30th-annual Cracker Trail Ride starts Feb. 18 in Bradenton

It won’t exactly be from sea to shining sea, but it will be close.

The Florida Cracker Trail Ride, which normally starts at Kibler Ranch, 15 miles east of Interstate 75, this year starts in Bradenton at 15th Street East, next door to the Manatee Village Historical Park.

Now in its 30th year, the ride commemorates the 19th century cross-state cattle drives between Bradenton and Fort Pierce.

“The Cracker Trail follows an east/west route across the state of Florida that has existed since approximately 1850. This trail was used by Florida’s early settlers to traverse the state,” according to a historic marker at Manatee Village Historical Park.

The park is home to several historic buildings and the iconic 1915 locomotive, “Old Cabbage Head.” Among the park’s exhibits is a display on ranching in Manatee County.

“Ranching was a foundation for a big part of the community. It helped keep some of our pioneers out of a depression after Civil War reconstruction, especially with the Cuban cattle trade,” said Melissa Porter, education and volunteer coordinator for the park.

In 1987, the Florida Legislature designated the park as the western terminus of the Florida Cracker Trail.

Trail boss Suzanne Park, who has taken part in 16 of the trail rides, said she was delighted to be able to start this year’s event Bradenton.

“We begged and pleaded for this for years,” Parks said.

The Bradenton Police Department will escort about 25 experienced riders from 15th Street East to Morgan Johnson Road, starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 18. From there, they will be loaded on trucks and trailers and transported to the Kibler Ranch campground.

“This is terrific,” Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said of the start of the ride at Manatee Village Historical Park. “It’s a part of agricultural history for the whole state of Florida. Too many times today we lose sight of the value of our history.”

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office will provide escort for the riders along State Road 64 between Kibler Ranch and the eastern county line, but not between Morgan Johnson Road and the ranch, sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow said. That stretch of highway is too busy and unsafe for riders, he said.

When riders arrive at Kibler Ranch from Bradenton, they will join the Heritage Festival featuring leather workers, home crafters and more, Park said. The public is invited to visit the campground between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Feb. 18.

About 125 riders are expected to depart Kibler Ranch for Fort Pierce at 8 a.m. Feb. 19.

“I was hoping to start from the Bradenton marina,” Park said. “But it’s not going to happen. We’ll take what we can get.”

Riders camp at various ranches as they make their way across the state. They will arrive in Fort Pierce on Feb. 25 and parade through the city to the Atlantic Ocean.

For more information, visit the Florida Cracker Trail Association web site.

This story was originally published February 12, 2017 at 5:19 PM with the headline "30th-annual Cracker Trail Ride starts Feb. 18 in Bradenton."