Nearly five centuries have passed since Ponce de Leon claimed for the king of Spain the area that now contains Ocala, the seat of Marion County in North Central Florida. Located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Ocala was incorporated in 1885, when it was home to just 803 inhabitants, and has grown steadily since that time. At the turn of the twentieth century, the city covered four square miles and had a population of 3,380, making Ocala the seventh largest town in Florida. From its Native American heritage, which includes important episodes in the life of Seminole...