Florida Cracker Cowboys and the Cattle They Saved

Florida Cracker Cowboys and the Cattle They Saved

Reading Time: 9 minutesLong before Florida became known for beaches, citrus groves, retirement communities, and theme parks, cattle moved through its pine forests, marshes, prairies, and palmetto scrub. The people who managed them did not always resemble the cowboys later made famous by Western films. Florida cattle workers were commonly called cowmen or cow hunters. They rode small, agile horses, relied on trained dogs, and used the sound of cr…