Butch Harrison
Florida Cracker Storyteller
Butch is availble for bookings and has told
stories at the following venues:
stories at the following venues:
- Environmental Meetings
- Festivals
- Nature Centers
- Schools
- Workshops
- Conferences
- Libraries
Contact Information:
Butch Harrison
12922 Garrison Road
Live Oak, Florida 32060
(386) 362-4870
12922 Garrison Road
Live Oak, Florida 32060
(386) 362-4870
E:Mail Butch at:
Butch can also be contacted through the administrator of this website at:
admin@thecrackertenor.com
You never know what part of the Sunshine State Butch is liable to be in,
but we will get the word to him on the sawgrass telegraph !
admin@thecrackertenor.com
You never know what part of the Sunshine State Butch is liable to be in,
but we will get the word to him on the sawgrass telegraph !
Butch Harrison
" Wild Florida’s Storytelling Guide"
As written by Jason Z. Dehart
Butch Harrison was born on Feb. 17, 1934 in South Florida and can’t remember a time when
he didn’t know how to swim, fish or tell stories about how wild Florida really was -- before
there were interstate highways, golf courses, and Disney.
"I’ve been a story teller all my life," Butch said. "And I’ve entertained people from all over the
world, and regaled them with stories of the Florida that used to be -- the ‘Glades, the ocean
and the Keys. One of the things I try to do is educate them about the real Florida. It was wilder
than Dodge City."
For 20 years Butch -- known as a "Real Florida Cracker" -- worked as a guide and a
photographer in the Everglades where he planned fishing, hunting, photography, bird
watching and site-seeing tours by airboat. His intimate knowledge of the fragile ecosystem
landed him feature spots on PM Magazine and Ford Truck Times, and he was one time
president of the Concerned Citizens for the Everglades.
During his time in South Florida, Butch advocated against the development of privately owned
land within the Everglades and took Senator Edmund Musky on a tour of the ‘Glades while an
environmental study of the Miami Airport was underway. His service as a guide was also put
to good use in helping search and rescue teams find downed aircraft in the ‘Glades.
Today, Butch is widely known across Florida as the man who can take groups of retirees,
kids, tourists and anybody else back in time to a land that really doesn’t exist anymore. His
colorful stories about Cracker Florida can be heard at schools, civic groups, folk festivals,
banquets and other venues; or, in his words, "Wherever I can get a group of people who want
to hear about the real Florida."
Butch enjoys telling folks about how cattle and horses first came to America’s shores, thanks
to Ponce de Leon’s failed efforts to colonize Florida. He talks about what it means to be a
Florida Cracker, and how the land has changed since it was first settled.
"The real Florida," he said, "was a vast area where cattle used to roam; there were vast areas
of marsh, wetlands, birds and critters. It was a time when we had many more freedoms, fewer
laws and less regulation."
Butch lives in Live Oak, Florida
he didn’t know how to swim, fish or tell stories about how wild Florida really was -- before
there were interstate highways, golf courses, and Disney.
"I’ve been a story teller all my life," Butch said. "And I’ve entertained people from all over the
world, and regaled them with stories of the Florida that used to be -- the ‘Glades, the ocean
and the Keys. One of the things I try to do is educate them about the real Florida. It was wilder
than Dodge City."
For 20 years Butch -- known as a "Real Florida Cracker" -- worked as a guide and a
photographer in the Everglades where he planned fishing, hunting, photography, bird
watching and site-seeing tours by airboat. His intimate knowledge of the fragile ecosystem
landed him feature spots on PM Magazine and Ford Truck Times, and he was one time
president of the Concerned Citizens for the Everglades.
During his time in South Florida, Butch advocated against the development of privately owned
land within the Everglades and took Senator Edmund Musky on a tour of the ‘Glades while an
environmental study of the Miami Airport was underway. His service as a guide was also put
to good use in helping search and rescue teams find downed aircraft in the ‘Glades.
Today, Butch is widely known across Florida as the man who can take groups of retirees,
kids, tourists and anybody else back in time to a land that really doesn’t exist anymore. His
colorful stories about Cracker Florida can be heard at schools, civic groups, folk festivals,
banquets and other venues; or, in his words, "Wherever I can get a group of people who want
to hear about the real Florida."
