The History of the Cracker Trail

THE HISTORY OF THE CRACKER TRAIL

CRACKER TRAIL DUTCH OVEN GROUP

SOUTH CENTRAL FLORIDA, UNITED STATES

In 1521 when Spaniard Ponce de Leon returned to Florida he brought horses and 7 Andalusian cattle (ancestors of the Texas Longhorn). He, and other Spanish explorers turned Florida into America's oldest cattle-raising state. Florida was open range. If cattle were not branded or earmarked, any man good with a rope or that could drive them into corral could round up what unmarked cattle he could. Cattle were gathered by "cowhunters", cowboys using 10'-12' whips made of braided leather, making snapping sounds in the air made a loud crack that kept the cattle moving and earned the cowboys the nickname of "crackers". The Cracker Trail runs from just East of Bradenton, and ends in Ft. Pierce, a total distance of approximately 120 miles. This trail was used to move cattle to the sea ports where they would be shipped to Cuba and other locations. During the Civil War, Florida became a chief supplier of cattle to the Confereracy, both for meat and leather. By the 1880's, cow camps were located in every section of the state. Florida still raises the third largest number of cattle of any state East of the Mississippi.