ZOLFO SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Zolfo Springs is a small town in Hardee County in Florida’s rural Heartland. US-17 runs through town, connecting Zolfo Springs with Wauchula about four miles to the north and Arcadia about 20 miles south.

State Road 64 crosses US-17 on the north side of town, providing a route west toward Bradenton and east toward Avon Park. State Road 66 heads southeast toward Sebring.

The Peace River flows along the northern and western edges of town and has played an important role in the community’s history.

Zolfo Springs has a population of about 1,762 residents.

Native Americans lived in the Peace River region before European settlement. Archaeological sites in this part of Florida date to the Middle and Late Archaic periods, roughly 5000 BC to 500 BC.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, Seminoles occupied parts of interior Florida, where they farmed, hunted and raised substantial herds of cattle.

Cattle have an unusually long history in Florida. Spanish explorers and settlers introduced cattle during the 1500s.

Over succeeding centuries, descendants of those animals became well adapted to Florida’s heat, insects, wetlands and sparse native forage.

They eventually developed into the hardy breed known today as Florida Cracker cattle.

By the 1800s, cattle roamed Florida’s open range. Florida cow hunters - not called cowboys in Florida - rounded them up in the pine flatwoods, palmetto scrub and hammocks.

They rode tough horses, used dogs to control the herds and carried long braided whips whose loud cracks helped move cattle through thick vegetation.

The cracking sound of the whip became the name for early settlers in this part of the country:  Florida Crackers.

The Zolfo Springs area became part of an important cattle-driving corridor across the Florida peninsula.

Cattle from Florida’s interior were driven toward coastal markets, including Gulf ports from which some animals were shipped to Cuba.

That history survives today in the Florida Cracker Trail. The historic route crosses the state from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic and passes through Zolfo Springs along the State Road 64 corridor.

The Florida Cracker Trail Association, organized in 1987, preserves this heritage with an annual cross-state horseback ride. The ride helps you to recall the cow hunters who once moved herds across central Florida.

Settlers were living around present-day Zolfo Springs before the 1861 start of the Civil War. Hardee County historical information mentions Dempsey D. Crews and other families in the vicinity before the war.

The Town of Zolfo Springs identifies David D. Mahan, who arrived in 1878, as the town’s first settler.

The difference may reflect whether sources are referring specifically to the settlement or to the larger surrounding area.

The town owes its unusual name to the sulfurous springs once found here.

According to the Town of Zolfo Springs, Italian and Spanish men traveling along the Peace River encountered springs with a strong sulfur smell.

The Italians called the place “Zolfo,” from the Italian word for sulfur.

Transportation changed the settlement dramatically in 1886 when the Florida Southern Railroad opened a depot at Zolfo.

A post office was established that year. The railroad gave cattlemen, citrus growers and farmers easier access to distant markets and encouraged businesses and residents to settle around the depot.

Agriculture became the foundation of the local economy. Cattle ranching was especially important, but farmers also grew citrus, vegetables and other crops.

Phosphate mining became another major industry in the broader Peace River region.

The Town of Zolfo incorporated in 1904 and officially changed its name to Zolfo Springs in 1909. In 1913, residents drilled a 465-foot artesian well for a municipal water system.

The town had only about 250 residents at the time, making its investment in a public water system especially noteworthy.

Hardee County’s connection to cattle continued into the modern era. In 1941, the University of Florida established the Range Cattle Experiment Station at nearby Ona.

Ona is also the home of the unique Solomon's Castle.

The station worked to improve cattle production and pasture management in central and southern Florida. Now called the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center, the facility remains active.

Researchers there study beef cattle, forage, pastures, weeds, grazing lands and other subjects important to Florida ranchers.

Zolfo Springs preserves much of this agricultural and pioneer history at the Cracker Trail Museum in Pioneer Park.

Established in 1967, the museum has collected more than 4,000 objects associated with pioneer-era Florida.

The original historic third-magnitude sulfur spring was turned into a public swimming pool in the 1930s before being plugged with concrete in the 1960s.

Due to a lowered water table in the aquifer, the original spring run is now dry.

Today, Zolfo Spring's active pastures are primarily run by multi-generational family outfits like Charlie Creek Livestock Corp. in Zolfo Springs.

The regional heritage of both Native American and white cattle hunters is preserved side-by-side at the Cracker Trail Museum.

Zolfo Springs is still a quiet agricultural community surrounded by cattle ranches, farms, citrus groves and open countryside.

US-17 serves as the town’s main commercial corridor. Visitors should not expect a large shopping district or streets lined with boutiques and art galleries.

Shopping is mostly practical and locally oriented, while nearby Wauchula, 4 miles away, has more stores and restaurants.

Zolfo Springs does have local restaurants and small businesses that reflect its rural Florida character.

The town’s real appeal lies outdoors. The Peace River provides opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, fishing and fossil hunting.

Pioneer Park combines recreation with local history, making it a natural starting point for exploring Zolfo Springs.

For visitors interested in old Florida, cattle ranching and the state’s pioneer heritage, the town shows a side of Florida far removed from beaches and theme parks.

Pioneer Park, 231 Wilbur C. King Blvd., Zolfo Springs, FL 33890, (863) 473-5078. Picnic, camp, fish, walk along the Peace River and enjoy the park’s open spaces.

Cracker Trail Museum, 2822 Museum Drive, Zolfo Springs, FL 33890, (863) 473-5076. Explore more than 4,000 artifacts documenting farming, ranching and pioneer life in Hardee County.

Hardee County Wildlife Refuge, 650 Animal Way, Zolfo Springs, FL 33890, (863) 473-4890. See local animals and learn about wildlife conservation at this small county refuge.

Peace River at Pioneer Park, 231 Wilbur C. King Blvd., Zolfo Springs, FL 33890, (863) 473-5078. Canoe, kayak, fish or search the riverbed for prehistoric fossils.

Pioneer Village, 2822 Museum Drive, Zolfo Springs, FL 33890, (863) 473-5076. View historic structures and displays depicting early life in Hardee County.

Carmen Vasquez Park, 709 Fifth Street East, Zolfo Springs, FL 33890, (863) 735-0405. Enjoy basketball, soccer and other casual outdoor activities.

Paynes Creek Historic State Park, 888 Lake Branch Road, Bowling Green, FL 33834, (863) 375-4717. Visit the historic trading post and fort site, museum and interpretive trails. 10 miles away. 

Hardee Lakes County Park, 5502 Ollie Roberts Road, Bowling Green, FL 33834, (863) 767-1100. Fish, camp, hike and watch wildlife around four lakes and a rural landscape. 

Solomon's Castle, 4533 Solomon Road, Ona, FL 33865, (863) 494-6077. Tour Howard Solomon’s handmade castle and imaginative recycled-material artwork. 8 miles away. 

UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center, 3401 Experiment Station, Ona, FL 33865, (863) 735-1314. Learn about modern cattle, forage and grazing research at this University of Florida center.

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