Prior to August 7, 1917, Okeechobee County was part of Osceola, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties.

The white man settled within the borders of present-day Okeechobee County more than 120 years ago, first at Basinger, then at Fort Drum. Okeechobee City, as towns go, is a relatively new community. The fits white settlers, Peter and Louisiana Raulerson arrived on the banks of Taylors (sic) Creek in the early fall of 1896. They migrated from the Basinger area to find more land on which to graze their cattle.

Those wide open spaces have been a drawing card for more than 100 years. From those first brothers, Arthur and Thomas Daughtrey, who settled on the banks of the Kissimmee River at Fort Basinger, to the more than 45,000 residents within the borders of the country today, the quiet peacefulness of the county’s lakes, rivers, creeks, and streams meandering through the savannas have drawn inhabitants.

From a couple of small settlements in the northwest and northern part of the county, through decades of success in the breading and raising of beef cattle, generations have found Okeechobee County a good place to make a livelihood. In recent decades expansion of agribusiness with the arrival of the dairies, and an increase in the tourist industry have brought rapid growth. At times, the infrastructure has seemed to strain a bit at the seams as progress marches quickly through the county.

The Okeechobee News has been a part of the life of Okeechobee County for 77 years, growing through the nearly eight decades, just as the community around it has grown. We offer our congratulations to all of the residents of Okeechobee County on this joyous occasion of the country’s 75th birthday.