City of Okeechobee Reclaims Its Past as Avenue Regains Original Seminole Name

By Chauna Aguilar/Okeechobee News

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — The City of Okeechobee has honored the past and present by renaming West Fifth Avenue to its rightful name, which dates back to the beginnings of Okeechobee around 1914, when maps depicted “Osceola” as one of the Seminole Indian names that adorned the streets.

This renaming of a street in honor of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc., which is celebrating their 50th anniversary of incorporation this year, is one step in honoring the connection and history that Okeechobee and the Seminole Indians have held and maintained for many years.

Okeechobee Mayor James Kirk and City Council Members Lydia Jean Williams, Dowling Watford, Lowry Markham and Clayton Williams joined Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc. President Moses Osceola, Brighton Representative Andrew Bowers and Tribal Ambassador Joe Dan Osceola for the renaming ceremony on April 21.

Betty Williamson of the Okeechobee Historical Society and former Judge William Hendry shared their extensive knowledge of Okeechobee, past and present, giving the spectators a glimpse into the relationship between Okeechobee residents and the Brighton Seminole Tribal citizens and how that relationship has continued over the years.

While the original person that Osceola was named after is unknown, it is thought to have been Osceola the great warrior of the Seminole Tribe who fought in the second Seminole War.

The name was changed to West Fifth Avenue in the 1970s when all streets were given numbers in order to make it easier for the postal service to locate addresses.

The city presented a proclamation to Jimmie Scott Osceola in May of 2006 after Councilwoman Williams happened to meet him in a local store and hear of his varied accomplishments throughout his life. They proclaimed May 20 to be Jimmie Scott Osceola Day.

Jimmie Scott Osceola is a local Seminole Indian who grew up in Brighton and attended school in Okeechobee. He was very active in school sports and a gifted artist who did India ink portraits which are done by making small black dots to make a picture.

He painted the first picture of the Brahma Bull on the old school gym wall.

It was during the City Council meeting where Jimmie Scott Osceola and his brother Joe Dan Osceola were present to receive the proclamation.

According to council woman Williams, “Joe Dan Osceola made the statement to the council that this was the first time a Seminole had been invited to attend a city or county council meeting.”

Joe Dan Osceola was also the first Seminole Indian to graduate from Okeechobee High School.

This statement weighed on council members’ minds following that meeting to make a point that the Seminoles know that Okeechobee was and is their home.

Judge Hendry talked to council member Dowling Watford at that time about possibly renaming West Fifth Avenue back to Osceola. That suggestion went through the City Council and the ceremony took place as the Tribe prepared for their 50th anniversary.

Due to the relationship that was and is present, the city decided to reclaim some of that history.

Judge Hendry said,“Osceola is more than just a road connecting one point to another. This area was a gathering spot for Seminole Indians in the ’30s and ’40s when they came into Okeechobee to do their shopping.”

Others went on to tell of how they played in the trees and open areas while their mothers and grandmothers shopped for their weekly needs. They usually came to town only once a week.

When other counties would not allow Seminole Indian children to attend their schools, Okeechobee opened their doors to the Seminole Indians and allowed their children to attend their schools and participate in their school events.

While the Brighton Reservation is located in Glades County, the children of the reservation still attend the schools of Okeechobee.

According to C.J. Rodriguez who wrote a poem as a friend of Jimmie Scott Osceola, “We the Seminoles have a history here in Okeechobee this is our town ...we, the Tribe from Brighton.”

Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc. President Moses Osceola said on behalf of the Tribe, “we are honored today to have the name of Osceola returned back to this street.”

Brighton Tribal representative Andrew Bowers went on to express that “this is just another demonstration of the relationship between the Seminole Tribe and Okeechobee...and we will do our part to keep that relationship going.”

Joe Dan Osceola presented a traditional Seminole Indian jacket to Mayor Kirk in appreciation from the Osceola family line for honoring their ancestors.

Mayor Kirk expressed his appreciation on behalf of the city where “we strive to make this a better community for all of us. The two governments, both county and city, work better together than we ever have before.”

The Mayor went on to demonstrate that this is just one way that the city has attempted to preserve the history and cohesiveness of the relationship between the Seminole Tribe and Okeechobee.

Councilwoman Williams ended the ceremony by presenting the following poem titled “The Man Who Walked the Streets of Okeechobee” by C.J. Rodriguez, a friend of Jimmie Scott Osceola:

“Listen, listen to the wind. I do not know if it comes or goes ... I only know it blows whenever you are near...

“I can hear the chants in the midnight air ... and the sounds of distant drums are everywhere. The eagle soars and the panther cries ... down in the Everglades. You’ve told me the story of the Trail of Tears ... and about the warriors’ cries ... at the Battle of Okeechobee.

“You told me about ancestors past that have walked these streets. You remember back to another time and place when Okeechobee was young. You followed in the footprints of your father and mother, just as surely as they followed in the footprints of their parents.

“These words were spoken to me by Jimmie Scott Osceola:

“We the Seminoles have a history here ... in Okeechobee ... this is our town. My brother ran these streets and played ball with my little sister and me ... as all of us have ... We, the Tribe, from Brighton ...

“Our footprints will always be in the streets of Okeechobee. You cannot write a story of Okeechobee without our rich, strong heritage being there. I am the man who walks the streets of Okeechobee, as well as my fellow Tribe members do.

“But we were first children here. We ran the streets and climbed the old oak trees while our families visited with our family members. But now as I look to my 70th year, it seems as if it was yesterday ... when my brother and sister and I waited for a ride to school and then we would go to town on Saturday. Where did the time go?”

“I feel the wind blowing and I turn my head ... and listen closely to the sounds that are in the wind ... and sometimes I think I hear my mother calling out my name ... or my little sister’s giggles as she played ... and the people walking and talking on a summer afternoon — these the days of my youth.

“Yes, I have memories here in my town of Okeechobee, so listen, listen to the wind. I do not know if it comes or goes...I only know it blows in the streets of Okeechobee...”

©2007 Okeechobee News. Reprinted with permission.