| Hamilton Disston, real-estate developer in central | | | | fishing trip in Florida. This trip showed him that |
| Florida, purchased four million acres of state land in | | | | enormous tracts of land could be reclaimed for |
| 1881. The amount of land transacted, larger than the | | | | agriculture by using canals to drain Florida's Lake |
| state of Connecticut, is the largest purchase made by | | | | Okeechobee. |
| a single person in world history. He became the largest | | | | The state of Florida was in financial trouble due to |
| landowner in all of America. Disston's purchase and his | | | | mismanagement of a trust fund controlling 15,000,000 |
| efforts to drain the Everglades from central and | | | | acres of state owned land. Hamilton bailed-out the |
| southern Florida triggered the state's first land boom | | | | state in 1881 with his purchase of 4,000,000 acres at |
| with many towns and cities established through the | | | | 25 cents per acre. The impact of his purchase was |
| area. | | | | tremendous. In four years following his purchase, four |
| Disston was an incredible businessman and an | | | | times as much railway was added than in the 20 |
| outstanding real estate marketing genius. Before I tell | | | | previous years. Land sales became very lucrative and |
| more of his story, I want to connect this article's title to | | | | the state's taxable property value doubled. About |
| present day business marketing. Our family business is | | | | 150,000 tourists came to Florida during the winter of |
| located on Disston Avenue in Tarpon Springs, Florida, | | | | 1884 alone. |
| one of those many cities he established. We are a | | | | To further attract people to the state, Disston opened |
| very successful marketing firm and are located on | | | | real estate offices across America as well as England, |
| Disston Avenue, an avenue of marketing success. | | | | Scotland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Denmark. |
| Hamilton Disston was a successful businessman in | | | | Hamilton drew people to Orlando and the major cities |
| Philadelphia before coming to central Florida. His family | | | | of Sarasota and Naples, Florida grew out of land he |
| business was the largest manufacturer of saws in the | | | | sold. His million dollar record size land purchase |
| United States in the mid 1800's. In 1877, diplomat Henry | | | | reshaped the state of Florida and I am proud to be on |
| Shelton Sanford invited Disston to go on a black bass | | | | his avenue of success. |