Julia Tuttle: The 'Mother of Miami'

Julia Tuttle is the person most often credited with founding Miami, which is frequently described as the only major American city founded by a woman.

A new start in the south

Born in Cleveland, Tuttle had visited the Miami River area with her family. After her husband died, she moved to South Florida in 1891 and bought 640 acres on the north bank of the river, around the old Fort Dallas site. She believed the area could become a city if only transportation arrived.

Courting Flagler

That meant a railroad. Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway was building down the coast, but it stopped far to the north. Tuttle wrote to Flagler and offered land in exchange for extending the line to Miami.

The deal

After the freezes of 1894 and 1895 damaged citrus groves farther north while the Miami area was spared, Flagler agreed. Tuttle, along with the Brickell family, gave him land for a hotel, a railroad station and a share of the new townsite. Deeds were signed in early 1896.

A city in a year

The first train arrived in April 1896, and Miami incorporated that July. Tuttle's own plans included development of her land and businesses, but she died in 1898, only two years after the city was founded.

Her legacy

Tuttle is remembered in a statue at Bayfront Park and in the name of the Julia Tuttle Causeway, which links Miami to Miami Beach. Her vision, combined with Flagler's money and the labor of hundreds of workers, created the city.

Her vision for the city

Tuttle reportedly imagined Miami as a great city long before it had streets or a railroad. She saw its potential as a port, a winter destination and a gateway to the Caribbean, ideas that proved remarkably accurate over the next century.

Working with Flagler

The agreement between Tuttle and Flagler shaped Miami's early layout. Flagler's company surveyed and platted the town, laid out streets, built water and electric systems and constructed the Royal Palm Hotel on land that had been part of Tuttle's property. Both expected to profit as the town grew.

Challenges after 1896

Like many early investors, Tuttle faced financial strain as she developed her land. Her death in 1898, at age 49, cut short her role in the city's growth. Her children and the Flagler organization carried development forward.

Honoring a founder

Miami has increasingly recognized Tuttle's role. Her statue in Bayfront Park shows her holding an orange blossom branch, linking her to the famous founding legend. The Julia Tuttle Causeway carries thousands of vehicles a day between the mainland and Miami Beach, a fitting tribute to someone who saw the region's future so clearly.