Edited by Spessard Stone from an article, written by Hazel W. Scarborough (Mrs. W. J. Scarborough) of Lake Placid, Florida, and used with her permission.
One need not go back to the 1800's to read about a real-true-to-life cattle drive. Three-fourths of the cattle moved within the state of Florida were driven by cowboys on horseback until the late forties.
I have been involved in short cattle drives many times in our early married life, either on horseback or driving the truck that carried the food and supplies for the drive.
Most of these short drives were made when moving cattle that has been bought by my husband, W. J. Jr., and me, or when moving cattle from our "Green Head" pasture lands in northeast DeSoto County and Hardee County across the prairie to St. Rd. 70 and on to our ranch in Parker Island, southeast of Lake Placid, Fla., where our home has been all our married years.
The longest drive for me, and one that I will detail was in June or July of 1938.
Scarborough Brothers, a partnership between W. J.'s father (William Jackson Scarborough, Sr.) and two of his brothers, "Jay" (Thomas Jason) and Smiley, had sold approximately three hundred-fifty head of mostly one-year-old yearlings for $10.00 per head to deliver them to brothers, Crete and Duke Tucker.
W. J. and I hadn't been married but a short time, and, of course, I wanted to go with him on the cattle drive. I had ridden horses many years, but this would be a new experience for me.
W. J. came up with a good job for me, and the crew agreed to let me go and drive the pickup for the cook. They had hired George Waldron to cook for them, and he couldn't drive, so I was needed.
As you have probably noted, we were driving trucks by then and not chuck wagons.
Broward Williams (now our country neighbor in Highlands Co.) was to help with the drive. He and his wife, Wylma Harn Williams, had only been married four years (almost) and we were good friends. W. J., Broward and Wylma had all been school mates in school.
A few times I would change jobs with one of the cowboys and ride horseback, especially if the road was real sandy or muddy. They didn't trust my driving ability too much, I suppose. I always enjoyed driving cattle and getting to ride horseback.
We left Green Head hammock pens early one morning. The cattle were driven through the wood, across Oak Creek Marsh, and on to Skipper grade. This dirt road was south of the present Road 66.
We stopped every day at noon for lunch, which places I don't recall, but do remember our camps at night.
The second day out we crossed Arbuckle Creek and almost had a stampede. We made it to "Freeze Out," on the north side of Istokpoga Lake.
I have two very vivid memories of this camp.
W. J. and Broward got the bright idea of walking to the lake, which was a quarter mile from camp and to go swimming and get a bath.
Wylma and I welcomed the idea and took off with them. We walked through a swamp to get there and then had to wade out another quarter mile to find water deep enough to bathe in.
There was moonlight, and we could tell very shortly that we were getting more mud on than we were taking off. Finally, we gave up, walked back to camp, and washed off at an old hand pump.
My other memory of this second night on the range had to do with the cattle.
Right after we had gotten to bed and asleep, the cattle became restless, and we could hear them moving about more than usual. Finally, they broke out of the small lane they were held up in and scattered.
The cowboys were able to round up some of them that night, but got most of them back together the next morning. They never knew what frightened the cattle, but said it could have been an animal or even a human walking near the lane.
They were late getting the cattle on the move the next morning because of the rounding up they had to do, but we still made it to Fish Branch Island for the third night out. This was due north of Brighton. (Brighton is located north on State Road 70.)
The cattle had settled down, and we were ready for a rest.
Our fourth camp and night was spent at Clark Pens. This was north of Brighton between Kissimmee River and Brighton. Everything went real smooth this day as usual.
Our fifth night found us camped at Popash on Popash Slough, just west of the City of Okeechobee.
Up to this point we had been eating pretty good, but all of the delicious raisin cakes, cookies and other food that Grandmother Scarborough (W. J.'s grandmother, Mary Jane) had cooked for us and packed in large lard cans was about to give out, and we were down to basics by now, flour, bacon (fat back), dried beans, rice or grits, and coffee.
