Founded in the mid-19th century as
Allendale, it was renamed Kissimmee when incorporated as a city in 1883. The
name, Kissimmee, came from 'Cacema', a native American name meaning 'long
water'. Its growth can be credited to Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia, who
based his two-million acre (8,000 km) drainage operation out of the small
town. Disston had contracted with the financially wobbly state of Florida to
drain its southern lands, for which he would own half of all he successfully
drained. This deal made Disston the largest single landowner in the United
States.
