Today on Blog Tour Tuesday we are featuring a new release by Danni Roan, Meg.
Florida Cracker Culture:
 |
| Cracker in Florida |
Before
the States were even independent the Spanish brought cattle and horses to
Florida where they settled. When the Spanish left this sunny state they turned
these animals loose to fend for themselves. Not only did they survive they
thrived.
As
American’s settled the lush green state they collected these free range animals
and Cracker Cowboy Culture was born.
The cowboys, known as Crackers would drive the brush cattle
out of the thick palmetto forests using whips that cracked thus earning them
the name “Crackers”. These hearty cow hunters worked long days in the
sweltering heat accompanied by their dogs who helped to track down the crafty
cows hidden in the undergrowth.
In my latest story, Meg:
Book Three of the Cattleman’s Daughters, the hero Clayton Allen explains
this to his new boss when he takes up residence on the Broken J ranch where he
arrives with his Cracker horse Duke.
Here’s how he explained the cow hunters of Florida:
Clayton
walked the horse to one of the stalls standing open n
ear the front of the barn,
slipped the ornate black bridle over the animal’s head and replaced it with a
simple rope halter, then he turned and began unbuckling the saddle.
“He’s
a good looking horse, I’ll have to say. A stud I see. What breed is he? He’s
got the look of a mustang but is bigger and more rounded.” (Joshua James)
“He’s
a Cracker horse sir.” The young man replied, his voice resonating with pride.
“Bred and raised right there back home. He’s a pretty easy soul to work with
but he does like the ladies.” He added with a wink.
“Florida Cracker
horses descended from the horses the Spanish left behind when they gave up the
place. We cow hunters just sorta’ picked ‘em up over time and through some
careful breeding some families ended up with really fine stock like Duke here.”
“Why,
where I’m from the Parton’s and the Bronson’s are both well known for their
Florida horses.” For a moment the punchers face clouded, but then it passed and
he smiled again, swinging the heavy saddle up onto the railing beside the
stall. “I sure was glad to be able to keep ol’ Duke when I left.”
“Son,
why do you call them cow hunters down in Florida instead of cowpokes like we
use out west here?” Joshua was curious about the strange terminology and wasn't
afraid to ask.
“Most
folk actually call us Crackers sir, just like our horses. The name comes from
the cracking sound of our whips we use instead of lariats."
To
illustrate he pulled the coil from his belt and gave it soft crack. The black
horse perked its ears and nickered.
"Florida is so
full of scrub and thick undergrowth that it’s harder than blue blazes to get a
rope on a cow but you can drive ‘em easy enough using this bit of equipment.”
He tapped the whip as he recoiled the long strand and fastened it on his
saddle.
About Meg, Book Three in The Cattleman’s
Daugher:
Things aren’t always as they appear.
Clayton Allen is a man with a secret, one he clings to
making it possible to control his rage. After being cheated out of his
ancestral Florida home, he strikes out on his own hoping to find a place to
start over and thinks the Broken J might just give him a chance. But how long
can he hold his mask of teasing dandy in place before everyone knows him for
who he truly is?
Muiread (Meg) James, romantic and dreamy, longs for the
excitement of the big city. Her head is so full of thoughts of tall, dark and
handsome heroes, that when confronted with the real thing her pride threatens
to destroy them both. Her fiery temper and Penny Dreadful dreams of chivalry
will toss her straight into a situation that might not only be her undoing, but
may demolish the trust of the Broken J.
Will two people determined to best the other finally hear
the call of a wandering heart and be joined together or be shattered by the
impact of their wills?
You can purchase Meg on Amazon by clicking HERE.
About
the Author:
Danni Roan, born in rural western Pennsylvania, has always loved
the country life. Danni, a Florida transplant was fascinated to learn that the
largest privately owned ranch in the USA was only thirty minutes from her new
home. Being a teacher of English and
English as a Second Language for the past twelve years has only inspired
Danni's love of writing Western Historical Fiction. After receiving her Masters
of Education in Teaching English as a Foreign Language she determined to
indulge her passion for fiction writing. Teaching both in the USA and abroad
has exposed Danni to a wide range of people from all walks of life and she
tries to capture that unique character in her work.
For more information regarding Danni, visit her at the following
links. She would love to hear from you.
Tweet this blog post:
Things aren’t always as they appear. MEG, Book 3 Cattleman’s
Daughter http://bit.ly/20LUD9D
#BlogTourTues #SweetAmerSweethearts
I just love this type of history. Thank you for sharing. Book sounds wonderful. Doris McCraw/Angela Raines
ReplyDelete