We could be out of everything else, but Granddaddy Scarborough (W. J.'s Dad) would see that coffee was plentiful; a coffee drinker he was.
The above sounds like good eating, and it was, if you didn't have to eat it ever meal and every day. This wasn't my favorite diet, but before we got to the end of the trail, it was looking better.
Sam Davis and Coker's slaughter house, north of the City of Okeechobee (between Hwys. 441 and 98) was our stop for the sixth night.
The next night and seventh, we camped at the Old Sherman Mill slaughter house, southeast of Okeechobee, on the Indian Town road, which is now known as Hwy. 710.
On the eighth day they drove the cattle to the Tucker pasture, which lay between Rds. 710 and 441. The Tuckers counted the cattle in, and then we went to Crete Tucker's house, which was on Hwy. 441, not far from Canal Point. Here we spent the night.
Wylma and I were invited to stay with the Tuckers that night, and, if I remember correctly, Wylma declined, but W. J. and I accepted. I jumped at the chance to have a good bath and sleep in a real bed once more. We ate supper with them that evening, and that was a welcomed change also.
The morning of the ninth day, Willie (W. J.'s Dad) and his brother, Uncle Jay, went into town with the Tuckers (Crete and Duke) to get their money. They related later that Duke acted very nervous, but finally went into their safe deposit box and brought out the cash to pay them off.
After a telephone call and a long wait, Leo Williams came down from Hardee County and hauled the horses and a few of the cowboys back to Hardee County.
On the drive were the Scarborough brothers, William Jackson (Willie), Thomas Jason (Jay), and Smiley, owners of the cattle; (also) William Jackson, Jr. (W. J.), Broward Williams (son of Finis Williams), Wylma Harn Williams (wife of Broward), Irven Locklar, George Waldron and myself, Hazel Whidden Scarborough (wife of W. J.).
This was a great experience for me, and one that I am real happy to have had the chance to be part of. It seems like it was only last month, but it has been more than 54 years as of this year 1992.
Broward Williams, who was born on January 10, 1910, died on March 18, 1996 at Lake Placid, Florida. Wylma Williams, who was born on March 10, 1917, died February 19, 1999 at Lake Placid.
Hazel Whidden, daughter of Charles Alderman and Celestia Ann "Lessie" (Hogan) Whidden, was born February 13, 1922, Big Bear Beach, Glades County, Florida; died March 26, 2002, Lake Placid, Florida. At Fort Myers, Florida on May 28, 1938 Hazel married William Jackson Scarborough, Jr., born May 24, 1914, DeSoto County, Florida, son of William Jackson, Sr. and Ruby (Parnell) Scarborough. W. J., a cattle rancher at Lake Placid, Florida, died December 20, 2004.
Obituary of Hazel Scaborough from Highlands Today, Thursday, 28 March 2002:
"Funeral notices - SCARBOROUGH, Hazel W., 80, of Lake Placid passed away peacefully at her home on Tuesday, March 26, 2002. She was born at Big Bear Beach, Fla., on Lake Okeechobee in 1922 and had lived in Lake Placid since 1927. She was the daughter of Charles A. and Lessie Hogan Whidden. She was a homemaker and a member of the First Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by a son, Roger. She was owner of "Country Sunshine Gifts" and an active member of numerous civic clubs and historical societies. She served as Administrative Assistant to four State Senators and on an advisory council to then Governor Reubin Askew. She is survived by her husband of nearly 64 years, W.J. Scarborough; two sons, Jack and Bobby of Lake Placid; grandchildren, Karen Schurman, Roger Scarborough, Robert A. Scarborough, Jack W. Scarborough, Susan Smith, Dawn Sapp and Heather Parson; and 14 great- grandchildren. Burial services for the immediate family will be Friday, March 29, at 9 a.m. in the Oak Hill Cemetery at Lake Placid. A memorial service will be held at 10:15 a.m. at the First Baptist Church where the family will receive friends. Fountain Chandler Funeral Home.“
January 05, 2001 & April 26, 2002, November 28, 2005.