The Miami River is the serpentine tributary that separates downtown Miami from today’s Brickell neighborhood. The history of the area has centered around this waterway as the regions earliest inhabitants found refuge, food and security along the banks of the river. Juan Ponce De Leon named the indigenous people found along the river as “Tequesta” during a voyage on Biscayne Bay in 1513.

The river was also the location of several Spanish missions, a military fort, a blockade by the navy during the Civil War and a trading post run by the Brickell family along the south bank. The rapids located near the south fork of the river became a processing plant for Miami’s early cash crop: coontie.

Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com Miami History Blog: www.miami-history.com