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140-551: The Lake Monroe and Orlando Railroad was organized in 1875 with a charter to build from the St. Johns River port of Sanford south to Orlando . The South Florida Railroad was incorporated on October 16, 1878, but was unable to obtain a charter until December 9, 1879, when it took over the charter of the Lake Monroe and Orlando, which was in danger of losing its land grants . The South Florida first ran on November 11, 1880, running

280-433: A humid subtropical zone. In summer months, the temperature ranges from 74 and 92 °F (23 and 33 °C), and between 50 and 72 °F (10 and 22 °C) in the winter, although drops may occur in winter months to below freezing approximately a dozen times. Water temperatures in the river correlate to the air temperatures. The average range of water temperatures is between 50 and 95 °F (10 and 35 °C), rising in

420-629: A railroad and steamboat network in Florida at the end of the 19th century. Most of its lines became part of the Plant System in 1899 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The line remains in service today with a vast majority of it now being CSX Transportation 's Sanford Subdivision . The Tampa, Peace Creek and St. Johns River Railroad was incorporated in 1879, William Van Fleet as president and received

560-516: A 46,000-acre (190 km ) basin spreading across Putnam , Lake, and Marion Counties , and the western part of Volusia County. Slightly north of the Wekiva River is Blue Spring, the largest spring on the St. Johns, producing over 64,000,000 US gallons (240,000,000 L) a day. Florida springs stay at an even temperature of 72 °F (22 °C) throughout the year. Because of this, Blue Spring

700-556: A St. Johns tributary, where sport fishers concentrate on king mackerel ( Scomberomorus cavalla ), cobia ( Rachycentron canadum ), dolphin ( Coryphaena hippurus ) and Wahoo ( Acanthocybium solandri ). The home stadium for the Jacksonville Jaguars faces the river, as does most of the commercial center of downtown. Seven bridges span the St. Johns at Jacksonville; all of them allow tall ships to pass, although some restrict passing times when train or automobile traffic

840-746: A chain of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Apopka in Lake County, and the Green Swamp near Haines City in Polk County , drained by the Palatlakaha River . The Silver River, fed by one of Florida's most productive springs expelling 54,000,000 US gallons (200,000,000 L) daily, is located about midway along the 96-mile (154 km) Ocklawaha. Confederate Captain John William Pearson named his militia after

980-484: A charter to build a railroad from Jacksonville to Tampa . The company , by way of congressional land grants thru the general assembly of Florida, by an act of January 6, 1855, 'to provide for and encourage a liberal system of internal improvements in the state,' declared that the lands granted to the state by the acts of congress of March 3, 1845, and September 28, 1850, together with the proceeds thereof, accrued or that might thereafter accrue, should be set apart and made

1120-415: A chemical spill in 1980 that dumped DDE in it. It has experienced chronic algal blooms caused by citrus farm fertilizer and wastewater runoff from nearby farms. The proliferation of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ), black crappie ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus ), and bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ) in central Florida is a major attraction for fishermen from all over the country. The St. Johns

1260-517: A day into the St. Johns. Near this confluence are the towns of DeBary and Deltona . Forests surrounding the Wekiva River are home to the largest black bear ( Ursus americanus floridanus ) population in Florida; several troops of Rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) have adapted to live near the river as well. The monkeys' introduction to Florida is unclear; they were reportedly brought either to serve in backdrop scenes of Tarzan movies filmed around

1400-578: A dramatic effect on its geomorphology. Florida was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana . Lying underneath the visible rock formations is a basement of igneous granite and volcanic composition under a sedimentary layer formed during the Paleozoic era 542 to 251 million years ago. During the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago), the basement and its sedimentary overlay were further covered by calcium carbonate and formations left by

1540-425: A food source for fish and birds. Insect larvae use water for breeding, feeding upon smaller copepods and amphipods that live in microscopic algae and periphyton formations. Mosquitos , born in water, are in turn the favorite food of 112 species of dragonflies and 44 species of damselflies in Florida. These animals are water hardy and adaptable to dry conditions when water levels fluctuate from one season to

