Daily AncestorBullwhacker
A bullwhacker drove a team of oxen pulling freight wagons, especially on the trails and freight routes of the American West.
Ox teams were slow but strong and cheap to feed, and they hauled much of the freight to Western forts, mining camps and towns before railroads arrived. The bullwhacker walked beside the team, guiding it with voice and a long whip.
Teamster is the general word for any driver of a team. Bullwhacker names the oxen, as muleskinner names the mules.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1880 census
Jno. Riley, 27, Bullwhacker, Neb.
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Daily Ancestor. "Bullwhacker." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/bullwhacker. Last checked 2026-10-01.