The term “Cracker” originated in Florida. When the “women folk” heard the
whips cracking from far away, they would yell out “Here come the Crackers!”
The ranchers would drive the herds right through the middle of town on the
way to Charlotte Harbor.
60GASPARILLA ISLAND March/April 2019
Crackers use whips to drive the cattle, not really
whipping the cattle just cracking the whips above their
heads to keep them moving. Now, I’m sure there were
many head of cattle that did get a crack or two from the
whips, if they didn’t take heed from the warning cracks.
The Crackers also used whip sounds to communicate to
the other Crackers on the drive. Two whip cracks meant
“cows are coming,” three whip cracks meant “I need help.”
So that whip became, and still is, a very important part of
Florida cattle history.
If you’ve ever heard the crack of a Cracker whip, you
know how loud they can be, and it probably got your
attention. If you haven’t ever heard a Cracker whip crack,
then just email me and I’ll come do a demonstration of
how the Crackers would crack those whips.
So next time you are headed to Gasparilla Island and
you pass the small herds of cattle on
Gasparilla Road, stop for a second and think
about this brief history I was asked to share
with you.
G
M
Florida Cracker: Why are they called that?
What is that? What does that mean?