[ognend]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

Ummm, no, it didn't.



America’s Oldest Cattle Ranch

Iconic Communities, On the Road, Traditions
America’s Oldest Cattle*Ranch - American Profile
By Alice Ross on December 31, 2000

Mention the oldest cattle ranch in the United States, and most of us mentally head west, the wrong direction. The distinction goes to a spread in a state seldom associated with cowboysNew Yorkin a town best known for its lighthouseMontauk

meh - that's the oldest ranch - cattle were brought to Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1521. Organized ranching began in 1565 in St Augustine. Check your facts

[B4U]

Gatorade and Coppertone were created in Florida

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by B4U

Gatorade and Coppertone were created in Florida

As was Gainesburger dog food,

[OptimusPrime69]

pretty cool facts! Diggin it.

[sware2cod]

Originally Posted by ognend

meh - that's the oldest ranch - cattle were brought to Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1521.

Exactly. In Florida, they used to let the cattle graze on unfenced land/open range. The cattle were smaller and were able to handle the heat and desert like conditions in the scrub. They were able to live and graze in the dense palmetto scrub.

http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/ifascomm/2...as-open-range/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Cracker_cattle

[ognend]

Originally Posted by sware2cod

Exactly. In Florida, they used to let the cattle graze on unfenced land/open range. The cattle were smaller and were able to handle the heat and desert like conditions in the scrub. They were able to live and graze in the dense palmetto scrub.

CRACKER: Extension, Beef Cattle, and the End of Florida

Florida Cracker cattle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yup.

Hence the cracker horse, they are small too and tough and more adapted to the swamp-like conditions in Florida (toucher feet etc.)

There is a movie that is nice to watch about the whole ranching industry:
Florida Crackers (2010) - IMDb

Also, a book by Carlton Ward which has some amazing photographs ("Florida Cowboys"):
Carlton Ward Photography

[DanielAvery]

One of those documentary series on the History Channel profiled a cattle ranch near Yeehaw Junction and referred to it as the (actual) largest cattle ranch in the US, even larger than anything in Texas or Oklahoma. I can't recall, however, if they were trying to say it was the largest at one time, or is in fact the largest currently. With a name like Yeehaw Junction, you'd assume cattle ranching was a big deal there.

The average depth of the huge Lake Okeechobee is only nine feet. And geologists estimate it is only about 5000 years old. Lake O is about half the size of the state of Rhode Island.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by DanielAvery

One of those documentary series on the History Channel profiled a cattle ranch near Yeehaw Junction and referred to it as the (actual) largest cattle ranch in the US, even larger than anything in Texas or Oklahoma. I can't recall, however, if they were trying to say it was the largest at one time, or is in fact the largest currently. With a name like Yeehaw Junction, you'd assume cattle ranching was a big deal there.

The average depth of the huge Lake Okeechobee is only nine feet. And geologists estimate it is only about 5000 years old. Lake O is about half the size of the state of Rhode Island.

You are probably referring to Deseret Ranches (Deseret Ranches Of Florida | Home, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deseret_Ranches) - it is the largest cow-calf ranch in USA.

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by ognend

meh - that's the oldest ranch - cattle were brought to Florida by Ponce de Leon in 1521. Organized ranching began in 1565 in St Augustine. Check your facts

I guess I'm confused by your terminology. If cattle ranching started in Florida, didn't there need to be a ranch? Are you saying the cattle were raised on the open plains without any ranch facilities or do you believe the story about the one in Montauk is referring to the oldest existing cattle ranch?

[ognend]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

I guess I'm confused by your terminology. If cattle ranching started in Florida, didn't there need to be a ranch? Are you saying the cattle were raised on the open plains without any ranch facilities or do you believe the story about the one in Montauk is referring to the oldest existing cattle ranch?

Cattle ranching started in Florida - cattle was allowed to roam free. I believe it has to do with the Spanish land division structure (or lack there of). I believe upon arrival Spanish organized their presence in towns and missions as opposed to the way Europeans arriving to America later divided the land into private properties.