As we celebrate our nation's birth and independence this week, we take a look back at the role Florida played in those fateful days even before she was fully a state. There's much more here to uncover than most would expect so sit back and enjoy some old history from the Great State of Florida.

NOTE: this is a rebroadcast of an episode orignally published in 2022. It's one that we feel represents some of the best of old Florida out here Between The Beaches and hope that you'll enjoy it while we work on some updates for the show this week. Mike Micco comes from a line of elders deeply committed to the Brighton Community and the Seminole cu…

As we prepare to venture to Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands region for the annual Florida Cattlemen's Association Convention and Allied Trade Show, we wanted to take a trip back in time to get a rare first person look at what that part of Florida was like before civilization had fully reached it. Such accounts of early Florida history are…

Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan talks about his lifelong fascination with the West, amateur historians, and making the album High Lonesome Cowboy with Don Edwards. Learn more about Peter Rowan at www.peter-rowan.com This episode was sponsored by B2 Trading Company. Learn more about them at www.b2tradingcompany.com Learn more about Cowboy Crossroads at…

One of the recent exhibitions at the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery focused on the connection between Bean and one of his collectors, journalist W.M. Kiplinger. Not only did the exhibit feature splendid paintings, but it also featured numerous letters of correspondence from Kiplinger to Backus as well as other artists under his tutelage including A…

From his time working on the ranch in Pasco County to leading the Florida Cattlemen's Association and beyond, Larry Barthle has made significant contributions to Florida and our cattle heritage. Join us this week for a conversation reflecting on the early history of Pasco on to the rapid growth and change agriculture in the county is experiencing n…

In the first part of our interview with Sean Sexton, we covered his family's cattle history and many other ancillary contributions to Indian River County. This week in Part 2 we get an intimate look into his daily life as he shares excerpts from his personal journals, we share our thoughts on poetry and painting and how those pursuits are intertwin…

Waddie Mitchell returns to Cowboy Crossroads to celebrate 100 episodes of the podcast. Waddie talks about making phone calls to Kris Kristofferson and S. Omar Barker, classic cowboy poetry, his recording career, and his favorite original poems. This interview was recorded onstage in front of a live audience at the Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering …

The Sexton family has an incredible legacy in Indian River County and have made lasting agricultural contributions that have carried over into so many other aspects of the community that it would be hard to list them all. The positive impacts they've made extend from the fence lines of their Treasure Hammock Ranch east to the coastline of the Atlan…

On this week's episode we delve into some origin stories of some major Florida landmarks and also cover a couple of odd tidbits that are part off our state's intriguing history. From the Seminole story of how Lake Okeechobee came to exist to how the U.S. Army resorted to using Cuban bloodhounds in the Second Seminole War, you're in for an entertain…

Travel in the early days of Florida was tough at best. Much of the state was underwater for a majority of the year which meant travel by waterways or horseback was most efficient. Roadways and transportation infrastructure blew the state wide open leading it to be the mega-state powerhouse that it is today. This week we take a look at some of those…

Legendary western photographer Barbara Van Cleve talks about growing up at the end of the horse age, her family's Lazy K Bar Ranch, her father Spike Van Cleve, her collaborations with rodeo poet Paul Zarzyski, and her love for horses, ranching, and photography. Learn more about Barbara Van Cleve at www.barbaravancleve.com This episode was co-sponso…

Ardis Hammock is an integral part of Frierson Family Farm and the Florida agricultural community. Located immediately adjacent to the southern boundary of Lake Okeechobee for well over 100 years, her family shares a deep legacy in South Florida and has a history of service to not only agriculture, but to their surrounding communities as well. Join …

It may come as quite a surprise to many while being common knowledge to others, Tallahassee owns a very interesting and rather sordid past. It has flirted with famed Americans and infamous Floridians throughout the years and this week's episode highlights two such examples filled with overlapping themes and commonly shared circumstances. Tune in an…

Dusty Holley is a man with many talents and a diverse knowledge base that allows him to be equally at home in a board room or sitting on a board in a set of cow pens. Aside from being the Director of Field Services for the Florida Cattlemen's Association, he's a great storyteller with extensive family roots in our state's cow culture. Dusty set asi…

Old-time musician Rex Rideout discusses the life and times of the first cowboy song collector Jack Thorp. Rex discusses the events that led to Thorp's search for cowboy songs, Thorp's book of Songs of the Cowboys, the story of Little Joe the Wrangler, and Thorp's banjo. Find out more about Rex at http://www.timetravelmusic.com Find out more about C…

Join us for a rebroadcast of this episode that takes a deeper historical look into the origins and development of the Florida rancher's favorite working partner, the cur dog or Florida cow dog. Suffice to say that when our ancestors sailed across the Atlantic to settle in North America, they brought not only livestock, but also a very essential too…

