This geocache is part of the Harvest & Ranch Trail of GeoTour – Sebring Area Florida’s Hidden Gem (GT48D). Visit https://visitsebring.com/activities/geocaching/ for complete information. Print off passport from link provided and log codewords from each geocache part of the GeoTour to obtain a free trackable coin. Please be mindful of vegetation around the area.
The area of Highlands Hammock was first named Hooker Hammock, named from the fact that Captain Hooker had a “cow camp” a little west of the Hammock. He was a captain during the Indian wars in the 1840s and 50s. Authorities say Captain Hooker never owned the land, but rather Jonathan Skipper had bought 40 acres in 1881, from the Atlantic Land and Improvement Co. Skipper, in turn, developed only a small portion of his land, just enough for his homestead and a small orange grove. By 1920, Skipper’s son, Chesley Skipper, had acquired the title to several hundred acres of the Hammock and the surrounding area. It was at that time that a group of Sebring businessmen formed a corporation called Hooker Hammock Farms. The intention of the corporation was to promote farming in the area. They bought the Hammock for fifty dollars per acre for a total of $22,500, from Chesley Skipper. The local people did not agree with the idea of turning the Hammock into farmland. So during 1929, a movement began by the citizens to designate the Hammock as a national park or monument. It was at that time when they vowed to protect and preserve the land.