Lush grasslands in the lands bordering the scenic, serpentine Kissimmee River, where the cattle could roam free with plenty of grazing land, drew those early settlers to the valley. Parker, Holmes, Raulerson, Chandler and Underhill, and others who came later, settled on the east side of the river at the community of Basinger. Daughtrey and Pearce settled on the west side near the former military installation of Fort Basinger.

The isolated, but bustling community, had its only link to the outside world through the Kissimmee River and the steamboats who traversed the waterway beginning in the early 1880’s. Once the Disston Company dredged a navigable waterway from the town of Kissimmee on Lake Tohopekaliga, three steamers made weekly trips to Basinger. The round trip from Kissimmee to Basinger and return took about five days through the twisting oxbows on the river.

The chief weapon of the Florida cowboy was a strong whip-12 to 18 feet of braided buckskin fastened to a handle of 12-15 inches long. There was great skill required in making of the ship. Their cost ranged from $5 to $20. The pop or crack resulting from its use sounded like a rifle shot and is claimed to have resounded several miles. The name "cracker" applied to natives of Georgia and Florida is said to have originated as a cattle term for those who wielded those whips.

According to statistics from the United States Census of Agriculture, the beef cattle industry provides $20 million in annual revenues within Okeechobee County today. The estimate that approximately 58,000 head of beef cattle reside on more than 86,000 acres of county land.