After making it through a very successful art show and finding the time to solve our technical issues with our recording device, we're back with some fresh material for the show. Sam and I took time to select and read a few chapters from a book on obscure Florida history. We then had some lively discussion about observations we had on those selecti…

Going back to the early 1820's, the Davis family has a long legacy in Florida and our cowhunter culture. Billy Davis has worked cows far and wide across the state and is the president of the Florida Cracker Horse Association so you'd be hard-pressed to find folks in the cattle business who don't know him. He's equally notorious as a prankster and s…

We're off to the races with meetings and festival preparation here in January. This week is pretty simple; we reflect on some of those activities before serving up a handful of poems focused on Florida and our cooler, wetter winter.

Ninety-one year-old legendary working cowboy Boots O'Neal talks about his early cowboyin' experiences on the JA Ranch, starting colts with his brother Wes, horse wrecks, and tells stories from a lifetime spent punchin' cows on the most iconic ranches in Texas. Recorded in front of a live audience at the 2023 Ranch Verse event at the National Ranchi…

Fritz Brewer has spent a lot of years horseback seeing everything from livestock on Florida's open prairies and marsh lands to those performing as athletes in rodeo arenas across our state and country. In this episode, we reflect on his many experiences and the change he's witnessed both in and out of the arena. You'll hear plenty of Florida histor…

It's the beginning of a new year and Season 5 of Between The Beaches Podcast, but how's that "New year, New me" thing going for Florida? Not so well. We're still staring down the same major problems that have been plaguing our state for the past few decades and they're only getting worse. Certainly not all, but most of Florida's leadership seems to…

The communities around Lake Okeechobee know Billy Dean quite well after his 21 years on the air at WOKC with Glades Media Group, but not everyone knows the backstory of his early years and family legacy in Southwest Florida. In this episode, we look back at his agricultural roots, share stories about growing up in rural Florida and daily sporting p…

Oklahoma cowboy poet, rancher, and former bull rider Jay Snider talks about his ranching and rodeo family, the influence of his grandfather, memories from his rodeo career, and the camaraderie of the trail driving era that continues through rodeo and cowboy poetry. Find out more agout Cowboy Crossroads at www.andyhedges.com Become a patron at www.p…

As we enter the last month of the year and the season when our hearts are full of gratitude, join us as we run down our list of favorite, local charitable organizations that make an impact here in the South Florida region. If you're like us, you like seeing your donations support local, grassroots groups that aren't bloated and top heavy. Whether y…

Waterfowl hunting is a longstanding Southern tradition and offers a great example of the benefits that can be had from well managed public lands and especially on privately owned agricultural lands which are a haven for wildlife of all types. As the first split of the 2023 waterfowl season in Florida has concluded, it seemed like the perfect time t…

Note: This is a rebroadcast from Season 1 of the show that covers a pivotal period of time in Florida's cattle industry. Brucellosis, a devastating bacterial disease, wreaked havoc on the Florida cattle industry for many years until a federal eradication program was instituted. On this episode, we discuss the history of the program in Florida and h…

This week we're offering up a special cross-promotion by sharing Florida Farm Bureau Federation's podcast, Rural Recharge. Sam and I joined President Jeb Smith as guests for episode 9 and many of you may have already heard this on their platform, but we thought this was a great way for non-members of Farm Bureau to find another informative ag relat…

94-year-old rancher and Nebraska Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee Clarence Lanka talks about growing up on a ranch in Western Nebraska, riding his horse to a one room school, roping, good horses, and his faith in God. Find out more about Cowboy Crossroads at www.andyhedges.com Become a patron at www.patreon.com/cowboycrossorads…

It's been a wild October and with Halloween closing in on us this seemed like the perfect time to collaborate with our friend in Glasgow, Mr. Àdhamh Ó Broin, to cover some of our heritage and a poem featuring a ghost story. Join us this week for a special presentation of Robert Burns' classic Tam O' Shanter. To purchase a chance (or numerous chance…

Jeb Smith is a fifth generation farmer and current Florida Farm Bureau President. His family has deep roots in Hastings, Florida located in St. Johns County and a legacy of leadership locally and throughout Florida. In this episode, we discuss his family's legacy, early memories of St. Johns County, the challenges facing agriculture as our state's …

Commitments relative to my art work have held me captive the last 10 days or so. That means I haven't had time for interviews or much of anything else to be honest. Given those circumstances and the fact we're shifting from summer to fall here in Florida, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to view life's various transitions through the lens of …

Working cowboy, filmmaker, songwriter, and poet Gail Steiger sends in audio postscripts to continue the conversation from part 1. On this episode Gail talks about his cowboy mentor Bill Murphy, making the film Ranch Album, tracking cattle, handling livestock, international herding cultures, and the friendships he's made through cowboy poetry.…

