Yeehaw Junction in Osceola County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

MISSING

SEE LOCATION SECTION

The Desert Inn

Desert Inn Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Julie Szabo, September 14, 2007

1. Desert Inn Marker

Inscription. The Desert Inn was founded as a trading post in the late 1880s. The present building dates before 1925 and served as a supply and recreational center for cattle drovers, lumber men and tourists during the era when much of Osceola County was still undeveloped wilderness. Cowmen working the free ranging cattle on the palmetto prairie and lumber men cutting timber in the nearby pine lands came to the Desert Inn to eat, drink, and dance at this “oasis” where they could enjoy some relief from their arduous labors. Local patrons of the trading post and restaurant included African Americans and Seminoles, who had separate dining facilities in the era of segregation. The construction of roads in the 1930s brought tourists to the area, and a set of overnight cabins were erected behind the original building. Today the Desert Inn continues to be a popular destination for tourists and local residents. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Erected 1996 by The Desert Inn and the Florida Department of State. A Florida Heritage Site. (Marker Number F-369.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location.

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Marker is missing. It was located near 27° 42′ N, 80° 54.277′ W. Marker was in Yeehaw Junction, Florida, in Osceola County. It was at the intersection of State Road 60 and South Kenansville Road (U.S. 441), on the left when traveling east on State Road 60. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 5570 South Kenansville Rd, Okeechobee FL 34972, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Greater Orlando

and in Central Florida.

It was also in the American South.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within 14 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Kenansville School (approx. 13.4 miles away).

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Desert Inn and Restaurant. (Submitted on November 4, 2007.)

Additional commentary.
1. The Desert Inn closed in July of 2018.
Went there today 12/8/2019 This has closed down and not sure how long ago. Very sad.

— Submitted December 8, 2019, by Janet Pratt of Spring Hill, Florida.

2. The Desert Inn
Unfortunately the Desert Inn was plowed into by a semi-truck in late December 2019. The building was almost totally demolished and probably is beyond repair. I believe the historical marker is still standing,

Desert Inn and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Julie Szabo, September 14, 2007

2. Desert Inn and Marker

but I am not certain about that.

— Submitted February 16, 2020, by Roy S of Vero Beach, Florida.

The destroyed Desert Inn with marker still standing. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bob Bernier

3. The destroyed Desert Inn with marker still standing.

The Desert Inn Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dave W, November 13, 2022

4. The Desert Inn Marker

You can see the post that the sign used to be on behind the fence.

Desert Inn (1925) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by PaulwC3, March 18, 2007

5. Desert Inn (1925)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2007, by Julie Szabo of Oldsmar, Florida. This page has been viewed 4,082 times since then and 55 times this year. Last updated on December 14, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 1, 2007, by Julie Szabo of Oldsmar, Florida. 3. submitted on February 17, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 4. submitted on December 14, 2022, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. 5. submitted on July 3, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.