Florida's History (1800-1850)
The history of the American settled city Orlando begins in 1836. During this time the Seminole Wars (Seminoles were a group of natives) had reached their heights and citizens in Florida were constantly being threatened by native attacks.
Fort Gatlin was built just south of present day Orlando city limits with the sole purpose of protecting United States settlers from attacks by natives. By 1840 a small community had grown around the fort.
The community was named Jernigan after the family who established the first permanent settlement in Florida. By May of 1850 Jernigan had a post office. A couple years later the community officially changed its name to Orlando for reason unclear.