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1680-500: A guide. In 1795, Florida was transferred back to Spain which lured Americans with cheap land. A former loyalist to Britain who left South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War , a planter and slave trader named Zephaniah Kingsley seized the opportunity and built a plantation named Laurel Grove near what is now Doctors Lake , close to the west bank of the St. Johns River, south of where Orange Park

1820-596: A junction with the Florida Southern at Pemberton Ferry (known today as Croom), running south-southeast across the mainline at Lakeland to Bartow . South of Bartow, the Florida Southern continued to Punta Gorda , using trackage rights over the branch. The branch was completed in September 1884. Once the Bone Valley phosphate district was discovered near Lakeland, pressure increased to standard-gauge

1960-605: A line from Titusville , on the Indian River , to Enterprise , on the eastern shore of Lake Monroe opposite Sanford, in early 1886. The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway build a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) line to Enterprise from its mainline at Enterprise Junction . The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway then leased the Atlantic Coast, St. Johns and Indian River Railroad, and purchased all of its rolling stock. The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway operated

2100-403: A northerly direction, the upper basin is located in the headwaters of the river at its southernmost point. Indian River County is where the river begins as a network of marshes, at a point west of Vero Beach aptly named the St. Johns Marsh in central Florida. The St. Johns River is a blackwater stream , meaning that it is fed primarily by swamps and marshes lying beneath it; water seeps through

2240-549: A population increase followed. When European explorers arrived in north Florida, they met the Timucua , numbering about 14,000, the largest group of indigenous people in the region. The later Seminole people called the river Welaka or Ylacco . These forms may derive from the Creek wi-láko , "big water", a compound usually applied to large rivers that run through lakes; the St. Johns forms and borders numerous lakes. Alternately,

2380-524: A resolution to reserve from sale, to further aid in the construction of the road, a quantity of land in the even-numbered sections within twenty miles of said road sufficient to supply the deficiency existing in the even-numbered sections within six miles of the road. In 1884, after earning its first land grant, pledged said property for collateral to secure a series of mortgage bonds, where the Mercantile Trust Co. would be trustee, these would be

2520-403: A separate fund, to be called the internal improvement of the state; and that, for the purpose of assuring a proper application of the fund for the objects mentioned, the lands, and the funds arising from the sale thereof, after paying the necessary expenses of selection, management, and sale, should be vested in five trustees, to wit, in the governor of the state, the comptroller of public accounts,

2660-408: A sharp turn west near Sanford for a few miles—which is referred to as the St. Johns River offset , but shortly changes direction to flow north again. Geologists hypothesize that the west-flowing offset may have formed earlier than the north flowing portions, possibly during the late Tertiary or early Pleistocene era 66 to 12 million years ago. Some fracturing and faulting may also be responsible for

2800-510: A total area of 2,600 square miles (6,700 km ) in Putnam, St. Johns , Clay , and Duval Counties. Twelve tributaries empty into the river in the lower basin. The St. Johns River widens considerably on the north end of Lake George; between Lake George and Palatka the river ranges between 600 and 2,640 feet (180 and 800 m) wide. Between Palatka and Jacksonville, that widens further to between 1 and 3 miles (1.6 and 4.8 km). This portion of

2940-412: A variety of people have lived on or near the St. Johns, including Paleo-indians , Archaic people , Timucua , Mocama , Mayaca , Ais , French, Spanish, and British colonists, Seminoles , slaves and freemen, Florida crackers , land developers, tourists and retirees. It has been the subject of William Bartram 's journals, Harriet Beecher Stowe 's letters home, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ' books. In

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3080-642: A wide variety of tools constructed around this time, archeologists note the transition into Archaic people . The Archaic people made tools from bone, animal teeth, and antlers. They wove fibers from plants such as cabbage palms and saw palmettos. A few burial sites have been excavated—including the Windover Archaeological Site in Brevard County near Titusville —that provide evidence of burial rituals. Archaic peoples interred their dead in shallow peat marshes , which preserved much of

