Croom’s History started with the Buttgenbach Mine back in 1883 and is a little difficult to track down.
So this may not be pretty, and we are going to do our best to aggregate the information we can find here on an ongoing basis.
Please contact us if you have any information, pictures or suggestions you can add to this page.
Indirectly, you can trace Croom’s history back to 1883, when phosphate mining began in Alachua County, and then spread south. About 75 percent of the phosphate used in the United States, mostly to make fertilizer, comes from Florida, even though there are only a few companies left that mine it.
The phosphate rock in Florida lies as shallow as 15 feet underground, to about 50 feet, mixed with clay and sand. Phosphate mines, using massive draglines, dug pits to get to the phosphate, leaving mounds of clay and sand after removing the phosphate. Eventually, the miners moved on, leaving a perfect area for motorcycle and ATV riding. The land here was purchased by the state from the federal government almost 50 years ago. It was formally opened to riders in 1973, established jointly by The Florida Trail Riders, a nonprofit riding club, and the Department of Agriculture, and, says Bolton, “has been growing ever since. Phenomenally.” Read more about Buttgenbach Mine (now Buttgenbach Campground) and Croom’s History…
American Motorcyclist Article, “Wasteland to Playland”