A short video on my heritage and the culture that inspired me to make cow whips in the first place.
Long live the Florida Cracker!
Category Archives: History
2009 in Review
As 2009 now comes to a close, we witness the passing of what will be remembered as a tough year for lots of people. But even in a difficult economy, I’ve seen that people continue to buy whips; thus 2009 was a great year for my business. I had many wonderful customers who provided me with plenty of whip orders to fill even when the hours at my job were lacking. In this final post of the year, I would like to highlight some accomplishments and say thanks.
Here’s some highlights from 2009:
- Cowwhips.com got a long overdue makeover.
- Developed my own line of Australian stockwhips.
- Saw all-time record ordering volume in April and July.
- Redesigned the bellies and fall hitches on my bullwhips.
- Successfully entered the nylon Indiana Jones bullwhip market.
- Started this blog!
- Added new options for cow whip handles: Stratabond and exotic woods
- Affiliated with the Whip Basics Project: WBSR Whipmaking Team and DVD distribution.
- Began making deer leather and experimenting with leather work.
- Resurrected my line of wood handled bullwhips.
- Saw my son begin his journey as a whipmaker.
- Made lots of new friends!
As you can see, 2009 was a busy year. I’m looking forward to what 2010 has in store. I appreciate all the customers who helped make it possible. Thank you so much! You’re the best!
Happy New Year!
-Rhett
Nylon Whips: Opinions Have Changed
A few days ago, I was digging through some old issues of the APWA journal and I found an advertisement I once ran in a failed attempt to break into the Australian market with my cow whips.
The ad contained one of my old sales lines: “Changing the way the world looks at nylon whips.” As I sat there thinking about line, I remembered how at the time, it was a pretty bold claim to make -especially in the world’s premier whip making journal. I didn’t use that line to be boastful, but I had decided to make it my goal to help change people’s minds about nylon whips.
Back when I started selling online in 2001, people didn’t seem to think much of nylon whips. I recall many debates as to nylon’s place in whipmaking and whipcracking. I encountered some real snobbish attitudes as well. I was even given some unsolicited advice -by a very rude no-name whipmaker - about why I needed to stop working with nylon and learn to make leather whips.
Florida cattlemen were the one gigantic exception to this rule. They figured out decades ago that when it comes to herding cattle in humid, swampy places, nothing beats a whip that won’t rot. By the time I started plaiting in the early 90′s, nylon whips dominated the Florida ranching scene. Most cracker cowboys would swear by nylon; it was unthinkable to use anything else. The rest of the planet wasn’t so convinced.
When I established my web presence, it was a lonely place to be as a nylon whipmaker. There were dozens of leather plaiters online, but as far as I know, I was probably the only nylon-only plaiter making a serious attempt to sell whips online. I got some good press and my whips became popular rather quickly. I recall going from no waiting list to a 7 month waiting list in a matter of months!
It didn’t take long for a few more nylon whip sites to pop up. I think Greg DeSaye was next and then Steve Koliski started up his site after that. Over the years I’ve seen more and more nylon whip sites pop up. I’ve seen plaiters come and go too. A few guys have made a name for themselves and are making great whips. It’s not so lonely anymore and I don’t get nearly as much flak from people about making nylon whips.
An interesting phenomenon I have noticed recently is how there are a number of leather plaiters who are now coming out with nylon whips. V. Tella, Tony Layzell, Lauren Wickline, and the gentleman at Floridacrackerbullwhips.com are some who’ve done so. I expect to see more before it’s over. Nine years ago, this would have been unthinkable. This is a great testimony to how nylon has become more and more acceptable among plaiters and buyers.
In an article I read recently, Steve Huntress was wise to point out that there will be more and more nylon whipmakers; that nylon is the future of whipmaking. I totally agree. I get emails on a regular basis from people wanting to learn how to make whips and wanting to know where to buy materials. Every year I assist a number of people who end up making and selling nylon whips; many who never even set up a website.
I’m not trying to be snobbish, but the biggest issue I see right now is that many people are jumping in and trying to make a buck off of rubbish. While there’s some good whips to be found on eBay, it is now littered with nylon whips that I would be ashamed to sell. We all get better with time and practice, so I’m hoping some of these people improve too -before too much damage is done.
As I stated in the beginning of this article, my old tag line used to be “changing the way the world looks at nylon whips.” I think there’s clear evidence that the whip cracking/making world does have a more favorable opinion of nylon than it did 10 years ago. Steve Huntress was gracious to write an article naming me along with Krist King as being two of the major proponents of nylon whipmaking. It makes me happy that that my goal ended up being more that mere words. Of course, I didn’t do it alone. The other web based nylon plaiters who’ve produced quality whips over the years deserve some credit too. Today, guys like Steve Huntress and Ron Allen have picked up that torch and are now running with it. I’m just honored to have played a role in it.
