Visit a Florida where sunburn is the result of honest, hard work--not an afternoon at the beach "Without its lush ranchlands, there would be precious little left to see of old Florida, and nowhere for some of our most endangered wildlife to survive. Carlton Ward's colorful tribute to this dwindling frontier is also a call to save what remains of it. The alternative is unthinkable."--Carl Hiaasen "Ward's masterful photographs go beyond pictures of cowboys and the Florida landscape to taste the life, feel the land, and appreciate the importance of the past, present, and future of ranching in the unique environment of Florida."--Todd Bertolaet "Exploring the rich history and culture of the Florida ranch, this book opens a window to a world that many Floridians are unaware of, and teaches us why we should all care about this disappearing way of life."--Jason Hahn Drive a few miles beyond Disney World, past the gaudy souvenir shops, all-you-can-eat buffets, and chain hotels, and you'll find the largest producing cattle ranch in the world. Indeed, nearly one-fifth of the state is devoted to the cattle industry, and these working ranches play a vital role in Florida's economic health. Yet even as encroaching urban sprawl threatens their way of life, photographer Carlton Ward has been documenting the often unseen world of Florida cowboys. Every day before dawn, they saddle their horses, coil their lariats and whips, and ride out to work the herds. Over 15,000 ranches raise nearly two million head of cattle--the living legacies of the longest history of ranching in North America. Florida cowboys share their land with bears, panthers, and other endangered species, along with irreplaceable wetlands that help sustain the state's strained water resources. Complemented by twenty historical, cultural, and environmental essays from Dana Ste Claire, Joe Akerman, Auduon of Florida, and the Seminole Tribe, among others, Ward's stunning photographs capture the grit and raw beauty of inland Florida, its enduring cowboys, and the land they protect.

Captures the essence of the Florida cowboy through compelling photographs.

Every day before dawn they saddle their horses, coil their lariats and whips, and ride out to work the herds. They are Florida Cowboys living legacies of the longest history of ranching in America. They are also the guardians of the landscape they share with endangered wildlife and irreplaceable wetlands. Drive a few miles down the road from Disney World and you ll cross a ranch with more cattle than any other in North America. Carlton Ward s stunning images reveal a world at the heart of Florida that few tourists or residents ever see. These postcards will take your breath away with their raw beauty and grit."

In 1979, Wisconsin native Tim McBride hopped into his Mustang and headed south. He was twenty-one, and his best friend had offered him a job working as a crab fisherman in Chokoloskee Island, a town of fewer than 500 people on Florida's Gulf Coast. Easy of disposition and eager to experience life at its richest, McBride jumped in with both feet. But this wasn't a typical fishing outfit. McBride had been unwittingly recruited into a band of smugglers--middlemen between a Colombian marijuana cartel and their distributors in Miami. His elaborate team comprised fishermen, drivers, stock houses, security--seemingly all of Chokoloskee Island was in on the operation. As McBride came to accept his new role, tons upon tons of marijuana would pass through his hands. Then the federal government intervened in 1984, leaving the crew without a boss and most of its key players. McBride, now a veteran smuggler, was somehow spared. So when the Colombians came looking for a new middle-man, they turned to him. McBride became the boss of an operation that was ultimately responsible for smuggling 30 million pounds of marijuana. A self-proclaimed "Saltwater Cowboy," he would evade the Coast Guard for years, facing volatile Colombian drug lords and risking betrayal by romantic partners until his luck finally ran out. A tale of crime and excess, Saltwater Cowboy is the gripping memoir of one of the biggest pot smugglers in American history.

This book is a collection of poetry and experiences related by a Florida Cowboy. The Author explains the inspiration that led to most of these poems, and includes a brief personal history of himself and the cattle industry in the state of Florida in his Introduction to the book. He will continue writing poetry, as this has become a part of his life. You can keep updated on some of Davids latest cowboy poetry, as well as other Cowboy Poets by going online to http://www.cowboypoetry.com/davidcarlton.htm .

The Adams Ranch began in 1937, when Alto Adams Sr. bought several hundred head of scrub cows native to Florida. Today, Adams Ranch produces nearly 7,000 calves annually on 50,000 acres in Osceola, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties. Divided into five main sections, A Florida Cattle Ranch tells the story of one cattle ranch, and also the story of one state, one way of life, and one family's stewardship. It provides readers with a brief history of Florida, recounting how early Spanish, English, and Scottish settlers brought plants and animals with them to the "Land of Flowers" and how they learned to live with the flora and fauna that already thrived here. It describes Florida's terrain and some of the fascinating and beautiful creatures that live in Florida and specifically on the Adams Ranch. It gives a history and description of Adams Ranch: how it began, how it has improved, and how it has stayed the same. And, finally, it issues a plea to all the citizens of Florida to care for this unique land and its inhabitants. Throughout, full-color photographs by Alto Adams Jr. punctuate descriptions of wildlife, terrain, and cattle--fluid shots of sandhill cranes and swallow-tailed kites in flight, an alligator showing her maternal instinct, a snowy egret's mating dance, an Osceola wild turkey roosting in a tree, and does with their fawns. A beautiful coffee table book to add to your collection.

Traces the story of the MacIvey family of Florida from 1858 to 1968.