Oil rigs in the swamp

Oil drilling has been taking place in the area that now includes Big Cypress for more than sixty years. During World War II, when oil was in short supply and badly needed to power the war effort, the federal government created incentives to locate and drill for oil in Florida. In 1943, the Collier family found oil in Sunniland Field, near the northwest corner of what is now the preserve. Till today, they actively extract from the preserve.