Babcock Wilderness Adventures

ABOUT US

The Babcock story begins in the logging town of Ashtola, Pennsylvania. Mr. Edward Vose (E.V.) Babcock founded Babcock Lumber Company there in 1889. The company has since grown to be one of the largest lumber companies in the country. In 1914, E.V. Babcock founded Babcock Florida Company and purchased 156,000 acres of land in Florida. His son, Mr. Fred Babcock transferred 65,000 acres of this land to the state in the 1940’s. Today, this state land is called Fred C. Babcock / Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. The remainder of the property, some 90,000+ acres is known today as the Crescent B Ranch.

Originally the land was bought for its stand of longleaf pine and cypress, and logging was the main activity during the early part of its history. What is now Ranch headquarters was at one time the logging town of Rouxville-population approximately 200. The railroad ran through the ranch to provide shipping for the logging trade. Railway boxcars with the wheels removed provided homes for many of the residents.