ANNUAL BOOMTOWN DAYS FESTIVAL IN DUNNELLON FLORIDA




 

Dunnellon is one of the oldest phosphate mining city/river ports on the Withlacoochee River and today still retains much of its turn-of-the century charm as sleep little southern river town. The annual festival showcases the city and the area's heritage along with our Living History Cracker camps demonstrating how the life was back in the 1850's.  A working cow camp demonstrates the daily life of the early Cracker with hide tanning, vintage guns, coffee grinding, butter churning and samples of cooked "swamp cabbage stew".
"Cracker Cow Camp Model 1857 McLellan saddle and bridles exhibit. The McClellan saddle features an open, metal-reinforced wooden tree. Saddle skirts of harness leather are screwed to the sidebars. The rigging is similar to that found on the Hope saddle. Stirrups are hickory or oak"

The Florida Cracker Cow Hunter Camp was set up for the 2006 Dunnellon Annual Boomtown Days Festival
Below are more pictures of our camp 
Grinding coffee beans for some good trail coffee Chowing down on the swamp cabbage stew for lunch Getting in line for some swamp cabbage stew Cracker eating some corn bread Two Cracker Cow Hunters taking time out Questions on the skulls A slow day in Boomtown Cutting wood for the cooking fire Checking out the new spurs Cracker Cow Hunter chowing down on the Swamp Cabbage Stew