Butch enjoys telling folks about how cattle and horses first came to America’s shores, thanks
to Ponce de Leon’s failed efforts to colonize Florida. He talks about what it means to be a
Florida Cracker, and how the land has changed since it was first settled.
"The real Florida," he said, "was a vast area where cattle used to roam; there were vast areas
of marsh, wetlands, birds and critters. It was a time when we had many more freedoms, fewer
laws and less regulation."
Butch lives in Live Oak, Florida
" Life According To Butch Harrison "
As chronicled by Jason Z. Dehart
I have truly lived a good life. I have had the opportunity to do many things a great many
people only dream of . God has blessed me with the opportunity to enjoy the everglades,
the ocean, the Florida Keys, and a paradise that used to be called Florida.
Now the Florida I remember, is largely developed and in disarray.People building homes
on land that was never meant to be built on. We haven¹t had a really big wet hurricane
enter this country since 1947 which was the one that hit Palm Beach County with torrential
rains, recorded winds of 175 mph, gusts over 200 .To the best of my memory south Florida
was deluged by the rain and flooded. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, published that great
book, "The Everglades, River of Grass" early in 1947. After the September hurricane, she
wrote a postrscript in which she said that South
Florida as we know it was covered with a sheet of water anywhere from six inches to 10
feet deep. It covered over 5 million acres and in some locations took months to get the
water off the property. With all the hurricanes we¹ve seen this year, we¹ve really seen
nothing as far as power.
One of the hardest things I ever had to do was learn how to turn loose of things and turn it
over to my higher power, who I chose to call "The Boss". Which I do on a daily basis. And
today I¹ve been blessed with the fact that I have everything I need and my wants are not
that great. I try to be the maximum service to my fellow man, and try to treat them fairly and
justly. I¹ve been blessed with a multitude of friends and people who seem to care about me.
One of the things I¹ve learned is that few people really know about the real Florida that
used to be and one of the things I try to do in my storytelling is to educate them about the
real Florida. For instance what¹s the nickname of people who were born here or who
haved lived here a long,long time? "The Florida Cracker" And how did we get that name?
The early pioneers that came to Florida before the Civil War, came here with wagons and
carts drawn by oxen.To make these oxen pull the load, they would crack their whips. When
they arrived here in Florida, they found there were hundreds of thousands of wild cattle,
hogs, and horses that were yours for the catchin' and keepin'. But this country was so
rough with scrub oak, palmettos and wooded areas, they couldn¹t use their lariats but they
found that by elongating the whips they used to drive the oxen, they could move the cattle
with the use of the whip .It's my belief that the cracking of the whip is where we get the
nickname,Crackers.
There were cattle and horses and hogs in Florida before they were anywhere else in the
United States.The first cattle and horses were brought here in the year 1521 by Ponce de
Leon. He brought this livestock along with a group of colonists and landed somewhere
near Fort Myers in the Port Charlotte area. He and his colonists set out to build a village
and they were attacked by Calusa Indians, driven back to their ships, abandoning their
livestock. Ponce de Leon himself was hit with an arrow in the thigh, as understand it, made
it back to Cuba, where he died 2 weeks later.
People are in awe. They have no idea of the history under their feet. Most people don¹t
realize that a 150 years ago, this Florida was one of the wildest places on earth. Ahead of
Dodge City, Abilene, or any of those western towns.
If you like to read, and would really like to read about Florida, let me recommend
"A Land Remembered", by Patrick D. Smith. It¹s historical fiction that traces an early
pioneer family from the 1850s up through the late1960s. Through their trials tribulations
and gathering of fortunes.
The Florida that I knew as a boy and a young man no longer exists. We¹ve lost so many of
the things we consider our freedoms and our rights. For instance, there were so many
fewer laws and regulations that you had to adhere to 50 years ago. Policemen were
respected back then, for
example. Now, people have lost their respect for the police. When I was a young man,I
spent a great deal of my time moving on the backroads all hours of the day and night.