3220-577: Is characterized as brackish water. Near the center of Jacksonville, average measures have been collected at 11.40 ppt. Farther south at the Buckman Bridge, joining the south side of Jacksonville to Orange Park, it decreases to 2.9 ppt and falls again to 0.81 ppt at the Shands Bridge near Green Cove Springs . Dissolved oxygen in fresh water is measured to indicate the health of plant and animal life. It enters water through

3360-863: Is discharged, which is dependent upon season and rainfall. The greatest discharge is from first magnitude springs that emit at least 100 cubic feet (2.8 m ) of water per second. There are four first magnitude springs that feed the St. Johns River: Silver Springs in Marion County, emitting between 250 and 1,290 cubic feet (7.1 and 36.5 m )/second; Silver Glen Spring straddling Marion and Lake Counties, emitting between 38 and 245 cubic feet (1.1 and 6.9 m )/second; Alexander Springs in Lake County, emitting between 56 and 202 cubic feet (1.6 and 5.7 m )/second; and Blue Spring in Volusia County, emitting between 87 and 218 cubic feet (2.5 and 6.2 m )/second. The St. Johns River lies within

3500-458: Is forbidden. Bordering to the north of Blue Spring State Park is Hontoon Island State Park , accessible only by boat. In 1955 an extremely rare Timucua totem representing an owl was found buried and preserved in the St. Johns muck off of Hontoon Island . The figure may signify that its creators were part of the owl clan. Representing different clans of the Timucua, two more totems—in all,

3640-559: Is heavy. Tides cause seawater to enter the mouth of the St. Johns River and can affect the river's level into the middle basin. As a result, much of the river in Jacksonville is part seawater, making it an estuarine ecosystem. The animals and plants in these systems can tolerate both fresh and salt water, and the fluctuations in saline content and temperatures associated with tidal surges and heavy rainfall discharge. Marine animals such as dolphins and sharks can be spotted at times in

3780-738: Is home to 183 species of fish, 55 of which appear in the main stem of the river. One, the southern tessellated darter ( Etheostoma olmstedi ) is found only in the Ocklawaha. Some are marine species that either migrate upriver to spawn or have found spring-fed habitats that are high in salinity, such as a colony of Atlantic stingrays ( Dasyatis sabina ) that live in Lake Washington in the upper basin. Ocean worms, snails, and white-fingered mud crabs ( Rhithropanopeus harrisii ) have also been found far upriver where tidal influences are rare. In contrast, American eels ( Anguilla rostrata ) live in

3920-497: Is now an industrial spur. The Fort Fraser Trail today runs along the abandoned right-of way from Eaton Park south to Bartow. The branch is operated by CSX in the following segments: The charter specified that the railroad must pass through Bartow ; thus the Bartow Branch was built from the mainline at Lake Alfred (Bartow Junction) southwest to Bartow. It opened in 1884 and was standard gauged on September 23, 1886. In

4060-446: Is rare. All plants in these basins must tolerate water fluctuation, both flooding and drought. Sweetbay ( Magnolia virginiana ), cypress ( Taxodium ), and swamp tupelo ( Nyssa biflora ) trees often find great success in this region on raised land called hammocks . Trees that live in water for long periods usually have buttressed trunks, tangled, braided roots, or protrusions like cypress knees to obtain oxygen when under water, but

4200-565: Is separated into three major basins and two associated watersheds for Lake George and the Ocklawaha River , all managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District . Although Florida was the location of the first permanent European settlement in what would become the United States, much of Florida remained an undeveloped frontier into the 20th century. With the growth of population, the St. Johns, like many Florida rivers,

4340-643: Is the winter home for West Indian manatees ( Trichechus manatus latirostris ), and they are protected within Blue Spring State Park . Manatees are large, slow-moving herbivorous aquatic mammals whose primary threats are human development and collisions with swiftly moving watercraft. Many parts of the St. Johns and its tributaries are no-wake zones to protect manatees from being critically or fatally injured by boat propellers. Human interaction with manatees in Blue Spring State Park