This week we journey back to Florida's Indian River region in the early 1900's thanks to a quaint paperback publication titled "Oslo" which was written by Arnold Helseth. Aside from chronicling his ancestors' amazing American journey, it provides vivid and valuable insight into our Florida heritage, especially in present day southern Indian River C…

Florida's 2023 tropical weather has ramped up as we find ourselves in the peak of hurricane season so the timing couldn't be more appropriate to reflect on our state's history with September storms. As clean up efforts from Idalia continue in North Florida, we take a look back at the disastrous 1926 Hurricane which forevermore changed Florida's tra…

Working cowboy, filmmaker, songwriter, and poet Gail Steiger talks about his family background, Arizona politics, writing cowboy songs, and tells the facinating story of how he got into the cow business. Find out more about Gail Steiger at www.gailsteigermusic.com Find out more abot Cowboy Crossroads at www.andyhedges.com Become a patron at www.pat…

This Labor Day weekend will find Okeechobee abuzz with both locals and our urban coastal neighbors eager to take in yet another rodeo experience in one of Florida's iconic arenas - one of the few remaining outdoor, uncovered, and privately owned venues. It's a piece of Florida history and a solid slice of Americana. The rodeo is the largest fundrai…

Our good friend Clint Raulerson joins us this week to reflect on his adventures and growth that stemmed from cowboying in Kansas along with his return to Florida and the new chapters that lie ahead. In the process, we cover the importance of sharing our heritage with the public at large and then close out the show with a few new pieces of cowboy po…

NOTE: With archery season underway here in Florida for Zone A, it seemed like a great time to revisit this episode that was full of lively conversation and plenty of great perspective about wild Florida. If you've heard it previously, we hope you enjoy it just as much or more the second time around, and if this is your first time hearing it we thin…

Garrett Stuart, or Captain Planet as he's better known to loyal followers both young and old, has a diverse background in science and conservation. That education coupled with his Lakota and Scots background combine to provide a truly unique perspective on how we live with and treat our natural world. Garrett believes strongly in the importance of …

In this episode, we share an interview conducted by Tampa Bay History in 1981 with Jay B. Starkey, Sr., Jay Starkey, Jr., and Frank Starkey. Representing 3 generations of Florida ranchers, they reflect on the early days of Pasco and Pinellas counties and bemoan the rampant development that seemed to be plaguing them at that time some 40 plus years …

This bonus episode of Cowboy Crosroads features a segment that Andy Hedges narrated for the American Songcatcher podcast about the first cowboy song collector Jack Thorp. In March 1889, Jack Thorp, a born-to-privilege Easterner who had grown into a leather-tough, saddle-wise trail hand, decided to track down the words to songs about cowboy life fro…

This week FCA executive vice president Jim Handley joins us to share a wealth of information about the Florida Cattlemen's Foundation, including it's history, an in-depth look at the many projects they've helped fund and bring to fruition, as well as some general history regarding FCA and his role there. We dig deep in our conversation for what amo…

There is little doubt by now that America's story is one of immigrants finding opportunities and a fresh start, and the Florida frontier was a microcosm of that bold experiment. Our journey this week begins during the Second Spanish Occupation of Florida as we hear the exploits of Rob and Robbie Sistrunk's ancestors as they first arrive at present …

The Parlier family has been rooted in Central Florida for many years and they've established a solid reputation within Florida's alligator management system from their early days as nuisance trappers to becoming a vertically integrated farming and processing operation. Most recently, they've expanded their processing facility to include USDA inspec…

When Florida's citizens and tourists flock to coastal waters this weekend and over Independence Day early next week, they'll unwittingly be exposing themselves to human effluent. It can't be seen or touched, so nobody considers the problem or perils associated with it; however, the pathogenic bacteria, pharmaceuticals, and many other substances ori…

Bob Kinnan, the resident historian of the iconic King Ranch gives an overview of the history of the King Ranch from the ending of the Civil War to modern times and discusses the life and legacy of National Golden Spur Award recipient Helen Kleberg Groves. Find out more about the King Ranch at www.kingranch.com This episode is sponsored by the Natio…

At the height of the Spanish Empire, convoys of tall ships braved the seas hauling resources and treasure on transatlantic trade routes fraught with peril, especially during the summer months when hurricanes could develop without warning. In one of the worst maritime disasters ever recorded, the 1733 Hurricane descended upon part of Spain's West In…

Anyone who has ever skirted the west side of Miami trekking southward to Everglades National Park or the Florida Keys has undoubtedly heard about the infamous Robert Is Here fruit stand. Since their simple beginnings as a roadside produce stand in 1959, they've grown into a mainstay attraction in southeast Florida for thousands of fans. From locall…