Settlement in Southern Miami-Dade
The earliest settlers in the region now occupied by Cutler Bay were the Tequesta. These indigenous people inhabited the extreme southern portion of Florida for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. It was the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 16th century that would ultimately mark the end of the Tequesta in South Florida. After suffering new European diseases and forced exile, the last Tequesta did and their settlements disappeared into history. Over the next 300 years, the Seminole people came to be the dominant inhabitants of the region, with European settlements primarily limited to Key West and Miami.
In 1836, Congress created a county which encompassed all of the southeastern Florida from the Indian Key north to the Jupiter inlet. The county was named Dade County in honor of Major Francis L. Dade, who was killed during the Second Seminole War. The first county seat was Indian Key, strategically located halfway between Key West and Miami. In 1844, the county seat was moved to Miami, and the country was ultimately divided into what are, today, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County.
Vulnerable to Seminole attacks and frequently inundated, the United States government viewed southern Dade County as an area in desperate need of settlement and cultivation. The U.S offered federal land grants to pioneers who promised to attract other settlers and make improvements to the land. One such person was Dr. Henry Perrine. In 1838, Dr. Perrine was granted a full 36 square mile township to develop into valuable farmland. Inspired by rich soils and a warm climate, he saw the southern tip of Florida as the perfect site for the introduction of exotic and medicinal plants. His vision was never realized, though. Dr. Perrine was killed during a Seminole raid on Indian Key in 1840 before his grant was even surveyed.
The same climate and fertile soils that had attracted Dr. Perrine began to attract squatters in the years following his death. These settlers, though, had no intention of following Dr. Perrine’s vision; they chose traditional farming over plant introduction. Several squatters chose to ignore the Perrine heirs’ questionable claims to the land and opened large farming enterprises. It was not until 1897 that the land dispute between the squatters and the Perrine heirs was resolved, so that the valuable farmland could be legitimately sold and settled.
Two such settlers were Francis and John H. Earhart, who owned 2,000 acres of farmland. They established a small farming community nearby which came to be known as “Franjo” in their honor. The road which led to the community became known as Franjo Road and still exists today. Another prominent settler was Thomas J. Peters, who owned and operated a vast tomato enterprise near the present-day intersection of Eureka Drive (SW 184thStreet) and US 1. The Peters tomato farm was for years the largest commercial operation in that part of Dade County.
During the same period, a man named Dr. William Cutler purchased 600 acres just north of the Perrine Grant. Dr. Cutler had purchased the land with a dream for a farming utopia similar of that to Perrine, but was unable to convince enough settlers to stay. Although Cutler never established his dream farm settlement on Biscayne Bay, the land was still attractive enough to retain a few settlers.
These settlers established a town and named it Cutler in honor of Dr. Cutler, who visited the area occasionally until his death in 1899. The first residents of Cutler made several important contributions to Southern Dade County, including establishing the first post office south of Miami and cutting a trail that connected Cutler to Coconut Grove. This trail was the beginning of what is, today, Old Cutler Road. Although the historic location of Cutler’s town was located several miles to the northeast, the Town of Cutler Bay takes its name, in part, from Cutler’s legacy.
Around the turn of the century, Miami was experiencing prosperity and rapid growth thanks to Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway. Flagler’s railway took wealthy tourists south from St. Augustine, stopping along the way at Flagler-owned hotels and Flagler-owned tourist destinations. Flagler himself funded much of the early infrastructure of Miami, which was the Railway’s southern terminus. A popular destination, Miami was incorporated as a city in 1896.
In 1905, Flagler announced his plans to extend the Railway south to Key West. Although the “Overseas Railway” took seven years to complete, Flagler’s trains were soon running through southern Dade County. Coming south from Miami, stops included Kendall, Rockdale (near present-day Palmetto Bay), Perrine, Peters, Goulds, Princeton, Modello and Homestead. Many communities that developed around these rail stations are still known by their original station name.
The Peters station, located near Eureka Drive, was established to give Thomas J. Peters’ tomato farm rail access. Peters’ tomatoes, already popular locally, became highly demanded with the advent of rapid rail distribution. Peters, who owned many acres near the station, even attempted to develop a town as Flagler had done at Kendall. Although his attempts were unsuccessful, the name “Peters” can still be found on many maps at the intersection of Eureka Drive and US 1.
Proximity to the railroad and the area’s prime location in South Florida eventually brought a multitude of permanent settlers to the area, increasing the population exponentially throughout the 1900s. These settlers endured environmental catastrophes, including devastating hurricanes in 1926 and 1935. The worst for Cutler Bay would happen nearly 60 years later.
Category 5 hurricane Andrew made landfall at nearby Homestead, FL in August of 1992. Researchers have since identified that the most damaging winds of the northern eyewall had reached maximum intensity over the Cutler Ridge area. A nearby resident, using his own anemometer, reported gusts of more than 200 mph. In August of 2005, rainfall from Hurricane Katrina dropped as much as 20 inches over the Cutler Bay area, resulting in flooding.
Despite challenges that faced settlers of the 1900s, the area boasts a storied development history that led to the Town’s 2006 incorporation.