South Florida Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue

4480-494: Is today Jacksonville and another on Drayton Island at the north end of Lake George. Kingsley later married three other freed women in a polygamous relationship; Spanish-controlled Florida allowed interracial marriages, and white landowners such as James Erwin, George Clarke, Francisco Sánchez, John Fraser, and Francis Richard Jr.—early settlers along the river—all were married to or in extramarital relationships with African women. The first years following Florida's annexation to

4620-470: Is today. Three years later, Kingsley took a trip to Cuba and purchased a 13-year-old Wolof girl named Anna Madgigine Jai . She became his common-law wife, and managed Laurel Grove while Kingsley traveled and conducted business. The plantation grew citrus and sea island cotton ( Gossypium barbadense ). In 1814, they moved to a larger plantation on Fort George Island , where they lived for 25 years, and owned several other plantations and homesteads in what

4760-675: The Auburndale Subdivision . Prior to the sale of the north end of the line to FDOT, the line was part of CSX's Sanford Subdivision from Auburndale north. Since the sale, CSX only operates local freight on the Central Florida Rail Corridor. Freight service on the CFRC is based out of Taft Yard in Pine Castle, which CSX still owns. All of CSX's through freight traffic to northern Florida now uses

4900-508: The Caloosahatchee River , and later to drain lands in the central part of the state for agriculture. Disston was furthermore persuaded to purchase 4,000,000 acres (16,000 km ) of land in central Florida for $ 1 million, which at the time was reported to be the largest purchase of land in human history. Disston was ultimately unsuccessful in his drainage attempts, but his investment sparked the tourist industry and made possible

5040-566: The Florida Department of Transportation owns a short segment of the line south of Deland to Sanford and operates the SunRail commuter rail service over that segment. CSX still runs local freight on the line but all through freight trains have since been shifted to the S Line due to SunRail service. Prior to the sale of the southern portion of the line to FDOT, CSX's Sanford Subdivision continued south to Sanford and then along on

5180-718: The Ocklawaha River called the Ocklawaha Rangers in the American Civil War . Prior to the civil war, Pearson ran a successful health resort in Orange Springs . After the civil war Pearson's Orange Springs resort declined in popularity due to the increasing attention to nearby Silver Springs —the source of the Silver River—at the turn of the 20th century, popularizing the Ocklawaha. Georgia-born poet Sidney Lanier called it "the sweetest waterlane in

5320-475: The Silver River in the 1930s, or to lend an air of authenticity to "jungle cruises" provided by an enterprising boat operator around the same time. Of most vital importance to marshes are invertebrate animals, the foundation of food webs . Amphibious invertebrates such as apple snails ( Pomacea paludosa ), crayfish , and grass shrimp consume plant material, hastening its decomposition and acting as

5460-529: The "A" Line. In 2011, CSX sold the line from Poinciana north (as well as part of the former Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway ) to the Florida Department of Transportation . This state-owned segment is known as the Central Florida Rail Corridor, which includes most of the track that the SunRail commuter rail service operates on. SunRail began operation on May 1, 2014, from Sand Lake Road north to DeBary and extended service south to Poinciana on July 30, 2018. SunRail also revived passenger service to

5600-444: The 1860s, weekly trips between Jacksonville, Charleston , and Savannah were made to transport tourists, lumber, cotton, and citrus. The soil along the St. Johns was considered especially successful for producing sweeter oranges. Florida's involvement in the U.S. Civil War was limited compared to other Confederate states because it had a fraction of the populations of states that had been developed. Florida provided materials to

5740-609: The 1920s, the line was busy enough that the Atlantic Coast Line expanded the line north of Vitis Junction to double track to increase capacity. The line is also notable for being the location of the Great Train Wreck of 1956 in Pineola (just north of Pemberton Ferry), which was head-on collision between two Atlantic Coast Line Railroad freight trains on October 18, 1956, killing five crewmen. A signpost at

South Florida Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue

5880-467: The 27th of June, 1881, the Tampa, Peace Creek & St. John's River Railroad Company, by a resolution of its board of directors, changed its corporate name to Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railway Company, and on the 23d of August, 1881, filed a plat of its route with the trustees of the internal improvement fund; and, on the 1st of September, 1881, the trustees passed a resolution reserving from sale for

