ELKCAM FARM - THE FIRST TWELVE YEARS
ELKCAM FARM - THE FIRST TWELVE YEARS
In the 1960s Ocala, Florida emerged as another center for the Thoroughbred breeding industry. But the Mackles were ahead of their time. The home for their thoroughbred horse breeding business – and a place that the Mackle family could enjoy – would be in in south-central Florida, in Highlands County near the town of Lake Placid.
It is interesting to note that this pre-dated, by four or five years, their moving their business out of Dade (now Miami-Dade) County to Broward County, Charlotte County and beyond. Apparently, they were already looking around Florida. Of course, they had first come to Florida only thirteen years earlier to Delray Beach and built and sold homes in Palm Beach County and – briefly – Manatee County before the war. The war had taken them to Key West and to the west coast of Florida, at Placida, as well. So, I guess, it is not surprising – since travel was strictly by car over narrow two-lane roads which crossed Florida – that they had discovered the Lake Placid area.
Driving from South Florida or from the east or west coast of the state one travels over many miles of flat land. Those roads pass through the everglades from the south and the low-lands and flat pine lands from the east and west. Then - to one’s surprise - the land rises into the rolling, lake dotted ridge that extends from (and characterizes) the Orlando – Lakeland areas to the north. As can be seen on the following topo map, lands range from five to ten feet surrounding the ridge to over 100 feet in elevation on the ridge. With that rise in elevation comes a change from lowland muck to rolling hills, sandy soil – perfect for raising citrus trees – and beautiful freshwater lakes.
They paid $27,500 for it.
The story was told for years how the Mitchells had bragged about “taking” those Miami-uns”.