1876 Cow Camp Living History Reenactment

Cow Hunter standing under chikee.
Lake Kissimmee State Park

Walk back in time ...

Meander down the trail to the Cow Camp to time travel back to 1876. At the end of the trail, you will find a Florida cow hunter in a frontier camp nestled under a picturesque oak hammock within the route of the cattle drive. The cow hunter will be cooking, making coffee, tending to the cattle or just resting up until he has caught the cows in the area and moves to the next cow camp. 

Cow Camp sign at LKSP

Year-round, there were long cattle drives to Punta Rassa, on the west coast of Florida near Fort Myers. There, the cows were loaded aboard ships bound for Cuba. The cow hunters were paid in Spanish gold doubloons, the common currency of the South Florida frontier. Sit down by the campfire and have a cup of the cow hunters' specially made coffee.

Cow Camp Sign

Embrace the rich history of the Florida scrub cows that roamed wild and the hardships that the Florida cow hunters endured on the open trail. 

Cow Camp Hours 2024

  • Saturdays and holidays, October 1 through April 30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Christmas. 
Cow Camp