First explored by naturalist William Bartram in the 1760s, the St. Johns River stretches 310 miles along Florida's east coast, making it the longest river in the state. The first "highway" through the once wild interior of Florida, the St. Johns may appear ordinary, but within its banks are some of the most fascinating natural phenomena and historic mysteries in the state. The river, no longer the commercial resource it once was, is now largely ignored by Florida's residents and visitors alike. In the first contemporary book about this American Heritage River, Bill Belleville describes his journey down the length of the St. Johns, kayaking, boating, hiking its riverbanks, diving its springs, and exploring its underwater caves. He rediscovers the natural Florida and establishes his connection with a place once loved for its untamed beauty. Belleville involves scientists, environmentalists, fishermen, cave divers, and folk historians in his journey, soliciting their companionship and their expertise. River of Lakes weaves together the biological, cultural, anthropological, archaeological, and ecological aspects of the St. Johns, capturing the essence of its remarkable history and intrinsic value as a natural wonder.

Florida's rivers comprise a tapestry of natural wonders. They support rich ecosystems. They define the landscape and lend character to the regions through which they pass. The first half of this book provides an overview of Florida's waterways, while the second half provides detailed information on 60 of Florida's rivers, covering each one from source to end. From the Blackwater River in the western Panhandle to the Ichetucknee and Kissimmee Rivers in central Florida to the Miami River in south Florida, it traces the flow of these streams as they weave through cypress swamps, pine-studded hills, and hardwood hammocks. It introduces plants and animals endemic to each. This book also takes the reader on a journey through time. It tracks the history of Florida's rivers, from the dawn of the Paleoindians through the Spanish conquest to the present. It traces human efforts to confine and harness these waters. Finally, it looks at conservation and examines efforts to preserve Florida's rivers and return them to their natural states.

The rivers in Florida are steeped in a rich natural and cultural history. They are avenuesthrough time, allowing us to wrap ourselves in a rich historical tapestry, and they are showcases for wildlife and natural beauty. On some rivers, idyllic scenes are revealed bend after bend for miles and sometimes days, appearing to have changed little since early native people plied the waters in dugout canoes. Imagine gliding along a clear watercourse beneath a leafy canopy of maple, cypress, and gum. The current swirls eelgrass in undulating patterns as schools of silvery mullet shoot past. Ahead, a manatee’s snout breaks the surface in a loud whoosh, its gray body lumbering slowly along and showing little fear as you pass by. A red-shouldered hawk cries and soars over treetops while a black anhinga stretches long wings to dry while perched on a cypress knee. Whether you are viewing a river from the land or, especially, a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, let Florida's Rivers be your guide to celebrating the state's treasures.

This important illustrated social history of slavery tells what life was like for bond servants in Florida from 1821 to 1865, offering new insights from the perspective of both slave and master. Starting with an overview of the institution as it evolved during the Spanish and English periods, Larry E. Rivers looks in detail and in depth at the slave experience, noting the characteristics of slavery in the Middle Florida plantation belt (the more traditional slave-based, cotton-growing economy and society) as distinct from East and West Florida (which maintained some attitudes and traditions of Spain). He examines the slave family, religion, resistance activity, slaves’ participation in the Civil War, and their social interactions with whites, Indians, other slaves, and masters. Rivers also provides a dramatic account of the hundreds of armed free blacks and runaways among the Seminole, Creek, and Mikasuki Indians on the peninsula, whose presence created tensions leading to the great slave rebellion, the Second Seminole War (1835-42). Slavery in Florida is built upon painstaking research into virtually every source available on the subject--a wealth of historic documents, personal papers, slave testimonies, and census and newspaper reports. This serious critical work strikes a balance between the factual and the interpretive. It will be significant to all readers interested in slavery, the Civil War, the African American experience, and Florida and southern U.S. history, and it could serve as a comprehensive resource for secondary school teachers and students.

