Cow Creek Chronicles: The Rise and Fall of an Early Florida Cattle Ranch

A boom-to-bust generational saga of na pioneer family and their cattle empire nn n n n nCattle nranching has long been a major force in Florida, covering over 12 percent of nthe state's lands. In Cow Creek Chronicles, journalist Gregory Enns nexplores this history through the century-long saga of the Raulerson family, who nbuilt a cattle empire at Cow Creek Ranch between Fort Pierce and Okeechobee.n n nn The Raulersons were a family of npioneers that moved south to Florida during the nineteenth century. Family npatriarch Frank Raulerson established the ranch in 1923. As the cattle herd ngrew and fences were built, Seminole communities that had lived near the creek in nthatched huts called chickees were forced off the land to nearby towns and reservations, nand this book includes their stories. At its height in the 1960s, the 23,000-acre nCow Creek Ranch, operated by Frank's granddaughter and heir Jo Ann Raulerson nSloan, boomed under the supervision of a core group of cowboys using modern nagricultural methods. As the years went by, Jo Ann's husband, TL Sloan, mismanaged nexpenses and mired the ranch in debt, and the family sold off the land in nparcels--many of which are now conservation areas. nn n nn In nthis narrative, readers will gain insight into how ranches were first established nin Florida, including how cattle were managed and breeds developed. Enns opens na window into the lives of ranch hands and cowboys, highlighting traditions nsuch as roundups, cattle drives, parades, and rodeos, as well as folkways such nas cooking and handcrafts. He also draws attention to the history of the nCow Creek band of Florida Seminoles, including their legendary heroine Emateloye Estenletkvte (Polly Parker). Cow Creek nChronicles weaves together many strands in a unique history of the modern nsettlement of Florida. nn