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Chicora
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. The English Arrive
In the late 1600s, 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.
Prince George Parish (now Georgetown) was established in 1730. In the late 1700s, an agricultural economy emerged as rice plantations flourished because of the many marshes and rivers in the area. Indigo and tobacco crops were prosperous as well. Many Americans are surprised to learn about how profitable and important rice was to the Southern economy. You can learn more about it by visiting the Rice Museum in Georgetown from March through November. Legends and Lumber
Further north, the famous pirate Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach was busy bullying the waters off the coast of the Grand Strand until his death in 1718. Legend has it that another infamous pirate, Captain Kidd, buried some treasure near Murrells Inlet. Another legend is that of Murrells Inlet's most famous inhabitant, Alice Belin Flagg (1833-1849). It is said that she will appear if you walk around her Pawley's Island grave backwards 13 times.
In the 1820s, Henry Buck moved from Maine and established the first sawmill and the beginnings of the next phase of the area's history. He soon became Horry County's richest citizen by establishing the area as a primary producer of pine timber, tar and turpentine products.
After the Civil War, Franklin G. Burroughs, a young man native to the area, teamed up with Benjamin Collins to form the Burroughs & Collins Company. The two young entrepreneurs expanded their operations from turpentine and mercantile stores to timber, farm credit, riverboats and farming. Burroughs had enough foresight to see Myrtle Beach as a seaside resort, and he and Collins built the first railroad between the beaches and the western part of Horry County.
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 Wax Myrtle Shrubs with red, purple or white flowers that resemble crinkled crepe paper. Myrtle Beach Finds its Niche
Catering to the wealthy, a group of businessmen built the Arcady resort in 1920. The resort included the area's first golf course, Pine Lakes International Country Club, and the lavish Ocean Forest Hotel. Once again, though, Myrtle Beach's economy was thwarted, this time by the Great Depression. Arcady was dissolved, and the Ocean Forest Hotel was razed.
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. Claude Dunnagan, a local reporter, dubbed Myrtle Beach as “the Grand Strand” in 1949, and the name stuck.
One More Time
It is no secret that South Carolina's entire coastline is susceptible to hurricanes. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel blew into the area with winds in excess of 150 miles per hour and wiped out cottages, shops, restaurants and hotels. Myrtle Beach's economy was devastated once more.
The resilience and hard work of the South Carolinians persisted, and Myrtle Beach was rebuilt once again. Taking a lesson from Arcady, the developers built golf courses on the former rice and tobacco plantations, as well as amusement parks, cottages, motels and hotels. The area's economy quickly boomed. The permanent population tripled in the 1970s, and even Hurricane Hugo in 1969 couldn't drown the growth and popularity of the Grand Strand.
Myrtle Beach continued to grow through the 1990s. Now, Myrtle Beach has more than 100 golf courses, 1800 restaurants, nearly a dozen live entertainment venues, and countless other attractions. It is South Carolina's number one tourism destination and has been reported by the Travel Industry of America (TIA) as second only to Orlando as the most popular summer destination in the US.
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