When the Second Seminole War ended, the Armed Occupation Act of 1842 was enacted by the federal government that let settlers apply for a 160-acre (0.6 km2) to homestead in Florida.

The remaining Seminole, Mikasuki and Creek leaders in central and south Florida such as Billy Bowlegs (Holata Micco), Abiaka (Sam Jones) and Chipco were leery of their new neighbors.

Their first trading post on Charlotte Harbor north of the Caloosahatchee river was damaged in the September 1848 Hurricane, eventually abandoned (spring 1849); which subsequently burned down and that area is now known as Burnt Store.

The attack on the trading post in present-day Hardee county caused many of the settlers to flee to the nearest block houses, then ask for military forces to be sent so they could return to their homes in safety.

Amenities include a number of historic sites, three picnic pavilions, and a museum at the visitor center that recreates pioneer life.