At the Florida Agricultural Museum, a new permanent exhibit on our state's early cattle industry recalls how the word “cowboy” originally came to describe a black male slave who tended cows. The word has roots in South Carolina during the 18th century, and yet, the quintessential image of the cowboy on horseback began here in Florida. Eat your heart out, John Wayne!

The cattle herding tradition dates back approximately 6,000 years to the Sahara region where Africans were tending vast herds. From there, it crossed over to Spain, where a ranching system was well-developed by the 15th century. It was soon imported to the New World.

Juan Ponce de León brought cattle to Florida in 1521, and by the mid-1600s, many large ranches were well-established here. Africans and Native-Americans were overseers and ranch hands, and some free blacks worked their own lands.

The story of the Africans and African-Americans involved in Florida’s cattle industry is being retold at the Florida Agricultural Museum, located 17 miles south of St. Augustine in northeastern Flagler County. In addition to preserving the educational/historical component, the museum is conserving heritage livestock such as the rare Florida Cracker Cattle and horses. Visitors can also go horseback riding on its 460 acres, considered some of the most beautiful trails in Florida.

There are lots of other interesting activities at the Florida Agricultural Museum. Check out a full list here and on the website’s calendar.

Fall’s mild weather is the perfect time for a horseback ride, or possibly even an equestrian camp-out using the museum’s paddocks and stables on lease.

Don’t forget the s'mores!