The Great Florida Cattle Drive of 2022

from Florida Country Magazine - December 2021 / January 2022

VELOCITY RPM

500 Years Of Cattle And Horses In Florida

WRITTEN BY: KYM ROUSE HOLZWART

The explorer Juan Ponce de León unloaded a shipment of cattle and horses in his second expedition to the New World. That was in 1521 near what became Fort Myers, Florida.

These were the first such animals in North America. Florida has since been a leader in America’s cattle production. These foundational animals were the origin of Florida cracker cattle and Florida cracker horses, both featured in previous Florida Country Magazine articles. Ponce de Leon also sailed into Charlotte Harbor, seeking his Fountain of Youth. There are places in Punta Gorda to mark that occasion.

Camping is primitive and riders are allowed sixty pounds—tent, sleeping bag and clothing.

COVID DELAYS 500-YEAR CELEBRATION

Florida celebrates this historic arrival of cattle and horses a little later than planned, however. The Florida Cow Culture Preservation Committee, or FCCPC, had planned to celebrate the 500-year anniversary by holding the Great Florida Cattle Drive this December.

Because of Covid, the event is delayed to December 4-11, 2022. Related celebrations of Florida’s 500 years of cattle ranching are postponed until 2022, as well.

The mission of the FCCPC is to preserve Florida’s cow culture, its cow-hunter and cracker heritage. The group, whose volunteers represent all walks of life, works hard to educate us on Florida’s rich heritage as a cattle state and to celebrate the special role cattle and horses played in our history. It formed in 1993 under the leadership of Doyle Conner Jr., who continues to hold the reins. He is a sixth-generation Floridian whose passion is restoring old saddles, many in private collections and public spaces such as the Smithsonian, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

As part of Florida’s 150th birthday celebration, the FCCPC held the first Great Florida Cattle Drive in 1995. The second and third Great Florida Cattle Drives were in 2006 and 2016, and annual Reunion Trail Rides began in 2017.

WHAT’S AHEAD

For the 2022 Great Florida Cattle Drive, about 500 to 600 cow-hunters from across Florida will drive 1,000 cattle through central Florida, from Deseret Ranch in St. Cloud to the Silver Spurs Practice Arena in Kenansville, or some seventy miles over seven days. The re-enactment drive goes through what remains of Florida’s natural areas. For each cattlemen’s association or ranch that provides twenty head of cracker-type cattle, one cow-hunter and one sponsored wagon and driver can participate in the event at no cost.

About 500-600 trail riders are invited to participate in the Great Florida Cattle Drive. Riders are assigned to wagon circles from Florida, out of state, or international, and get to drive cattle for at least a day.

Camping is primitive and riders are allowed sixty pounds— tent, sleeping bag and clothes. Gear moves by wagon. Cost, not yet determined, includes food for the rider and horse, and you are asked to dress as an 1880s Florida cow-hunter. Drive participants learn about Florida’s history along the way, with cracker storytelling, chuckwagon cooking, historical encampments, demonstrations, artists and more. And there is nighttime camp entertainment. You sleep under the stars and have the adventure of a lifetime. The cattle drive concludes with a big “Trail’s End” celebration, which is open to the public.

Ponce De Le N 1521 Herd Of 7

As you can imagine, an event of this size and complexity is expensive. The FCCPC is working hard to get the word out, obtain sponsors and raise money to cover costs—the more money raised, the lower the cost for participants.

The FCCPC has partnered with Florida artists to create the Ponce de León 1521 Herd of 7 to promote the cattle industry, ranches, and related businesses; these seven life-sized fiberglass cracker bulls represent those animals brought to Florida in 1521. The bulls travel to public events throughout Florida in 2022, then get auctioned.

FCCPC members come to schools, clubs, or groups to give presentations or demonstrations as part of educating us about Florida’s cattle heritage and to promote the Great Florida Cattle Drive of 2022. Contact the FCPCC or Great Florida Cattle Drive organizers for presentations or demonstrations, or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or participating.

In addition, the FCCPC will be having monthly meetings in Kissimmee to plan and prepare for this adventure if you are interested in helping with its production.

Participate in this historic event in any way that you can! FCM

Drive participants learn about Florida’s history, with cracker storytelling, chuckwagon cooking, historical encampments, demonstrations and artists. Check for rules on attire, saddle/tack coloring and types of horses allowed. And alcohol is prohibited.