Good Day to all! Thank you everyone who helped make the Society’s first Low Country Boil a success!
Did you know Charlotte County’s major thoroughfare running from north of I-75’s Exit 170 to the harbor was once a cattle trail? More evident when I was a youngster, as it was not the relatively straight thoroughfare it is today. Likely named for one of Florida’s most famous cattlemen, King’s Highway reaches Charlotte Harbor waters via its namesake community’s Parmely Street.
Ziba King was born in southeastern Georgia, just northwest of Waycross, in 1838. During the Civil War, he served in both the 2nd Florida Regiment and 18th Georgia Battalion, units that participated in several well-known battles including Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. Surviving the war, he came to Tampa in 1869, then soon thereafter to Fort Ogden, opening a small dry goods store. For a short time in the early 1890’s, he also owned a much larger store on Punta Gorda’s King Street (U. S. 41 north), with prominent citizen James Sandlin.
It wasn’t long though, before he realized the cattle business’ potential in a land of open range with herds of feral cattle descended from those brought by the Spanish centuries earlier. Although never residing in today’s Charlotte County, he, along with others such as Jacob Summerlin, F. A. Hendry, and the Knight brothers, was instrumental in establishing southwest Florida’s cattle industry and revitalizing the area’s economy after the war.
Herds were gathered from open range east of the Peace River, which had been Seminole land prior to the Third Seminole War (1855-1858). Cattlemen identified their livestock with unique brands and ear markings, all registered with the county clerk. They were then “driven” down the trail from Fort Ogden to holding pens and loading docks at Hickory Bluff. The frontier community was renamed Charlotte Harbor in 1872, due to opening of its so named post office serving the entire area around the community’s namesake body of water.
There were also cattle docks on the harbor’s opposite shore, south of the geographical feature that in a few years would influence the naming of a new city and, later on, an area within the city itself. Some speculate King’s Highway is perhaps named after “King of the Crackers”, Jacob Summerlin, whose area cattle operation began in late 1860, but he came to depend more on shipping docks south of the Peace River.
By the early 1870’s, trade with Cuba, which had been good before the Civil War, was back in full swing, with over 20,000 head shipped some seasons from docks on the harbor’s shores. Depending on demand, prices could range from $12 to $22 per head, paid for with Spanish gold. Estimates put the number of King’s cattle alone shipped to Cuba annually by the early 1880’s at around 6,000.
Ziba was an imposing man in size, at 6’6” tall and around 235 pounds, and by the late 1890’s in wealth as well, reputedly owning Florida’s largest cattle herd with at least 50,000 head. By then he was president of a bank in Arcadia and associated with others in Tampa and Jacksonville. King also served in Florida’s state house, senate, and as DeSoto County judge. Legend has it he once killed an irate wild bull with his bare hands.
Ziba King’s compassion for his fellow man was also well known. A prolific and well-known poker player, who it’s said rarely lost, he routinely offered his vanquished challengers assistance when they headed for home. As if that were not gallant enough, in the late 1870’s, when things had taken a turn for the worse in southwest Florida, he offered to cover all Manatee County taxes, including school taxes, with Spanish gold for six months so government services could continue and schools remain open. Today’s Charlotte and DeSoto counties were part of Manatee County at the time. Florida’s king of the cow hunters died in 1901 and is interred in Desoto County’s Fort Ogden Cemetery.
Search the Internet to view photos of Ziba King. Photographs of Ziba King can also be viewed by visiting Charlotte County online library resources. Select “Community Services”, then “Libraries and History”. Click on “Physical Items”, then “Archive Search”. Enter the subject of your search on the “Search” line.
“Did You Know” appears, typically, every other Wednesday, courtesy of this newspaper and the Charlotte County Historical Society. The Society’s mission is to help promote and preserve Charlotte County’s rich history. We are also always looking for volunteers and interested individuals to serve as board members. If you believe our area’s history is as important as we do, please visit Charlotte County Historical Society on-line at https://cchistoricalsociety.com/, or call 941- 769-1270 for more information
Check out History Services’ yearlong project, “Telling Your Stories: History in the Parks”. It began in January 2021 with placement of the first interpretive sign “Charlotte Harbor Spa” at South County Regional Park. The last was dedicated December 15, 2021 at Centennial Park featuring Florida postcards. All dedicated signs can be viewed at online library resources. Select “Programs and Services”, then “History Services” and “Virtual Programs”.
Visit the same site to access recently released oral histories featuring 40 local folks. Select “History Services” and scroll down, or phone 941-629-7278, to find out what history related programs and videos are available.
November 12 column
