I had got a little bit past Lake Gentry when I came upon my next adventure…..
This day I saw my first cattle drive…..
Here came some cowboys driving a herd of Brahman cattle. One of them hollered over to me and asked me to please wait while they opened up a gate. The cows came out onto the road and headed south, the same way I was going. There were four cowboys driving about 150 cows. The back guy had a bull whip and was cracking it to keep them going. Even though I stayed over to the side of the road, the first two horses were spooked by me being there and the riders had a hard time holding them steady.
The introduction of cattle to Florida is a very interesting story. It seems that the first cattle and also horses were brought to north Florida by Spanish explorers in the early 1500’s. They were from the costal areas of Andalusia, Spain. The cattle were left behind to roam after the Spaniards were forced to flee to their ships by the Calusa Indians. These cattle were not Brahma. This original Spanish stock were small and adapted to the Florida heat, parasites and the relatively low-quality forage of the grasslands, swamps and forests…..
In the 1600’s the Spanish expanded their cattle production in Florida. This allowed them to export outside the country through the connections they had with Cuba. This trading with Cuba lasted for more than 300 years. Because of this a major commercial industry was started. It therefore was the first commercial industry to develop in the New World. It was the beginning of Florida’s agriculture industry.
The cattle that descended from these first Spanish animals were later called Florida “Cracker” cattle. It is believed that the name came from the Florida cowboys that herded the cows with their bull whips cracking in the air. In fact Florida had both the first cattle and cowboys in this new country!.....
As an interesting side note, the great western illustrator and artist of horses, cowboys and Indians, Frederick Remington, also wrote short stories. In the book, Crooked Trails which is a facsimile of his 1898 edition he wrote a story entitled “Cracker Cowboys of Florida.” In it he describes the cowboys after the cattle trade had all but disappeared from Cuba and there was just a little money to be made from Key West and some local settlements. These cowboys were of a “generally bedraggled appearance.” So he doesn't give the cracker cowboys very much credit at that time because his experience and love were naturally of the west. Even so, it is written with a local dialect and gives one insight into the life of the cowboys and the landscape of the times.
He was born in 1861 in Canton, New York. By 1890, Frederick Remington was the most respected illustrator in America. In June of 1898 with a commission from Harpers Weekly he traveled with the invasion troops during the Spanish American war from Florida to Cuba. While he was in Florida he was able to write one of his few non-western stories including some great illustrations depicting the Florida cowboy.
One thing unusual about the Florida Cracker cattle is that their horns point up rather than out like the Texas Longhorns. This may be an adaptation for moving about the low-lying tree branches and through the scrubby Florida land.
In the early 1900’s different types of Brahman cattle were imported from India. They were cross bred with the Florida cracker cattle and produced an excellent breed of larger beef animal which were even more productive. In 1965, to save the original Florida Cracker cattle from cross-breeding and extinction, the Florida Agriculture Commission solicited donations from owners of the original herds. A State-of-Florida herd of Cracker cattle and a breeders association were started.
I let the cattle herd get a long ways ahead of me before I started walking again.I had got a little bit past Lake Gentry when I came upon my next adventure…..
This day I saw my first cattle drive…..
Here came some cowboys driving a herd of Brahman cattle. One of them hollered over to me and asked me to please wait while they opened up a gate. The cows came out onto the road and headed south, the same way I was going. There were four cowboys driving about 150 cows. The back guy had a bull whip and was cracking it to keep them going. Even though I stayed over to the side of the road, the first two horses were spooked by me being there and the riders had a hard time holding them steady.
The introduction of cattle* to Florida is a very interesting story. It seems that the first cattle and also horses were brought to north Florida by Spanish explorers in the early 1500’s. They were from the costal areas of Andalusia, Spain. The cattle were left behind to roam after the Spaniards were forced to flee to their ships by the Calusa Indians. These cattle were not Brahma. This original Spanish stock were small and adapted to the Florida heat, parasites and the relatively low-quality forage of the grasslands, swamps and forests…..
In the 1600’s the Spanish expanded their cattle production in Florida. This allowed them to export outside the country through the connections they had with Cuba. This trading with Cuba lasted for more than 300 years. Because of this a major commercial industry was started. It therefore was the first commercial industry to develop in the New World. It was the beginning of Florida’s agriculture industry.
The cattle that descended from these first Spanish animals were later called Florida “Cracker” cattle.* It is believed that the name came from the Florida cowboys that herded the cows with their bull whips cracking in the air. In fact Florida had both the first cattle and cowboys in this new country!.....
As an interesting side note, the great western illustrator and artist of horses, cowboys and Indians, Frederick Remington, also wrote short stories. In the book, Crooked Trails* which is a facsimile of his 1898 edition he wrote a story entitled “Cracker Cowboys of Florida.” In it he describes the cowboys after the cattle trade had all but disappeared from Cuba and there was just a little money to be made from Key West and some local settlements. These cowboys were of a “generally bedraggled appearance.” So he doesn't give the cracker cowboys very much credit at that time because his experience and love were naturally of the west. Even so, it is written with a local dialect and gives one insight into the life of the cowboys and the landscape of the times.
He was born in 1861 in Canton, New York. By 1890, Frederick Remington* was the most respected illustrator in America. In June of 1898 with a commission from Harpers Weekly he traveled with the invasion troops during the Spanish American war from Florida to Cuba. While he was in Florida he was able to write one of his few non-western stories including some great illustrations depicting the Florida cowboy.
One thing unusual about the Florida Cracker cattle is that their horns point up rather than out like the Texas Longhorns. This may be an adaptation for moving about the low-lying tree branches and through the scrubby Florida land.
In the early 1900’s different types of Brahman cattle* were imported from India. They were cross bred with the Florida cracker cattle and produced an excellent breed of larger beef animal which were even more productive. In 1965, to save the original Florida Cracker cattle from cross-breeding and extinction, the Florida Agriculture Commission solicited donations from owners of the original herds. A State-of-Florida herd of Cracker cattle and a breeders association were started.
I let the cattle herd get a long ways ahead of me before I started walking again.
About the Author: After getting out of the Army Bob Kranich backpacked from the Georgia border to Key West in a 40 day adventure walk across Florida. His recently published book A Walk Across Florida is available from his website or Amazon.com
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