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Florida Cow Hunter: The Life and Times of Bone Mizell
Jim Bob Tinsley, the number two inductee into the National Cowboy Song and Poetry Hall of Fame, has written the first book on Bone Mizell, a man who used his sense of humor to survive in the Florida cowman’s world at the turn of the century, a world of cattle wars, vigilante actions, hangings, fence-cuttings, and Cowtown duels. “Bone Mizell was just a typical cowboy—the way Paul Bunyan was a typical lumberjack.”
- GenresNonfiction
142 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 6, 2008
Everyone knows Paul Bunyon, Davy Crocket and so on and so on; but no one seems to know the Florida cracker cowboy, Bone Mizell. Sad but true.
People should know about the time that he shipped the remains of an old friend, who had never traveled but always wanted to, instead of the remains of a rich kid who died in south Florida and whose rich parents wanted to bury him in an expensive family plot and give a large funeral for in New Orleans. Or how he would mark cows by biting their ears. Or the time that he was sent to rehab in Arkansas by his employer but on his way back home on the train, was arrested for running up and down the train naked and drunk. Yes naked and drunk. Most of Bone's best stories involve him drunk. It's also what killed him; moonshine poisoning.
This book though did contain an enormous amount of Florida history and culture that is totally overlooked and forgotten. Like the fact that outlawness and "gun point law" ruled most parts of central and southern Florida up through the early 20th century.
While the author isn't the best writer per say, he did pull out some great nuggets about Bone and Florida.
This is the end of this very disjointed review.
People should know about the time that he shipped the remains of an old friend, who had never traveled but always wanted to, instead of the remains of a rich kid who died in south Florida and whose rich parents wanted to bury him in an expensive family plot and give a large funeral for in New Orleans. Or how he would mark cows by biting their ears. Or the time that he was sent to rehab in Arkansas by his employer but on his way back home on the train, was arrested for running up and down the train naked and drunk. Yes naked and drunk. Most of Bone's best stories involve him drunk. It's also what killed him; moonshine poisoning.
This book though did contain an enormous amount of Florida history and culture that is totally overlooked and forgotten. Like the fact that outlawness and "gun point law" ruled most parts of central and southern Florida up through the early 20th century.
While the author isn't the best writer per say, he did pull out some great nuggets about Bone and Florida.
This is the end of this very disjointed review.
April 4, 2020
This slim volume certainly isn't the typical production of a university press. It is part life story of Morgan Bonaparte "Bone" Mizell, a cracker cow hunter and colorful character who was was a living legend in his own time. It is also partly a short history of Florida ranching, from the Barber-Mizell feud of 1870 in central Florida and the range wars of 1880s-1890s in what is now DeSoto County. (The former really ought to be the subject of a Hollywood movie.)
The writing is decent and well-cited, with photos and an index. The author seems to have made an honest attempt to separate truth from fiction with regard to Bone Mizell. It doesn't seem like an easy task due to limited sources. Furthermore, Bone himself seems to have been an unreliable source - an alcoholic prone to tale telling and pranks. The book shows the results of research in the Orange County and DeSoto County court records.
The main weakness of this book he narrative wanders all over the place. The contents are good, but it really could have benefited from an extensive rewrite with a more linear narrative.
If you've heard of Bone Mizell and wanted to know more about him this seems like a fine book on the subject. If you like colorful characters or Florida history in general you'll probably enjoy this book.
The writing is decent and well-cited, with photos and an index. The author seems to have made an honest attempt to separate truth from fiction with regard to Bone Mizell. It doesn't seem like an easy task due to limited sources. Furthermore, Bone himself seems to have been an unreliable source - an alcoholic prone to tale telling and pranks. The book shows the results of research in the Orange County and DeSoto County court records.
The main weakness of this book he narrative wanders all over the place. The contents are good, but it really could have benefited from an extensive rewrite with a more linear narrative.
If you've heard of Bone Mizell and wanted to know more about him this seems like a fine book on the subject. If you like colorful characters or Florida history in general you'll probably enjoy this book.
June 17, 2017
This is the Story of Bone Mizell, one of Florida's most colorful cowboys. Born in 1863, he was light on education, but heavy on drinking, practical joking, survivorship. The author found lots of stories about him. Authentic Old Florida history!
November 15, 2017
The history and stories are interesting for sure but the writing and presentation could have been a lot better. Jumped around a lot.
May 27, 2022
Light, easy read. Enjoyable.
August 4, 2014
If you spend any time in Florida, and want to get a good picture of what cowboy life was like in the early days, this is fun book to start with. This true-life character who lived from 1863-1921was certainly the Paul Bunyan of the south. The wildest and craziest stories (some true, some ?) were all attributed to him. What a great, new view of Florida I got through the eyes of Bone Mizell.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews