan Dickinson’s 1696 journal provides one of the most vivid accounts of Ais life and culture.
The Second Seminole War (1835–1842) brought the United States Army to the Indian River coast and established the military outpost that gave Fort Pierce its name. Named for Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, brother of President Franklin Pierce, the fort was part of a chain of outposts built to prosecute the war against the Seminole people. The military presence laid the groundwork for permanent settlement.
In 1905, the Florida Legislature carved St. Lucie County from the sprawling territory of Brevard County, giving the growing communities along the southern Indian River their own local government. Fort Pierce became the county seat. The new county would itself be subdivided in the decades ahead — Martin County, Indian River County, and Okeechobee County were all carved from its original territory.
Before citrus became the dominant crop of Florida’s east coast, pineapples reigned supreme. From the 1860s through the turn of the century, the Indian River region produced some of the finest pineapples in the world. Tariff changes and Cuban competition ended the era, but the pineapple planters established the agricultural infrastructure that made the citrus industry possible.
Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway reached the Indian River settlements in the 1890s, ending decades of isolation and making the citrus industry commercially viable. The railroad transformed the scattered homesteads of the Indian River coast into connected, growing communities and was the single greatest catalyst for the formation of St. Lucie County.
In 1961, the General Development Corporation incorporated Port St. Lucie on land that had been cattle ranch and pine flatwoods. The Mackle brothers marketed lots to buyers across the Northeast and Midwest through mail-order campaigns. From a population of roughly 330 in 1970, Port St. Lucie has grown into one of the largest cities in Florida, reshaping St. Lucie County’s identity.
The Indian River Lagoon stretches 156 miles along Florida’s east coast, and St. Lucie County sits at its geographic and ecological heart. Recognized as the most biodiverse estuary in North America, the lagoon has sustained human communities for thousands of years — from the Ais people to the citrus growers whose fruit bore the Indian River name. Today, the lagoon faces environmental challenges that threaten its future.
One of the last remaining freshwater marsh ecosystems on Florida’s east coast, the Savannas stretch through St. Lucie County as a living remnant of the pre-development landscape. Home to the Florida scrub-jay, gopher tortoises, and numerous rare plant species, the approximately 5,000-acre preserve is both a natural treasure and a window into the county’s ecological past.
The St. Lucie Record is continuously expanding its archive. If you have a suggestion for a topic we should cover, or if you have historical materials to share, please get in touch. You can also explore Fort Pierce city history at our sister publication, The Fort Pierce Annals.