They died with their boots on, just like the fictitious gunslingers of the dime store novels of the times.
The final decade of the 1800's was drawing to a close. Already stained with blood from wars between red and white men, and the brother-against-brother struggle called the civil war, a final bloodbath erupted in 1890 that would last six years.

Desoto County was less than a decade old, dotted with a growing population and many successful settlements and towns. This new war fought on Desoto's rich soil was over cattle; animals said to be actual descendants of the stock brought to Florida by the county's namesake in 1593.

Hernando Desoto is believed to have landed at what is now Charlotte Harbor. He brought with him many Spanish cattle, horses, and swine, many of which that escaped or were stolen by Indians during the conquistador's ill-fated march through the region later known as the southeast United States. The cattle themselves adapted to the swampy frontier and flourished in wild herds that would later fall under the reign of the Florida cowboy.

The cattle wars of the 1890's ensued mainly over ownership of the free roaming mavericks. Barbed wire would not cross-hatch the county until the early 1900's, allowing cattle to roam the open ranges of places with names such as Indian Prairie, Boar Hammock, and Cabbage Woods.

Hot iron brands seared the hides of these strays as one way of distinguishing them one from the other. Others had their ear marked. The changing of the brands was not uncommon practice, carried on stealthily by rustlers. Many of those men who preyed on the cattle of others met death on the prairies of Desoto County after being caught in the act. They were buried in shallow, unmarked graves to be ravaged by wolves and vultures.

News of the bloody cattle wars brought famous western artist Frederic Remington to Florida in 1895. One of many paintings depicting life on the Florida frontier is called Fighting over a stolen herd, and depicts several cowboys exchanging rifle fire across a palmetto-covered plain.

Tales of the decendents of these feuding cattleman describe the cowboys as having to sleep with their feet away from the campfire so that an approaching bushwhacker might shoot them in the foot rather than the head. Shades were drawn after dark, and those inside walked on the far sides of their oil lamps so that their shadow might not fall across the shade and be noticed by enemies waiting outside. Others were murdered in the fields, encouraging those driving the cattle to stear clear of the numerous cabbage hammocks from where they might be easily ambushed.

While the iron rails were yet bringing fresh settlers and hope to a growing Desoto County, they were also transporting death in the form of professional gunmen who were hired into the cattle wars. For six years the county's lush green foliage and plains would be splotched crimson with the blood of ranchers, hired hands, and others drawn into the violence melee.

Many of the small ranchers were forced out of the beef business by wealthy cattle and land barons who could hire gunmen. Some families packed up and moved on. Others are said to have simply disappeared on the prairies without a trace, having fallen victim to the more powerful, who in making their own rules were "taking care of business."

Families involved in the cattle industry during the latter part of  the century and in the years to follow include the names Parker, Lykes, Welles, Carlton, King, Whidden, Hollingsworth, Summerall, Turner, Gammage, Mercer, Albritton, Harrison, Hagan, and many others.

The man credited to have been most instrumental in quelling the cattle wars is James Newton Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth wore a thick mustache, off-set by a pair of piercing eyes. He alone was the only man that seemed to be trusted by everyone involved in the wars.

"We've got to stop all this." he told them at the historic 1896 peace conference in which most of the owners were represented. "Or it will result in the killing of our best friends and citizens." They considered this and agreed.

Hollingsworth was able to convince the cattlemen that the Myakka Prairie possessed enough grazing land for them all. The deadly gunfire ceased, and peace once again settled over the young Desoto County as the bloodiest chapter in history closed to make way for the 1900's and a prosperous future. Photographs and paintings surviving from those days portray the Florida cowboy as a rather scruffy, unkempt individual compared to his western counterpart. In reality, they were cow hunters rather than cowboys.

Another difference was the advantage held by the men out west who had the convenience of being able to spot cattle for several miles across the flat prairies. Florida's cattlemen had to comb the river swamps and thick bayheads in search of their beeves, thus becoming known as cow hunters.

Knotty posts of pine soon stood side by side in crisscrossed patterns across Desoto County, awaiting the endless miles of barbed wire that would bring an end to the open range. The railroads were soon used to transport the cattle to faraway markets, eventually taking the place of the classic cattle drive.

Another war in the cattle business erupted after the turn of the century. This time, the cattlemen throughout the county and state came together to fight a common enemy; fever tick. This battle lasted until 1950.

Another mutual endeavors by the cattle ranchers included the development of cattle breeds and of grasslands. Such accomplishments helped seal the horrors of the cattle wars into history forever and opened doors to a prosperous tomorrow that continues even today.