Anytime I would see a deputy , highway patrolman, or game warden stopped with
someone on the highway, I would always make it a point to make sure they were okay
before proceeding on to my destination. Down in South Florida where I was raised, I knew
all the LEO's by their first names, and they knew me.
It was a nice relationship.
"Don't crack your whip the wrong way. It might hit you in the eye."
people only dream of . God has blessed me with the opportunity to enjoy the everglades,
the ocean, the Florida Keys, and a paradise that used to be called Florida.
Now the Florida I remember, is largely developed and in disarray.People building homes
on land that was never meant to be built on. We haven¹t had a really big wet hurricane
enter this country since 1947 which was the one that hit Palm Beach County with torrential
rains, recorded winds of 175 mph, gusts over 200 .To the best of my memory south Florida
was deluged by the rain and flooded. Marjory Stoneman Douglas, published that great
book, "The Everglades, River of Grass" early in 1947. After the September hurricane, she
wrote a postrscript in which she said that South
Florida as we know it was covered with a sheet of water anywhere from six inches to 10
feet deep. It covered over 5 million acres and in some locations took months to get the
water off the property. With all the hurricanes we¹ve seen this year, we¹ve really seen
nothing as far as power.
One of the hardest things I ever had to do was learn how to turn loose of things and turn it
over to my higher power, who I chose to call "The Boss". Which I do on a daily basis. And
today I¹ve been blessed with the fact that I have everything I need and my wants are not
that great. I try to be the maximum service to my fellow man, and try to treat them fairly and
justly. I¹ve been blessed with a multitude of friends and people who seem to care about me.
One of the things I¹ve learned is that few people really know about the real Florida that
used to be and one of the things I try to do in my storytelling is to educate them about the
real Florida. For instance what¹s the nickname of people who were born here or who
haved lived here a long,long time? "The Florida Cracker" And how did we get that name?
The early pioneers that came to Florida before the Civil War, came here with wagons and
carts drawn by oxen.To make these oxen pull the load, they would crack their whips. When
they arrived here in Florida, they found there were hundreds of thousands of wild cattle,
hogs, and horses that were yours for the catchin' and keepin'. But this country was so
rough with scrub oak, palmettos and wooded areas, they couldn¹t use their lariats but they
found that by elongating the whips they used to drive the oxen, they could move the cattle
with the use of the whip .It's my belief that the cracking of the whip is where we get the
nickname,Crackers.
There were cattle and horses and hogs in Florida before they were anywhere else in the
United States.The first cattle and horses were brought here in the year 1521 by Ponce de
Leon. He brought this livestock along with a group of colonists and landed somewhere
near Fort Myers in the Port Charlotte area. He and his colonists set out to build a village
and they were attacked by Calusa Indians, driven back to their ships, abandoning their
livestock. Ponce de Leon himself was hit with an arrow in the thigh, as understand it, made
it back to Cuba, where he died 2 weeks later.
People are in awe. They have no idea of the history under their feet. Most people don¹t
realize that a 150 years ago, this Florida was one of the wildest places on earth. Ahead of
Dodge City, Abilene, or any of those western towns.
If you like to read, and would really like to read about Florida, let me recommend
"A Land Remembered", by Patrick D. Smith. It¹s historical fiction that traces an early
pioneer family from the 1850s up through the late1960s. Through their trials tribulations
and gathering of fortunes.
The Florida that I knew as a boy and a young man no longer exists. We¹ve lost so many of
the things we consider our freedoms and our rights. For instance, there were so many
fewer laws and regulations that you had to adhere to 50 years ago. Policemen were
respected back then, for
example. Now, people have lost their respect for the police. When I was a young man,I
spent a great deal of my time moving on the backroads all hours of the day and night.
Anytime I would see a deputy , highway patrolman, or game warden stopped with
someone on the highway, I would always make it a point to make sure they were okay
before proceeding on to my destination. Down in South Florida where I was raised, I knew
all the LEO's by their first names, and they knew me.
It was a nice relationship.
"Don't crack your whip the wrong way. It might hit you in the eye."
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |