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| Volume XXV, Number 5 | April 9, 2004 |
By Emma Brown
BIG CYPRESS — On Saturday March 27, Paul Bowers Sr., Richard Bowers Jr., and Moses Jumper Jr., cowboys from Seminole Country, organized the 8th Annual Cattle Drive in Big Cypress. The cattle drive is held each year in memory of Junior Cypress.
Cowboys, cowgirls, and honored guests from various locations gathered together to honor Junior Cypress and the knowledge that he passed on to current Seminole cowboys and cattle owners. Cypress was educated in the life of raising cattle and shared his knowledge with those around him. For this he is remembered and honored by this annual event.
This year’s event was also held in memory of Jack Motlow, a veteran of the Big Cypress Cattleman’s Association. Motlow went home to be with his creator recently, but his memory still lives in the hearts of family, friends, and cattle owners everywhere.
The day began with a hearty breakfast at the Swamp Water Cafe. Once the participants had a belly full of vittles, and the horses were saddled, they gathered at the end of West Boundary Road for the seven-mile ride to the Junior Cypress Rodeo Arena. The event was underway at about 10:30 a.m., after a word of prayer from Pastor Hummingbird.
It was a warm, dusty trail that led the way for the 60 head of steers and riders with one stop along the way for cold drinks and snacks. Joining this year’s cattle drive were celebrity guests such as Professional Bull Riders star Wiley Peterson, who was kind enough to drive the drink wagon, Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, and Hendry County Commissioner Bill Maddox. Doc King, the tribe’s favorite veterinarian, also joined the ride in case any emergency medical assistance was needed for the horses.
Chairman Mitchell Cypress, President Moses Osceola, Board Representative Paul Bowers Sr., Board Representative Johnny Jones, and Councilman Roger Smith also attended the cattle drive. It is men like these that help make up the epitome of the Seminole Tribe’s Cattle Industry.
This year’s Honorary Trail Boss was Agnes Cypress, who took her seat on the lead wagon and helped guide the way.
“ We are proud to have Agnes as honorary trail boss and to recognize her as one of the very few Seminole women cattle owners,” Chairman Cypress said.
Along the way, spectators stopped on sides of the road to capture pictures of such a unique event. Even though the Junior Cypress Cattle Drive is only for recreation, cattle drives are unique in history because they represent an unsettled west that is now filled with homesteads, barbed wire protected fields and established communities.
The American cowboy is a symbol of the Western Frontier and our rich heritage. The life of the cowboy, whether on the ranch or on the trail, is a story of rough adventure. When most people think of cowboys they think of the Hollywood movie depiction that glamorizes the career of a cowboy.
“So many people have misconceptions of what cowboys did, what they wore and how they lived,” Galen Arnett, a Lead Cowboy Interpreter said. “It was not as glamorous as most people think.”
Most cattle drives took two to three months to move several thousand heads of cattle and typically moved 15 to 20 miles on a good day. This was to ensure that the cattle maintained as much weight as possible so that they would bring a better price at the market.
On the trail, life was rough, monotonous, and often dangerous. This year’s Eighth Annual Cattle Drive offered up a great time of fun and laughter for all that attended. The cattle drive came to an end at the Junior Cypress Arena with a good old fashioned barbecue for the exhausted cowhands.
Not only did this cattle drive allow us to remember the valuable skills taught by legends like Junior Cypress, Jack Motlow, and Agnes Cypress, but it also was a commemoration to the American cowboy, and a unique piece of history.
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