Florida Cracker Trail Ride celebrates history

OKEECHOBEE -- The Florida Cracker Trail Ride passed through Okeechobee County Feb. 23 and 24 with more than 50 people on horseback and in horse or mule-drawn wagons.

Now in its 36th year, the ride travels the path once used by cattle drives from Fort Pierce to Bradenton. The event does not include cattle; they re-enact the ride home from Bradenton to Fort Pierce.

The cattle industry started in Florida. According to the Florida Cracker Trail website, in 1521 Juan Ponce de Leon brought the first cattle and horses to the New World. When the Spanish left, the livestock remained and thrived. By the 1800s, the Seminole nation had extensive herds of cattle. During the Civil War, Florida cattle were an important food resource for the Confederacy. After the war, rugged pioneers settled in Central Florida, earning a nickname “Cracker.” The term “Cracker” refers to the sound of the whips used by the Florida cow hunters to herd cattle and to communicate with each other.

Each year the Crackers would round up their cattle and herd them to the Gulf Coast to ship them to Cuba. The last such cattle drive was in 1939. The coming of the railroad made it much easier to transport the cattle.

In 1987, descendants of the Cracker Cow Hunters who participated in the cattle drives formed the Florida Cracker Trail Association to celebrate the state’s cattle history by recreating part of the past. The annual ride across the state highlights Florida’s role in the introduction of cattle and horses to the New World.

The 2023 ride started Sunday at Falkner Farms. The first day they had 98 riders, explained trail boss Robert Wolfe. The second day, they had 92 riders. Some people just ride one day or even half a day, Wolfe explained. A lot of people want to cherry pick choice portions of the trail. By the fourth day, only 53 people were on the trail. On Saturday, when they head into Fort Pierce, they should have nearly 100 participants. “They all like going to the beach.”

Wolfe is a veteran of the drive. 2023 marked his 19th year on the trail and his first as trail boss. In the past, he has served as an outrider and assistant trail boss. His father-in-law used to travel the trail in a mule-drawn wagon. He said he did not want to be trail boss as long as his wife’s father was on the trail. In 2022, the older man decided it would be his last trail ride, and the group quickly chose Wolfe as the new trail boss for 2022.

He said the toughest part of being trail boss was dealing with Florida Department of Transportation to get permission to ride alongside roads, cross roads and cross bridges along the route. The sheriff’s offices in the counties along the route were easy to work with he said.

“The landowners are the best people,” he continued. “They want us to come.

The riders have to keep up a good pace in order to get to each day’s camp with enough daylight left to take care of the horses and make camp. Wolfe said they travel an average of just under 3 miles per hour.

The outriders help keep the group together, assist riders who have problems and pick up anything that is dropped on the trail. 

A horse trailer follows along behind the riders for emergency pickups.

On Thursday, Feb. 23, the group stopped for lunch at the Edna Pearce Lockett Estate, where they toured the historic home and school house, and enjoyed lunch under the shade of stately oak trees. After crossing the Kissimmee River bridge into Okeechobee County, they rode to the Bass Ranch to camp where horses and riders cooled off in a pond. On Friday, they headed to the Adams Ranch in St. Lucie County. On Saturday, they will parade through downtown Fort Pierce before enjoying a ride on the beach.

On Nov. 20, 2000, the Florida Cracker Trail was selected as a Community Millennium Trail. Millennium Trails is a partnership between the White House Millennium Council, the Department of Transportation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the National Endowment for the Arts and other public agencies and private organizations. The goal of Millennium trails is the creation of a nation-wide network of trails that protect natural environment, interpret history and culture, and enhance alternative transportation, recreation and tourism.

Photo by Katrina Elsken/Lake Okeechobee News