"One of the most colorful characters in early DeSoto County was "Bone" Mizell. He was born in 1863 in the Horse Creek settlement in Manatee County. His father, Morgan, and his uncle Enoch were early pioneers of the area.

Bone worked in the cattle industry most of his life, first for his father, then worked at various times for cattle baron, Eli O. Morgan, the Parker Brothers, and was forman for Ziba king. He worked the cattle ranges that stretched from Orlando and south to the upper Everglades.

Bone was six feet tall, with a lean rawboned face that was tanned a deep brown, from all the years that he spent outdoors. It's said that he slept on the ground more than he ever slept in a bed. He spoke with a lisp and a slight wheeze, and was teased by his boyhood friends. He developed a sharp wit in defense and was a notorious prankster. Former Desoto County Sheriff, Les Dishong, once said that just the way he looked and talked made you laugh. Life-long Desoto resident, Gene Harn, said that "Bone didn't mean to be funny, it just came out that way."

He was uneducated, barely able to write his name, but he managed to keep accounts in his head and remembered dozens of cattle brands. He once owned a grocery store at Pine Level, but his easy going nature and generosity with friends and credit caused him to finally close the store and go back to what he loved the most, riding the range

The famed painter, Frederic Remington, visited the area in 1885, where he documented the cowboys everyday life. One painting shows Bone on his horse, with his dog beside them"(photo)

Source: DeSoto County Historical Society