The Florida Cowboy - Desoto to Six Gun Territory

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).

Florida's Football Fans

Generally speaking, when referring to Florida's football fans in our neck of the woods, you're talking the Florida Gators. With Gainesville and the University of Florida just a short drive from Florahome, you'll find orange and blue a favorite color scheme in these parts and Gator fans, even in their current post-Tebow slump, as passionate and loyal as any in football. If you mean by 'Florida's football fans' - those other football fans in the state of Florida, there's a city to the north currently taking issue with their team's fans. Even at this late hour before a nationally televised Monday night game, 3000 or so tickets have yet to sold for the Jacksonville Jaguar-Tennessee Titans game. The Jaguars have been on a popularity roller-coaster since the early days and fans are still being asked, or begged may be a better word, to prove their loyalty once again. There are about as many opinions as to why the Jaguars are considered unpopular in the NFL as there are Jaguar fans. Many chalk it up to Jacksonville being just a college town, but consider this,... teams like the Gators or the Seminoles at Florida State have been around a good while. Fan loyalty takes time, even generations to build, not just in Florida but anywhere spectator sports are played. The teams ranked most popular in the same article labeling the Jags the most unpopular in the NFL are teams that have a long history and their fans raised by earlier fans of these venerable teams. These are your tail-Gators and people like the one pictured in this Jaguars.com splash ad. In the case of the Jaguars, fans like these are the ones that bleed teal and so genetically pass their passion on to their offspring. It takes time but this is a major player in the way fan loyalty is built. Whether your talking the University of Miami Hurricanes, Miami's pro team, the Dolphins or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, true football fans in the state of Florida are like those anywhere else in the world - they don't have to be begged to come to the game. They come, win or lose,... IT'S IN THEIR BLOOD.