Most people believe that the cattle industry and “cowboy culture” were first established in the American West, and over the years popular movies and media have supported this idea.  However, history dictates differently!

Florida Crackers: the Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida tells the remarkable story of a previously unrecognized aspect of Florida’s heritage: the Cracker cowboys and the beginnings of the earliest cattle industry in America.

The story of this little-known pioneer culture dates back to 1521, when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in what is now Florida and introduced the first cattle and horses into North America.

In the decades that followed, additional settlers from Spain continued to arrive, establishing missions and cattle ranches and thus giving rise to the first cowboys and cattle industry in America. 

In the early 1800s settlers of mainly Celtic and British descent began moving into Florida, rounding up the Spanish cattle and horses that had thrived in Florida’s unique environment and establishing cattle operations of their own.

Some descendants of these early pioneering families still play a major role in Florida’s cattle industry to this day, working the land and raising the cattle that their families have owned for generations. 

For the first time ever in a high-definition, feature-length documentary film, Florida Crackers: the Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida has captured the story of these real-life cowboys.

Shot on working ranches in Florida’s pristine cattle country, the film provides an exclusive inside view into the Florida Cracker lifestyle:  their history, their culture, and the uncertain future they face as they strive to preserve their way of life in a fast-paced modern world. more

"Florida Crackers" is a 90-minute feature now available on DVD!