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Photo, Print, Drawing Portrait of Seminole Indian Cowboy Charlie Micco at the Brighton Indian Reservation.

About this Item

Title

  • Portrait of Seminole Indian Cowboy Charlie Micco at the Brighton Indian Reservation.

Summary

  • Seminole Indians dominated Florida's cattle industry during the early 19th century. The Seminoles themselves, not originally cattle people, inherited abandoned Spanish livestock in the 16th century and adopted herding into their own culture. Seminole cattle all but vanished as a result of fighting during the Seminole Wars (1817-18, 1835-42, and 1855-58). Following the removal of the vast majority of the Seminoles and the seizure of their cattle, the remaining Florida Indians adapted their herding culture to the abundant supply of wild hogs found in central and southern Florida. The federal government developed a cattle program for the Florida Seminoles during the Great Depression as part of the Indian New Deal. The program was intended to provide an economic foundation for the tribe, and aimed to ultimately wean Seminoles off of a traditional hunting lifestyle no longer feasible in southern Florida. A starter herd shipped from a western reservation arrived in the early 1930s but fared poorly in the Florida heat. Subsequent breeding efforts combined the desirable traits from Florida scrub cattle, descended from the old Spanish stock, with proven beef-producing varieties. The breeding programs eventually resulted in hardy animals capable of withstanding the climate and retaining weight. Charlie Micco, pictured here, was instrumental in the early development of the cattle program at the Brighton Reservation, located on the northwest corner of Lake Okeechobee. Federal officials chose Micco because of his previous experience working cows for white ranchers near Brighton. The government helped manage the Seminole cattle program for several decades. The Seminoles gradually took over total control of the program in the latter half of the 20th century. The photograph is by Joseph Janney Steinmetz, a world-renowned commercial photographer whose images appeared in such publications as the Saturday Evening Post, Life, Look, Time, Holiday, Collier's, and Town & Country.

Names

  • Steinmetz, Joseph Janney, 1905-1985 Photographer.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1949.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Florida--Brighton Reservation
  • -  1949
  • -  Cattle
  • -  Cowboys
  • -  Indian reservations
  • -  Indians of North America
  • -  Indigenous peoples
  • -  Micco, Charlie, 1882-1970
  • -  Portrait photographs
  • -  Portraits
  • -  Ranches
  • -  Seminole Indians

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 transparency : color ; 5 x 4 inches.
  • -  Original resource at: State Library and Archives of Florida.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670722

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Steinmetz, Joseph Janney, Photographer. Portrait of Seminole Indian Cowboy Charlie Micco at the Brighton Indian Reservation. Brighton Reservation Florida United States of America, 1949. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670722/.

APA citation style:

Steinmetz, J. J. (1949) Portrait of Seminole Indian Cowboy Charlie Micco at the Brighton Indian Reservation. Brighton Reservation Florida United States of America, 1949. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670722/.

MLA citation style:

Steinmetz, Joseph Janney, Photographer. Portrait of Seminole Indian Cowboy Charlie Micco at the Brighton Indian Reservation. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670722/>.