It took special, unique people to challenge and overcome the Florida frontier shortly after the turn of the century. Today, Okeechobee seems to have an over-abundance of husband and wife medical teams in the community. While this might seem unusual to today’s new comers, it can be said that Drs. Aragon, Husain, Garica, Espiritu and Ladia are simply following a long tradition started in the village of Tantie nearly 80 years ago.

Drs. Anna and Roy Darrow were physicians from Chicago, where he had been on the staff of Cook County Hospital. Illness and poor health culminated in a recommendation that dr. Roy move to a "kinder and gentler" climate. The couple first visited Florida in 1909 to take the State Board Exam and Dr. Anna passed the exam with a grade of 98, the highest grade ever made, and shocked the examiner when he discovered this high scorer was a woman. She was the second woman ever to be licensed as a physician in the state.

In 1911, the Darrows migrated to Florida in a brand new Model T Ford. Dr. Roy had never driven a car, so the Fort Motor Company sent a driver along to Jacksonville until the Darrows learned to drive. The trip from Jacksonville to Fort Pierce took five days. "Most of that was pushing," recalled their daughter, Dolly, during a talk to the Okeechobee County Historical Society back in 1977. "Those old-timers who have driven through sand and scrub know that you cut palm fronds and put them under your wheels for traction. Otherwise, the wheels just spin and dig in deeper."

Accompanying the two physicians on this trip, were Dolly, her brother, Richard, and a Swedish grandmother. The car remained in Ft. Pierce until a grade was built to 10 mile. From there, it was low gear to Cypress Creek. The first stop over-night was at Red Bug Island, and it was well named. The car had to be forded over Cypress and Mosquito Creeks, as there were no bridges. The only bridge they were able to drive over, was the one at Taylors Creek. Today, that same Model T Ford is on display at the Fort Museum in Dearborn, Mi.

The Florida East Coast Railroad was beginning the rail line that would link Titusville on the Florida east coast with the small village of Tantie, soon renamed Okeechobee, nestled against the north shore of Lake Okeechobee. Dr. Toy had the position of physician for the railroad construction company.

Dr. Anna, who quickly became known as "Doc Anner," had quickly developed a reputation as she drove all over the woods treating patients wherever the need existed. That old Model T just wouldn’t make it, so most of her traveling was done with a horse and buggy. She never refused to go when she was called on, and she was as likely to end up traveling in a motor boat, or by push-poled canoe or behind

According to "A Cracker History of Okeechobee," by Lawrence E. Will, Doc Anner charged $1.00 for an office visit or $1.00 a mile if she had to travel. Her fee for delivering babies was $10.00, although Will says she later upped her fee to $25.00 Fisherman, trappers, Indians and even the gangs of desperadoes residing in the area, all called on Dr. Anna, and no matter the hour or the distance, she would go.