Peace River is a location near Lake Hancock, north of present-day Bartow. Seminole hunting towns on Peace River lay in a five or six mile wide belt of land centered on and running down the river from Lake Hancock to below present-day Fort Meade. Oponay, who also was named Ochacona Tustenatty, was sent into Florida as a representative to the Seminoles on behalf of the Creek chiefs remaining loyal to the United States during the Seminole War. Oponay occupied the land adjacent to Lake Hancock and Saddle Creek. Peter McQueen and his party occupied the area to the south of Bartow. Quite likely their settlement included the remains of Seminole lodges and other facilities located on the west bank near the great ford of the river at Fort Meade. This important strategic position would have allowed the Red Sticks (Indians) to control not only access to the hunting grounds to the south, but communication and the trade with the Cuban fishermen at Charlotte Harbor, as well as the passage of representatives of Spain and England through the harbor.

A comprehensive guide to Florida's Big Bend Coast, one of America's longest and wildest continuous wetlands, introduces readers to Florida's frontier past and evolving future, including little-known stories of backcountry feuds that rivaled the Hatfields and McCoys. Original.

"When Robert Fulton installed a steam engine in the side wheel boat North River Steamboat in 1807, the world changed forever. With this innovation, riversthe natural transportation arteries of the South - were opened as routes to transport travelers and goods to previously inaccessible areas. Today, the steamboat triggers romantic images of adventures on the Mississippi taken from Mark Twain. But the opening of the major rivers in Florida to steamboat navigation was vital to the state's development." "This history brings together the author's unique experiences traveling Florida's steamboat routes with the historical record of the innovations and explorations that led to the steamboat's reign as the preferred mode of transport before the dawn of the twentieth century."--BOOK JACKET.

This book is a comprehensive identification guide to the 222 species of fishes in Florida’s fresh waters. Each species is presented with color photographs, key characteristics for identification, comparisons to similar species, habitat descriptions, and dot distribution maps. Florida's unique mix of species includes some of the world's favorite sport fishes, the Tarpon and Largemouth Bass. This guide also features three species native only to Florida—the Seminole Killifish, Flagfish, and Okaloosa Darter—and the smallest freshwater fish in North America, the Least Killifish. Ranging from the panhandle to the Everglades, their habitats include springs, creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and man-made canals. As Florida's human population grows, the state's freshwater environments are being changed in ways that threaten its native fishes. This book provides important information on the diversity, distribution, and environmental needs of both native and nonindigenous species, helping us monitor and take care of Florida's water and its aquatic inhabitants.

This book addresses basic questions concerning the ecological relationships and current conditions of the major river systems in Florida . . There have been relatively few comprehensive studies made of the rivers of Florida. There is, to be sure, voluminous information that addresses various aspects of riverine ecology. However, little such information has been collected in a way that allows even a preliminary understanding of the driving forces that determine how the diverse freshwater and associated brackish systems function. This lack of useful data is the product of a fundamental ignorance concerning the scale of endeavor, both spatially and temporally, that is needed if we are to understand and, parenthetically, manage the major drainage systems of this area of the country (Livingston, 1987). Research used to address management problems should entail a continuous series of interrelated studies, descriptive and experimental, that answer the immediate (and often less important) questions that are asked on a day-to-day basis. The research should also be designed to answer questions that have not yet been asked. In other words, ecosystem research should be organized on an appropriate scale so that system-wide processes are understood and pr

A colorful look at a forgotten era of Florida tourism Filled with rare photographs, vintage postcards and advertisements, and fascinating writing from over 100 years ago, Florida's Healing Waters spotlights a little-known time in Florida history when tourists poured into the state in search of good health. Rick Kilby explores the Victorian belief that water caused healing and rehabilitation, tracing the history of "taking the waters" from its origins in the era of Enlightenment. Nineteenth-century Americans traveled from afar to bathe in the outdoors and soak up the warm climate of Florida. Here, with more than 1,000 freshwater springs, 1,300 miles of coastline, and 30,000 lakes, water was an abundant resource. Through the wealth of images in this book, Kilby shows how Florida's natural wonders were promoted and developed as restorative destinations for America's emerging upper class. The rapid growth in tourism infrastructure that began during the Gilded Age lasted well into the twentieth century, and Kilby explains how these now-lost resorts helped boost the economy of modern Florida. Today, these splendid health spas and elaborate bathing facilities have been lost, replaced by recreational amenities for a culture more about sun and fun than physical renewal. In this book, Kilby emphasizes the value of honoring and preserving the natural features of the state in the face of continual development. He reminds us that Florida's water is still a life-giving treasure.