Long before Mickey Mouse came to Kissimmee Florida, making it one of the happiest places on earth, the area was a trading post known as Allentown. It is reported that the purchase of the land, that later became the city of Kissimmee, saved the state of Florida from financial disaster. The purchaser of the land drained his new swamp and deepened the Kissimmee River. This was done to open up a trade route to from Allentown to the Gulf of Mexico. The area became a prosperous community producing cattle and sugar cane. On March 24, 1883 the area was incorporated into a city. At that time the citizens changed the name to Kissimmee.