Seminole Tribe's Ties to Florida Ranch Traced Back to Polly Parker's Escape

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A new book, "Cow Creek Chronicles" by Gregory Enns, explores the untold story of how Polly Parker, a Muskogee-speaking Cow Creek Seminole, escaped forced relocation in 1858 and eventually settled along Cow Creek in what is now Adams Ranch in Fort Pierce, Florida. The book details how Polly's story is intertwined with the history of the Adams family ranch and the growth of the Seminole Tribe, which credits the women who escaped with helping repopulate the tribe to its current size of 4,000 members.

Why it matters

Polly Parker's escape and subsequent settlement on the land that would become Adams Ranch played a pivotal role in shaping the history and culture of the Seminole Tribe and the local Fort Pierce community. Her story highlights the resilience and perseverance of the Seminole people in the face of forced displacement, and how their connection to the land has endured over generations.

The details

In 1858, U.S. soldiers kidnapped Polly Parker at Fisheating Creek and forced her on a 135-mile trek to Egmont Key, where she and other Native Americans were to be relocated to Western reservations along the Trail of Tears. However, when the ship stopped at Fort St. Marks, Polly and a few other women escaped and made their way 340 miles to the Lake Okeechobee area. Polly eventually settled along Cow Creek, near what is now the Adams Ranch in Fort Pierce, and would often venture into the town to trade at the local general store. Her descendants later moved to the Brighton Reservation, but some, like the Tommie family, remained in the Fort Pierce area, building a family camp on Midway Road until they were forced off the land in 1984.

• In 1858, Polly Parker was kidnapped by U.S. soldiers and forced on a 135-mile trek to Egmont Key.
• In 1882, settler Emily Lagow Bell first documented Polly's visits to the Fort Pierce area to trade at the P.P. Cobb general store.
• In 1895, Polly took settler Mary Summerlin back to her camp west of Fort Pierce.
• In 1909, photographer Harry E. Hill took the only known picture of Polly at his studio, now Pierced Ciderworks.
• In the 1930s, Alto Adams Sr. and his son Bud would take food to the last Seminole living in Polly's Hammock, though she had died 15 years before Alto bought the land.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The book "Cow Creek Chronicles" by Gregory Enns is the first to fully explore the untold story of Polly Parker's escape and her connection to the Adams Ranch and the Seminole Tribe. The book's release is expected to generate further interest and research into this important piece of Florida and Native American history.