Have you ever watched a cattle drive? Imagine standing on the ground or sitting outside your house and watching hundreds or thousands of cattle moving down a street in your town. It sounds a little hard to believe, but that’s what life was like in rural farming communities across Florida, and to this day, large cattle drives still happen, as ranchers move herds from one pasture area to another.
On our Florida Raised blog, we’ve shared a lot of the history behind the cattle ranching industry in Florida. In the United States, Florida was the first state to begin ranching, and today, every herd across the nation shares genetics with the original cattle first imported by Spain, in the 1500s.
Some of the incredible cattle drives earned their way into the history books for being large, orchestrated events that involved the whole community in some cases. In this article, we’ll talk about some of those incredible events and how the Florida Cracker Cowboys managed to keep so many cattle under control and heading in the right direction (thanks to community support).
The Civil War Stimulated the Florida Cattle Industry
In the American Civil War, when the Union Army gained control of the Mississippi River, it created a big problem for the Confederacy; it cut off the steady supply of Texas cattle that were used to feed soldiers. Unfortunately, the Union blockade runners by sea were also cutting off the supplies and food sources for the Confederate Army, and they had to find some alternatives quickly.
You know that Ponce de Leon was responsible for importing cattle in the early 1500’s, as Spanish explorers sought to claim Florida and settle there. When the Spanish explorers were chased out of Florida, the cattle they brought with them were left behind. For generations the cattle became feral and multiplied, thanks to the ample freshwater resources and grassland in Florida. The Confederacy looked to Florida, as a source of cheap (or free) beef for military supply needs.
But since shipping them or sending barges to transport the cattle from Florida was not possible, there were 700,000 or more cattle in the wild herd located primarily in South Florida. That was cattle country, and there was a meager population of about 3,500 people in the South Florida areas, with most of the 140,000 residents living in the northern parts of Florida.
From 1862 to 1865, Florida cattle were driven by professional cowboys, or ‘drovers’ a distance of up to 500 miles to where the railroads began in the state of Georgia.
At one point during the Civil War, Confederate Army officials asked that the railway ties in Florida be removed and reconstructed from Georgia to expedite shipments of food and other supplies to the army by rail. During that time there was widespread famine and food supplies were scarce; the hired cowboys had to work extra long hours to make sure that cattle were not being stolen.
However, the majority of the Florida Railroad Company was owned by shipping magnates like Marshall Roberts and Edward Dickerson, who were located in New York and who supported the Union Army. There were ongoing legal battles waged against the Florida Railroad Company until the Confederate politicians finally persevered, and the railroad link was completed about thirty-days before the Battle of Appomattox in Virginia, April 9th, 1865.
The Union Army was intent on ‘starving out’ the Confederate troops, and they were irritated by the new supply resource their opponents had discovered in Florida. So much so, that Union troops then invaded Key West, and Fort Myers to control the western coast of Florida, and prevent the massive cattle drives that were suppling the Confederate Army. In the mayhem that ensued (and thanks to free cattle) Florida became its own version of “the wild west” with deserters, runaway black slaves, draft dodgers and cattle rustlers and thieves. Some of these men were drafted into the Union Army, after the Florida west coast was seized.
The largest and most historical cattle drives involving exportation of Florida cattle to southern United States began during the last few years of the American Civil War. After the war concluded, this activity stimulated the cattle industry in Florida. How is that for an interesting start to what is now a multi-billion-dollar industry for our state?
A Documentary and Historical Re-Enactment of Traditional Florida Cattle Drives
Would you like to learn more about Florida’s most historic tradition of cattle drives? Check out this documentary “The Great Florida Cattle Drive: Unbroken Circles.” The documentary was supported by the Florida Cow Culture Preservation Committee in 2016, and it was shown on PBS and national television.
In the documentary you will see the historical week-long cattle drive from the historic Whaley Ranch (near St. Cloud, Florida) as cowboys navigate the grasslands, flatwoods, hot weather and violent storms, swamps and predators, to safely bring the cattle in their care to new pastures. While the documentary is a re-enactment and only features a herd of about 500 cattle, it paints a clear picture about the challenges and hardships that Florida Cracker Cowboys had to endure, as part of their livelihood.
About Florida Raised Beef Products
Our beef and meat products from Florida Raised are antibiotic and hormone free and sourced only from cattle ranchers that our family-owned business has known for decades or longer. We use no preservatives and retain all the natural nutritional quality and flavor of locally raised beef. But what is most important, is that every sale of our Florida Raised products supports our regional ranchers, who need our help more than ever before.
Buy local. Choose nutritious Florida Raised beef for your family and show your economic support to keep the tradition of cattle production alive and well in the state of Florida. Look for our products in Publix and other fine grocery stores. Try our grass-fed ground beef this week and let us know what you think about the rich beef flavor that only happens with Fresh from Florida beef.