Amazingly, even Six Gun Territory never really gave the Florida cowboy his due. From the days of
Juan Ponce and
Hernando Desoto when the first horses set foot on the sandy beaches of Florida, a real legacy of adventure and toil began in this state that continues even to this day. Spanish cattle as well were the first to be established among the scrub oak and palmettos of Florida with the quality of their breeding like that of the horse, being respected now as it was then. And as for the Florida cowboy himself, or
'cowman' as they're more freqently called here than out west, their legacy is every bit as wild and romantic as their western counterpart although mysteriously overlooked by most writers, movie producers and yes even our own favorite pre-Disney World cowboy themed park -
Six Gun Territory Really though, even those old gunfights we enjoyed so much at Six Gun were not unknown in Florida back when the
Ashley Gang came ridin' into town.
Indians as well were as much a part of the Florida frontier as out west with their continued presence in the state today a testament to their courage and defiance through the most costly U.S. campaign ever waged against Native Americans. They too share a history with those men and women who have made a living in Florida from
the business of riding horses and raising cattle and though for a time the
Seminoles were stripped of that heritage, they have now reclaimed it and are as strong in the cattle industry in Florida as ever. The history of the Florida Cowman is also unique in that they not only shared many of the same hardships and challenges endured by the western cowboy such as cattle rustling and other types of rattlesnakes but also the rough Florida landscape with its swamps, mosqitoes and even the occasional hurricane. Until only recently, even the western cowboy no longer stirred the imagination the way it once had with the final shootout at Six Gun Territory not just the loss of a small theme park to a giant one, but more the theme itself being played out like an old Colorado mine. It's been a good while since those westerns being cranked out by the dozen were made though, and with
True Grit currently in theaters, perhaps a new interest in the American cowboy will emerge. If it does, maybe this time Hollywood will turn an eye toward Florida and the rough and rowdy southern cracker will finally get his crack at
3D TV. Hold on to your Florida cowboy whips folks, 'cause Six Gun Territory may just be fixin' to rise again! (Desoto didn't know when to quit either did he).
