Frontier Days (cont.)
Unlike cowboys on the western frontier, South Florida "cowmen" used braided leather whips and small catch-dogs to herd and handle their fast-running cows. Today, cattle ranching is still a vital part of the County's economy with over 10,000 head of beef cattle and 44 working ranches in operation.

Collier County's creation in 1923 and its early economic growth were closely tied to Memphis-born millionaire, Barron Gift Collier. With his fortune from streetcar advertising, Collier introduced paved roads, electric power, telegraphs, and countless new modern services and improvements to Florida's last frontier.

Barron Collier's completion of the Tamiami Trail in 1928 also unlocked the region's enormous agricultural and resort potential. Florida's first commercial oil well was brought in at Sunniland in 1943, and Collier County's cypress logging industry flourished at Copeland well into the 1950s.