6020-592: The ACL merged into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad , eventually becoming part of CSX . The JT&KW is now part of the "A" Line, one of CSX's two main lines into Florida. The Orange Ridge, DeLand and Atlantic Railroad was incorporated by Laws of Florida Chapter 3332, No. 114 on March 7, 1881, running from DeLand west across the JT&;KW at DeLand Junction to the St. Johns River . It became

6160-621: The Atlantic Coast Line era, many of their passenger trains to Fort Myers and Naples would run on the Bartow Branch. Part of the Bartow branch remains today from Winter Haven south to Gordonville (just northeast of Bartow). This segment is operated by the Florida Midland Railroad . The abandoned segment between Lake Alfred and Winter Haven is now the route of the Chain of Lakes Trail . The Sanford and Indian River Railroad

6300-635: The Atlantic Coast Line merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (who operated the former Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad , the South Florida's former competitor), becoming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . Seaboard Coast Line eventually became CSX in the 1980s, and the South Florida/Atlantic Coast Line main line now operates as part of one of its two main lines in the area, known as

6440-751: The Confederacy by way of steamboats on the St. Johns, although the river and the Atlantic coasts were blockaded by the U.S. Navy. One action in Florida's role in the Civil War was the sinking of the USS ; Columbine , a Union paddle steamer used for patrolling the St. Johns to keep materials from reaching the Confederate Army. In 1864, near Palatka, Confederate forces under the command of Capt. John Jackson Dickison captured, burned, and sank

6580-640: The DeLand and St. Johns River Railroad in 1886, and the JT&KW bought it in 1890. The Enterprise Branch ran from the main line at Benson Junction east to Enterprise . It continued to Titusville as the Atlantic Coast, St. Johns and Indian River Railroad, acquired in 1886. The Atlantic Coast, St. Johns and Indian River Railroad connected with the Florida East Coast Railway in Titusville. The Florida East Coast Railway later acquired

6720-596: The Econlockhatchee River, and the Wekiva River causes the average discharge to increase by 940 cubic feet (27 m ) per second between Lake Harney and DeLand, representing the greatest annual average increase of streamflow along the St. Johns. As distance between the mouth of the St. Johns and the middle and upper basins increases, the salinity in the river gradually decreases. Marine water measures at 35 parts per thousand (ppt) or more while fresh water measures below 2 ppt. What ranges in between

6860-695: The Enterprise to Titusville line as its Indian River Branch. After leasing the Titusville–Enterprise line of the Atlantic Coast, St. Johns and Indian River Railroad, the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway began operating steamboats from its dock in Titusville down the Indian River to Jupiter . In December 1888, the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway established the Indian River Steamboat Company to operate

7000-561: The Florida Southern not to build the SF&;W south of Gainesville or Palatka , the northern ends of the Florida Southern, but the existing South Florida was immune from this. Plant then made agreements with all the railroads building towards Tampa except for the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad . Specifically, the Florida Southern would not build any lines south of Pemberton's Ferry and Brooksville or north of Bartow , and

7140-568: The Harbor), the mission established at the river's mouth following the demise of the French fort. The name first appeared on a Spanish map created between 1680 and 1700. The Timucua, as other groups of indigenous people in Florida, began to lose cohesion and numbers by the 18th century. A tribe located in modern-day Georgia and Alabama called the Creeks assisted with this; in 1702, they joined with

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7280-498: The JT&KW went bankrupt . The Southeastern Railway bought the line from Enterprise to Titusville in 1899, and later that year sold it to the Florida East Coast Railway . Also that year, the rest of the system was reincorporated as the Jacksonville and St. Johns River Railway and sold to the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway (the Plant System ). The Plant System became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. In 1967

7420-540: The Lake George watershed, with slash pines ( Pinus elliottii ), saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ), and over 100 species of groundcover or herbal plants that grow in poor, sandy soil. Flatwoods pine forests stay relatively dry, but can withstand short periods of flooding. Larger land animals such as wild turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo ), sandhill cranes ( Grus canadensis ), and the largest population of southern bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus ) in

