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The State Live Stock Sanitary Board was created in 1923 (Ch. 9201, Laws) to regulate Florida's livestock industry. With seven to nine members chosen by the governor, the board regulated the import and export of meat and livestock, inspected meat sellers, and controlled animal diseases such as cattle tick fever, hog cholera, and tuberculosis. The board also appointed a state veterinarian to oversee day to day operations. The first state veterinarian was J.V. Knapp. His successor was C.L. Campbell, who served from 1952-1961. In 1953, the Board's name was changed to the Florida Livestock Board. That Board was abolished in January 1961 and its duties transferred to the Dept. Of Agriculture's Division of Animal Industry (Ch. 59-54; CH. 61-59, Laws). One of the major functions of the Board was the eradication of tick fevers. In the early 1900s, the Texas Tick fever entered Florida from imported cattle. By the 1920s, the State Livestock Sanitary Board was requiring all cattle owners to dip their cows with an arsenic solution every 14 days. The state reimbursed them 3 cents for every head of cattle. In 1935, the tropical tick fever broke resulting in more treatments and Board-led destruction of thousands of white-tail deer which they believed harbored the tick. The program was continued until the 1950s.
Summary:
This series consist of records of the state veterinarian that document the State Livestock Sanitary Board's efforts to eradicate tick fevers from Florida cattle between 1933 to 1951. Records include correspondence, government forms, surveys, maps, Board minutes and yearly reports. These records provide evidence of the Board's many eradication methods including cattle dipping, quarantines, inspections, and deer slaughter, as well the many conflicts and disputes between ranchers and the state. Included are records documenting the legal battles between the Board and the Seminole tribe over deer eradication on reservations. The series also provides information on the state's cattle industry, the veterinarian field of the mid-Twentieth century, and changes to Florida's environment. Much of the material from the 1930s documents Florida's participation in New Deal relief efforts, including the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
The records are not complete. Records for the years 1939-1940, 1943, 1945 and 1948 are missing. Also, 1949 only contains files M through Z. See series 1891 (State veterinarian correspondence files) for earlier material on tick eradication. See series 1231 for tick eradication files from 1960 and 1962.
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Knapp, Jean Vincent, 1889-1952.
Florida. State Livestock Sanitary Board. United States. Dept. of Agriculture. Works Progress Administration (U.S.) Florida Emergency Relief Administration.
Animal industry Florida Agriculture Florida Cattle Florida Veterinarians Florida Ranches Florida Tick-borne diseases in animals. Deer. Insect pests Control. Indians of North America Florida Seminole Indians. New Deal, 1933-1939.
Minutes. aat Reports. aat
Added Entries
Works Progress Administration (U.S.)
United States. Federal Emergency Relief Administration
United States. Civil Works Administration
United States. Dept. of Agriculture
for detailed listing.