For centuries, the Seminole Tribe in Florida have been expert cattlemen and an important part of Florida cattle ranching history and industry. The first recorded participation in organized cattle ranching by the Seminole Tribe occurred in the 1740s. After the Spaniards left Florida, some Seminole communities gathered the wild herds of beef cattle that remained. Seminole Native Americans had numerous conflicts against European-American frontier settlers, including many land disputes over cattle grazing access. By 1775, the prominent leader Cowkeeper, Ahaya Seacoffee, had built a community in the Oconee Creek region and created what was then the largest settlement in Florida in the Alachua area. During the Civil War, a mad dash to collect wild cattle ushered in the age of the cattle rustler, and cattle theft skyrocketed with the post-Civil War demand for food and resources. Seminole Tribes around Big Cypress and Lake Okeechobee continued to raise cattle despite pressure and violence from rustlers. The Seminole Tribe and Florida Cracker Cowboys worked cooperatively to deter cattle rustlers, and Cracker ranchers frequently hired Seminole cattlemen because they knew the country so well and were talented cattle-herding experts. Seminole cattlemen knew the best pastures and how to rotate herds to optimize beef production. The Indian Livestock Association was created in 1939. In 1944, the Seminole Tribe created separate ranch operations in Brighton and Big Cypress under the supervision of the Central Tribal Cattle Organization. Today, the Seminole Tribe is recognized as one of Florida's leading beef producers, promoting tribal cattle herds across the country through video auctions and working with other communities for mutual economic benefit in the Florida cattle industry through the National American Indian Cattlemen's Association.