7560-520: The Seminole name may derive from walaka (from wi-alaka , "water" and "coming"), perhaps a reference to the river's slow discharge and the tidal effects on it. The name is sometimes rendered as "Chain of Lakes" in English. Though the first European contact in Florida came in 1513 when Juan Ponce de León arrived near Cape Canaveral , not until 1562 did Europeans settle the north Atlantic coast of

7700-574: The Seminoles gradually moved into Florida and began to break ties with the Creeks to become a cohesive tribe of their own. The St. Johns provided a natural boundary to separate European colonies on the east bank and indigenous lands west of the river. After Florida came under the Kingdom of Great Britain 's jurisdiction in 1763, Quaker father and son naturalists John and William Bartram explored

7840-423: The Seminoles who called him "Puc Puggy" (flower hunter). William's visit took him as far south as Blue Spring, where he remarked on the crystal clear views offered by the spring water: "The water is perfectly diaphanous, and here are continually a prodigious number and variety of fish; they appear as plain as though lying on a table before your eyes, although many feet deep in the water." Bartram's journals attracted

7980-584: The South Florida Railroad's historic Church Street Station in Downtown Orlando. When completed in 1884, the South Florida Railroad's main line ran from Sanford southwest through Orlando and Lakeland to Tampa, terminating at Port Tampa. The main line today runs south of and roughly parallel to Interstate 4 . Some of the towns along the line were named for railroad officials. Plant City was named for Henry Plant, and Haines City

8120-511: The South Florida would build its Pemberton Ferry Branch between the two and assign trackage rights to the Florida Southern. The agreement with the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway specified that that company would only build north of Sanford ; in both cases the South Florida would give up their rights to the territories given to the other companies. The JT&KW had already done some grading at Bartow and Tampa , and sold them to

8260-467: The South Florida. Thus two railroads remained in a race towards Tampa - the South Florida and the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad . The South Florida managed to get there first, and obtained the best ports (now known as Port Tampa ). The South Florida's original passenger depot in Tampa was located on the east side of the intersection of Ashley and Madison Streets. The Tampa end opened on December 10, 1883, and on January 25, 1884 service began over

8400-471: The South Florida. Henry Plant died in 1899, which led his heirs to sell the Plant System to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The Atlantic Coast Line would then designate the South Florida Railroad main line (along with the main line of the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway and other railroads to the north) as their nearly 900-mile main line from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa. In 1967

8540-542: The Spanish to maintain control of the river. The French and Spanish continued to spar over who would control the natural resources and native peoples of the territory. The Timucua, who had initially befriended the French, were not encouraged to make the Spanish allies because of colonial governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés ' abhorrence of French Protestantism and his view that the Timucuan beliefs were "Satanic". By 1573,

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8680-612: The St. Johns and Ocklawaha and spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. After a year living in the ocean, many of them find their way back to the St. Johns to live, then, prompted by the phases of the moon, make the return journey to spawn and die. From the intersection of the Ocklawaha River, 101 miles (163 km) to the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Johns lies within the lower basin, draining

8820-458: The St. Johns at Jacksonville as can manatees. Fish such as mullet ( Mullidae ), flounder ( Paralichthys lethostigma ), shad ( Alosa sapidissima ), and blue crabs ( Callinectes sapidus ) migrate from the ocean to freshwater springs upriver to spawn. Although freshwater invertebrates inhabiting and comprising algae and periphyton make the foundation of food webs in the middle and lower basin, zooplankton and phytoplankton take that role in

8960-444: The St. Johns has a very slow flow speed of 0.3 mph (0.13 m/s), and is often described as "lazy". Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, but as a river its widest point is nearly 3 miles (5 km) across. The narrowest point is in the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County . The St. Johns drainage basin of 8,840 square miles (22,900 km ) includes some of Florida's major wetlands. It

