FORT MYERS, Fla. —
Hurricanes have played a major role in the local history of the Gulf Coast. There have also been several storms over the last 250 years that have helped to shape and change the course of our nation’s history. To mark our nation’s semi-quincentennial, let’s look at one such storm of historic significance, one that occurred all the way back in 1772.
Now, official hurricane data maintained by the National Weather Service only goes back to 1851. So, how do we know about this hurricane from 1772? From the written account of one of the founding fathers of our nation, Alexander Hamilton…