Eleven
years ago, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of
Florida’s Statehood, one CowHunter from each of Florida's 67
Counties - along with 700 trail riders and 100 horse drawn wagons -
set out to move 1,000 head of Cracker Cattle along the historic
Peavine Trail in South Central Florida.
On
December 3, 1995 THE GREAT FLORIDA
CATTLE DRIVE '95, which was lead by "Cow Boss"
Jennings L. Overstreet, departed "Blanket
Bay" on Hwy 60
- approximately 20 miles west of YeeHaw Junction. The
Cattle
Drive traveled over 70 miles
northward to Hwy 192 in Kissimmee.
The
GREAT FLORIDA CATTLE DRIVE
'95 took six days and was witnessed by 15 to 20
thousand spectators who cheered and applauded the trail worn Cow
Crew and Wagon Train as they arrived, with the massive herd of
cattle, at their final destination - The Silver Spurs Rodeo Arena in
Kissimmee. The "Trails End"
celebration that followed was like none ever seen
before.
This
historic reenactment of times gone by drove home the point that
Florida has significantly
contributed to the development of the cattle industry in the
United
States. Ever since the first cows
and horses set foot on this continent in Charlotte Harbor in 1521, the Sunshine
State has
played an important role in this vital industry. Florida Cattlemen still send
over one million feeder calves annually to feed lots and
backgrounders across the Nation, making us one of the top cattle
producing States in the Nation.
The
GREAT FLORIDA CATTLE DRIVE
’95 was an experience of a lifetime for all involved
- with news coverage literally circling the globe. Front page articles appeared
from the LA Times to the Tokyo News, and folks are still talking
about it today.
