Julia Tuttle

**Julia DeForest Tuttle**, née **Sturtevant**; 22 Januar 1849 – 14 September 1898) wis an American businesswumman who wis lairgely responsible for, an the oreeginal awner o, the land upon which Miami, Florida, wis built. For this raison, she is cried the "Mother of Miami."

## History
Julia Sturtevant marriet Frederick Leonard Tuttle on 22 Januar 1867. They haed twa childer: a dochter, Frances Emeline (b. 1868), an a son, Henry Athelbert (b. 1870). Julia Tuttle first visitit the Biscayne Bay region o soothren Florida in 1875 wi her husband, visitin a 40 acre (0.16 Km2) orange grove her faither haed purchased. She lovit the experience, but returned tae Cleveland, Ohio wi her faimily.

## Muivin tae soothren Florida
Tuttle came tae Fort Dallas frae Cleveland, Ohio, via steamship wi her faither, Ephean T. Sturtevant, in 1871. A little ower ten years later in 1886, her husband dee'd, leavin her the iron foondry he awned, which she continued tae operate. In 1891, when her faither dee'd an left her his laund in Florida, she sauld the iron foondry business in Ohio an relocatit tae Biscayne Bay.

She uised the money frae the sale o the business tae purchase the James Egan grant o , whare the ceety o Miami is nou locatit, on the north side o the river, includin the auld Fort Dallas stane biggins, which she convertit intae her home. In 1891, Tuttle brocht her faimily tae live thare. Tuttle repaired an convertit the hame intae ane o the show places in the aurie wi a sweepin view o the river an Biscayne Bay.

Tuttle immediately decidit tae tak a leadin role in the muivement tae stairt a new ceety on the river, but kent that a decent transportation (in that time, a railwey) wis necessary tae attract development. Tuttle tree'd tae induce Henry Flagler tae extend his railwey tae Fort Dallas (Miami), an affered tae divide her lairge real estate hauldins if he wad dae this. She wrote numerous letters tae Flagler in this connection an feenally made the trip tae St. Augustine an in person repeated her offer.  Her efforts wur o nae avail at that time; housomeivver, providence favored Tuttle. The great freeze on 1894-1895 devastatit the auld orange belt o central an northren Florida, destroyin valuable groves an wipin oot fortunes owernicht.

Either Flagler then recried Tuttle's story o the tropical Biscayne Bay County weather an sent some men tae investigate, or Tuttle alertit Flagler that the freeze haed spared the Miami River, sendin as evidence a bouquet o flouers an foliage (possibly oranges) tae Flagler, whose order tae extend the Florida East Coast Railway wis then gien. On 15 Februar 1896 Joseph B. Reilly, John Sewell an E.G. Sewell, the vanguard o the Flagler forces, arrivit, an the wirk o biggin the Royal Palm Hotel wis commencit.

Unner a greement atween the twa, Tuttle supplee'd Flagler wi the land for a hotel an a railwey station for free, an they split the remainder o her 640 acres (2.6&nbsp;km²) north o the Miami River in alternatin sections. On 22 Aprile 1896, train service o the Florida East Coast Railway came tae the aurie. On 28 Julie, male residents votit tae incorporate a new city, Miami. Thareefter, the ceety steadily grew frae a sma toun tae a metropolis.

## Daith an legacy
In 1898, Tuttle fell ill wi apparent meningitis. Plans wur made tae muive her tae Asheville, North Carolina, bi rail for treatment, but her condition deterioratit afore she coud be transportit. She dee'd on September 14, 1898, at age 49. Her funeral teuk place at her Fort Dallas hame, an she wis buriet in a place o honor at the City of Miami Cemetery.

She dee'd leavin a lairge amoont o debt, pairtly the result o her altruistic laund grants tae Flagler. Her childer sauld her remainin laund tae pay aff the debt. For that raison, her name wis maistly lost as a contributor tae Miami's foondin till it wis placit on a causewa for Interstate 195 ower Biscayne Bay. In contrast, the name o William Brickell, a lairge laundawner on the sooth side o the Miami River who contributit tae Tuttle's efforts tae incorporate the ceety, wis widely uised on the sooth side o wha became Miami.

Just as Tuttle is cried the Mother of Miami, Flagler became kent as the Father of Miami. Coincidentally, baith Tuttle an Flagler haed previously livit in Cleveland, whare they first met.

In addition tae the Julia Tuttle Causeway, the memory o Tuttle haes been honored wi a statue in Bayfront Park.

## References

## Sources

*Akin, Edward N.. The Cleveland Connection: Revelations from the John D. Rockefeller - Julia Tuttle Correspondences. In *Tequesta: the Journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida*, no. XLII (1982). http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1982/82_1_03.pdf 
*Peters, Thelma. *Biscayne Country, 1870-1926*. Miami, Fla.: Banyan Books, c1981.
*Tuttle faimily papers. Finding aid. http://historymiamiarchives.org/guides/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=15 
*Wiggins, Larry. The Birth of the City of Miami. In *Tequesta: the Journal of the Historical Association of Southern Florida*, no. LV (1995). http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1995/95_1_01.pdf