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LaBelle,through time.

6 eras · 1870–2026 · every fact sourced · compiled from the sources shown, not yet reviewed by a historian

Start in 1870
Populationfrom 1990

—

River Settlement and Cattle Range

1870–1910: River Settlement and Cattle Range

Era 1 · 1870–1910

River Settlement and Cattle Range

In 1870 a handful of farm laborers and herdsmen lived in what became the LaBelle area. By 1891 the young settlement had its first school, and goods and visitors reached it by boat up the Caloosahatchee.

Image shown for this era: The frame home of Captain Francis A. Hendry, the cattleman credited with founding LaBelle, photographed around 1890. 1890 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (call number RC02901), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Post office opens at nearby Fort Thompson

    A U.S. post office opened at the old Fort Thompson site, near the future town, where about 50 people lived by 1886.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. A settlement called LaBelle takes shape on the Caloosahatchee

    By 1889 the names Belle, Belle City and LaBelle were in use for a small settlement of cattle drovers and trappers on both banks of the Caloosahatchee River, then split between Lee and DeSoto counties.

    Source

    1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. LaBelle's first school

    The settlement's first school, probably a one-room thatched building, stood where the 1915 LaBelle School was later built.

    Source

    1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)
2 more from this era

  1. Captain Hendry lays out the townsite

    Cattleman Captain Francis A. Hendry platted a townsite at LaBelle, which grew into the first town and commercial center of what became Hendry County.

    Source

    1. Downtown La Belle Historic District (Florida Historical Marker), Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Plat of LaBelle recorded

    A plat of LaBelle was recorded at the Lee County Courthouse; it is the earliest plat on record.

    Source

    1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: River Settlement and Cattle Range

Era 2 · 1911–1922

The Town of LaBelle

The Florida Legislature chartered the Town of LaBelle in 1911, straddling Lee and DeSoto counties. Within a year the town had two hotels and an ice plant, with supplies still arriving by paddlewheel boat from Fort Myers.

Key moments

  1. Town of LaBelle chartered

    Residents wanted local rules against livestock running loose and rowdy visitors, so the Florida Legislature chartered the Town of LaBelle across Lee and DeSoto counties.

    Source

    1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: The Town of LaBelle

Era 3 · 1923–1928

County Seat in the Land Boom

Hendry County was created in 1923 with LaBelle as its seat. The Florida land boom followed: Henry Ford bought land nearby, a courthouse and railroad were built, and the town's population doubled between 1925 and 1926.

Image shown for this era: Downtown LaBelle's unpaved main street in November 1925, lined with storefronts, parked cars and an arcaded two-story building. 1925 · Burgert Brothers. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. LaBelle celebrates becoming the Hendry County seat

    After Hendry County was created with LaBelle as its seat, residents from across the new county gathered in Goodno Park for a barbecue and speeches.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Henry Ford buys Goodno's land

    Henry Ford acquired E.E. Goodno's Fort Thompson holdings and used them for an experimental rubber plantation.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. City of LaBelle chartered

    A new charter passed in a special legislative session made LaBelle a city, replacing the Town of LaBelle.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
3 more from this era

  1. Courthouse cornerstone laid

    The cornerstone of the Hendry County Courthouse was laid with a time capsule, before a crowd of more than 3,000.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Seaboard Air Line Railroad reaches LaBelle

    Rail service reached LaBelle; the railroad bought its own right-of-way rather than accepting one from the city.

    Source

    1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Fire destroys much of downtown

    A fire destroyed many downtown businesses; the few buildings that survived still stand.

    Source

    1. Secretary Detzner Designates Downtown LaBelle as Florida Main Street Program of the Month, Florida Department of State (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: County Seat in the Land Boom

Era 4 · 1929–1944

Depression and the Dredged River

The collapse of the land boom and the Depression strained the city, which also suffered floods in 1930, 1935 and 1936. Army Corps of Engineers work to deepen and widen the Caloosahatchee brought jobs and new residents.

Key moments

  1. LaBelle gives up its Glades County side

    To settle a dispute over railroad bonds, the city surrendered the part of LaBelle lying in Glades County, leaving it wholly in Hendry County.

    Source

    1. The History of LaBelle, City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Caloosahatchee dredging completed

    The Army Corps of Engineers finished straightening and deepening the river to curb the floods that had long plagued LaBelle.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. State Livestock and Produce Market opens

    A new state market opened a block south of the courthouse; about 7,000 people came, the largest crowd in county history.

    Source

    1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Depression and the Dredged River

Era 5 · 1945–1999

Postwar Cow Town and the Swamp Cabbage Festival

New homes went up after World War II. In 1967 the LaBelle Jaycees held the first Swamp Cabbage Festival, which became a lasting community celebration of the cabbage palm.

Image shown for this era: The new State Road 29 drawbridge over the Caloosahatchee River at LaBelle, its leaves raised, with the older swing bridge in front, March 1959. 1959 · State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (floridamemory.com/items/show/36991), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. First Swamp Cabbage Festival

    The LaBelle Jaycees held the first Swamp Cabbage Festival honoring the sabal palm, and a permanent festival committee was formed.

    Source

    1. It's Swamp Cabbage Festival time!, Caloosa Belle (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Historic and Architectural Resources of LaBelle (National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form), National Park Service / Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. It's Swamp Cabbage Festival time!, Caloosa Belle (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Postwar Cow Town and the Swamp Cabbage Festival

Era 6 · 2000–2026

Main Street on the River

Downtown LaBelle became a Florida Main Street community in 2014 and has worked to bring businesses back to its historic river district. LaBelle remains the Hendry County seat, known as the City Under the Oaks.

Image shown for this era: A street in the Downtown LaBelle Historic District under a clear blue sky, with Davidson's Cleaners and two-story stucco buildings beside live oaks, 2010. 2010 · Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · Source

Key moments

  1. Downtown LaBelle becomes a Florida Main Street

    The LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation received Main Street designation from the state, and in 2018 was named Florida Main Street Community of the Month.

    Source

    1. Secretary Detzner Designates Downtown LaBelle as Florida Main Street Program of the Month, Florida Department of State (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Secretary Detzner Designates Downtown LaBelle as Florida Main Street Program of the Month, Florida Department of State (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. LaBelle, VISIT FLORIDA (accessed 2026-11-09)
  3. City of LaBelle (home page), City of LaBelle (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Main Street on the River

Then & Now

LaBelle, 1889 to 2026

A settlement called LaBelle takes shape on the Caloosahatchee · drag to compare

Downtown LaBelle's unpaved main street in November 1925, lined with storefronts, parked cars and an arcaded two-story building
The State Road 29 drawbridge over the Caloosahatchee River at LaBelle, under a blue sky with white clouds, November 2020
18892026

Then image1925 · Burgert Brothers. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Now image2020 · Sanibel sun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY · Source

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This timeline is compiled from the public records cited on each era and event. Every quote is checked against its source automatically, and items marked Reviewed have also been checked by a person. Images are public domain or openly licensed, each with its credit. If you know something we’ve missed or got wrong, or you hold records of your own, we’d like to hear from you.

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