Thanks for reading,
Rhett
A Personal Note
Today is the 21st anniversary of the passing of my father, Carl Edward Kelley.
I’ve known many intelligent people, but my dad still ranks at the top of the list. He went to college at the University of Florida and he was very well-read. In spite of that, he was a blue collar man who fabricated metal for a living.
He built everything from machine guns to utility trailers during his lifetime. Before I was born he even built race car engnes. He passed at the age of 39 from heart disease; something that runs heavily in my family. I was 11 years old when he died. Back then, 39 seemed old. But now that I’m 32, I realize just how young my father was at his death.
He named me Rhett after the fictional character, Rhett Butler, from Gone With The Wind. He said he expected me to grow up to be a Southern Gentleman. He taught me manners and respect for those to whom respect was due. I like to think that perhaps my work ethic and the ability to turn raw materials into something useful are maybe some things in which I took after him.
We never know when our time here will be over; my father’s passing proved that to me. We just need to do all the good we can while we are here and be sure things are right between ourselves and God when we leave.
Photo: Dad sporting shaggy hair and a beard; building a utility trailer. Circa 1984.
Kind Words from A Fellow Plaiter
Steve Huntress has totally floored me with a recent article from his blog. Click here to read it.
Thank you very much Steve!
Roy’s Whip and Tribute
The whip in the photos doesn’t look like much, but it is one that I am very proud to have in my collection. Why? Because it was made by my great-grandfather, L.R. “Roy” Bronson. The whip is crude; there is no plaiting, nothing fancy. Most collectors would think it was a piece of rubbish. It’s made from some leather straps, a wooden dowel, some tacks, and a bit of buckskin. According to my grandmother (his daughter), he used it mainly to control his dogs and around the cow pens.
Lest you get the impression that this is simply the work of some poor old cow-poke who couldn’t afford to buy a real cow whip, you should know that Roy Bronson was actually a very wealthy man. His surname is well known and respected among those in the Florida cattle industry. In his lifetime, he owned thousands of acres of land and tens of thousands of cattle.
You see, the thing about my great-grandfather was that he was a crafty old fellow; he didn’t become wealthy by being frivolous with his money. If he needed something, he usually made it himself. Long before people ever thought of digital clocks or putting them in car stereos, Roy had mounted homemade gadgets in all of his vehicles that would hold a pocket watch, so he could tell what time it was as he drove down the road or around his ranch.
You never had to look far to find something he had created in his workshop. When I was a child, most of his farm equipment was already decades old, but all well maintained; most of it is still in operation to this day. As a ranch owner, he was demanding; a perfectionist from what I’ve heard. Yet, many of the men who worked for him held him in high esteem.
Roy Bronson was a true Florida Cracker. A real “cowman;” since childhood really. I remember him talking about how that his father weaned him from his mother by taking him away to go “cow hunting.” Perhaps not even 3 years old and his father was already teaching him to ride and work cattle in the humid, mosquito infested scrubs and swamps of old Florida.
Even in Roy’s waning years, he could vividly recall how on that first cow hunt, he was amazed by the way the horses’ hooves splashed water in the air as they rode through a slough in search of wild scrub cattle.
I was living on his ranch, in his house, when I first started to make Florida cow whips. One morning in the Fall of 1991, grandpa finished his breakfast and stood up to go back to his room. As he did, he dropped his walking cane. Being close by, I picked up the cane and handed it to him. He thanked me and I responded with a simple “your welcome grandpa.” That would be the last time I spoke to him; the last time anyone spoke to him. He died later that morning.
Though he died only a short time after I started plaiting, I will always be grateful to God that Grandpa Bronson lived long enough for me to know him well and to be able to show him that I had learned to make cow whips.
His death was an end of an era in the family; I always sensed that it would be. Indeed, things were never the same. There was the usual sadness at first, then years of senseless litigation. Some of the heirs ended up with land, others got money. In the end, nobody really won. A couple of things I ended up with are some great memories of the old man and this old whip. And I wouldn’t trade those things for all the money, land, and cattle Roy Bronson ever had…
(A special thanks goes out to my grandma, Ruth, for giving me this whip!)
Florida, First in America: Cattle, Horses, and Cowboys
This video will give you just a tiny taste of why I am so proud of my Florida Cracker heritage:
The bottom line:
The Florida cow whip isn’t some new fangled whip that we just came up with in the past few decades, it has a rich hertiage that goes back almost 500 years…
George Altman
Here’s a video about Florida whipmaker George Altman.
Thanks goes to Ron Allen for sending me this video. Now I know, at least according to Altman, that until I start making buckskin cow whips, I’m not really a whipmaker! LOL!
I have 2 Altman nylon cow whips that were sent to me by a fellow in Texas who wants me to sell them for him. He is asking $50.00 per whip. Contact me if you’re interested in purchasing one of them. Here’s a photo of one of the whips so you can see what they look like:
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