Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Treasure Hammock Ranch was established in 1943 by Indian River County pioneer Waldo E. Sexton, who arrived in 1913. The ranch and surrounding lands comprise headwaters of the Sebastian River set in a Chapter 298 Drainage District by the Florida Legislature in 1927. The east portion of the ranch was broken out of the original Kenmore Cattle Company of Gilbert Barkoskie, Hubert Graves, Prescott Gardner, and Sexton when the partnership was dissolved. The bridge, barn, cattle pens, weigh scales, dipping vat, and one-of-a-kind wooden squeeze chute were all built with vernacular materials and workmanship, and remain in their original state. Since its inception, the ranch has been a source of feeder calves and seed-stock. Originally devoted to breeding dwarf Guinea cattle, derived from European strains, and Brahman cattle, the ranch produced a small, thrifty hybrid for Florida's subtropical conditions. It evolved toward modern production standards and in 1953, became a founding member of the Florida Beef Cattle Improvement Association. Herds of the ranch are still driven on the historic Ranch Road (now 82nd Ave.) as was customary for decades. The farmstead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.