Who are the Historians?
See Also: Historic Byway Overview, Historic Travel Guide
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Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings The quote below from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings captures the deep connection many people feel for this wild and untamed area of Florida. She discovered a spiritual bond with nature itself here, and has been one of the area’s great storytellers, with the location of her most famous novel, The Yearling, set along the scenic byway.
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Dana Ste. Claire Dana Ste. Claire was raised near the byway, and fell in love with the area and its people so deeply, he wrote a book, Cracker, about the complex and often misunderstood history of that group. This is a photo of Herbert Kinsey, at whose house Dana learned how swamp cabbage and cooter (turtle) were prepared and eaten. As a boy Dana marveled at the resourcefulness, pride and wisdom of Kinsey, whom he now regards as the “ideal cracker.”
Links: Amazon: Cracker: Cracker Culture in Florida History |
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Rick Tonyan Rick Tonyan spent years researching local Florida “cow hunter” involvement in the Civil War for his novel, Guns of the Palmetto Plains. Rick considers himself a “Florida Cracker,” and has cracked a whip since he was a boy. This “cracking” of the whip is one thing that made the Florida cow hunters unique – they kept the cattle together with the sound of the whip, to avoid the entanglements lassoes would bring in the Florida foliage.
Links: Guns of the Palmetto Plains (Cracker Western) |