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Welcome to Myrtle Beach! South Carolina
Myrtle
Beach's first inhabitants were the American Indian Waccamaw and Winyah
tribes. Waccamaw and Chicora (meaning the
Land ) are names still in use today as the area settlers respectfully
tried to preserve the rich Indian heritage. An Indian burial site on
Waites Island near Little River, and the remains of an Indian village on
Wachesaw Plantation near Murrells Inlet have been preserved.
The Spanish explorer Lucas Vasques de Allyon was the first non-Indian to
try to settle in the area in 1526. Within a year, though, the entire
settlement died from disease.
In the late 1600's, the English were more successful. They began trading
with the Indians north of Charles Town (later, Charleston). Eventually,
the English established settlements in what are now Horry (location of
Myrtle Beach) and Georgetown counties. The main street of Myrtle Beach,
King's Highway, became the primary overland route between seaports in
northern states and Charleston and Savannah, Ga.
By 1907, New Town, as Myrtle Beach was known, finally became a
popular vacation destination. A contest was held to give the area an
official name. Addie Burroughs, the widow of Franklin G. Burroughs,
proposed the name Myrtle Beach for the large Crape Myrtle shrubs
with red, purple or white flowers that resemble crinkled crepe paper.
Finally,
after the Great Depression and World Wars I and II, Myrtle Beach's economy
started to revolve exclusively around tourism, instead of agriculture. For
about ten years, the beach tourism industry flourished. Hotels and
cottages were built by the dozens. Vacationers flocked to the area in
horse carriages and by train.
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