Osceola County Welcome Center and History Museum

by Mar 3, 2023Florida, Orlando, United States of America

Osceola County Welcome Center and History Museum

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Weekend Notes | March 23, 2023

Visiting the Osceola County Welcome Center in History Museum on Irlo Bronson Drive AKA Route 192 in Kissimmee, Florida, just south of Orlando is a fascinating walk back through time. From Maude, the cow who could climb the courthouse steps, to a “ride-through saloon” where cowboys could ride right up to the bar to order a high-grade whiskey, proposed aviation laws, recognition as both the nesting bald eagle and lightning capital of the lower 48 and artistic monuments, the museum highlights events that are uniquely Osceola. The advent of Walt Disney and his dream of Walt Disney World occurred long after cattle roamed around unfenced ranges.

Florida’s first people, though, came by following herds of wild beasts and by sea. They lived along the coast, later moving inland along rivers and marshes and throughout prairies and hammocks, setting up villages and returning to remote hunting camps for centuries. Some 350,000 people inhabited Florida when the first Europeans arrived in the 1500s.

Due to the many decades of Spanish occupation, very few people, especially Americans, knew much about Florida when it became an American territory in 1821. Few Americans had ever seen an alligator when the Revolutionary War was being fought in the 1770s. The rivers, lakes, swamps, and wildlife would keep all but the hardiest from travelling into the interior to areas that are now Osceola County.

Osceola County was formed from parts of Brevard and Orange counties, and Kissimmee was designated the county seat of government. The region grew rapidly with merchants, churches, and entertainment offering an oasis to homesteaders living in smaller communities. The county’s namesake, Osceola, was never a chief but is remembered as a great fighter and resistance leader. His arrest while approaching truce talks under a white flag and later, his death in an Army prison in 1838 at age 34 created the legacy of the undefeated Seminoles. On May 12, 1887, the Florida Legislature established Osceola County, honoring the name of “a warrior of great distinction.”

Wandering through the museum, you’ll find interesting facts like Osceola County has the highest concentration of nesting bald Eagles in the lower 48 United States. The abundant lakes, vast open spaces, and proper nesting trees allow Osceola to be one of the best places in the United States to see this majestic bird.

In the late 19th century, only the wealthy could travel to the warm climate of Florida. They found wild, unpaved, unpopulated land with unique natural landscapes, vastly different from anything found in northern states. Even in the dead of winter, visitors enjoyed golf, swimming, hunting, and boat rides. Hotels and tourism built an industry around these visitors which allowed for travel writers, poets, and artists as well as conservation pioneers to capture enchanting images of the local rivers, swamps, and marshlands.

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Gail Clifford

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