9100-578: The St. Johns is black, owing to the tannins in leaf litter and decaying aquatic plants. Spring fed streams, on the other hand, are remarkably clear and visibility is very high, even when the river bottom is dozens of feet below. Humans arrived on the Florida Peninsula about 12,000 years ago when the ocean was about 350 feet (110 m) lower than today, and the peninsula was double its current size. These earliest people are called Paleo-Indians . They were primarily hunter–gatherers who followed large game, such as mastodons , horses, camels, and bison. Much of

9240-417: The St. Johns or its tributaries reported at or below these minimums in the 1990s, including the mouth of the Wekiva River, the St. Johns at the town of Christmas , and in the early 2000s at Blue Spring and Blackwater Creek. Sustained low levels of dissolved oxygen may create algal blooms, which may also cause a further decrease in dissolved oxygen. Like all blackwater streams in Florida, the color of most of

9380-548: The St. Johns was significantly lowered in the 1920s with the establishment of the Melbourne Tillman drainage project. This drained the St. Johns' headwaters eastward to the Indian River through canals dug across the Ten-Mile Ridge near Palm Bay . As of 2015, these past diversions are being partially reversed through the first phase of the Canal 1 Rediversion project. The river is at its narrowest and most unpredictable in this basin. Channel flows are not apparent and are usually unmarked. The most efficient way to travel on this part of

9520-413: The St. Johns, were created by past beach ridges which were often divided by swales . As ocean water retreated, lagoons formed in the swales, which were further eroded by acidic water. Barrier islands , furthermore, formed along the Atlantic Coast, surrounding the lagoon with land and forming a freshwater river. From its origins to approximately the area of Sanford, the St. Johns flows north. It takes

9660-444: The Timucua were in outright rebellion, testing the governor's patience and forcing Spanish settlers to abandon farms and garrisons in more interior parts of Florida; the Spanish could not persuade the Timucua to keep from attacking them. Over a hundred years later, missionaries had more success, setting up posts along the river. Spanish Franciscan missionaries gave the river its current name based on San Juan del Puerto (St. John of

9800-479: The USS Columbine , making her perhaps the only ship commandeered by the Confederacy. The same year and farther downriver, Confederates again sank a Union boat, the Maple Leaf , which struck a floating keg filled with explosives and settled into the muck near Julington Creek , south of Jacksonville. Part of the shipwreck was recovered in 1994, when it was discovered that many Civil War-era artifacts, including daguerreotypes and wooden matches, had been preserved in

9940-434: The United States in 1821 were marked with violent conflicts between white settlers and Seminoles, whose bands often included runaway African slaves. The clashes between American and Seminole forces during the establishment of the Florida territory are reflected in the towns and landmarks along the St. Johns named for those who were directly involved. Even before Florida was under U.S. jurisdiction, Major General Andrew Jackson

10080-594: The Yamasee and attacked some of the Timucua, forcing them to seek protection from the Spanish who forced them into slavery. The Creeks began assimilating other people and spread farther south until they were known by 1765 as Seminoles by the British, a term adapted from cimarrones that meant "runaways" or "wild ones". The Seminoles employed a variety of languages from the peoples the Creeks had assimilated: Hitchiti , Muskogee , as well as Timucua. Between 1716 and 1767,

10220-494: The adjacent S Line . The Florida Central Railroad , which connects to the Central Florida Rail Corridor in Downtown Orlando, also has freight trackage rights from its connection south to Taft Yard. Part of the agreement worked out by Henry Plant between the South Florida and the Florida Southern Railway specified that the South Florida would build the north-south Pemberton Ferry Branch. This branch began at

10360-531: The atmosphere and from aquatic plant photosynthesis, and is affected by water pressure and temperature. Rapid decomposition of organic materials will decrease the amount of dissolved oxygen in the river, as will nutrients added to the water artificially by wastewater treatment runoff or drainage from fertilized agricultural fields. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida recommend no less than 5 mg of oxygen per liter. Several locations on

10500-628: The attention of such prominent Americans as James Madison and Alexander Hamilton . The success of these journals inspired other naturalists such as André Michaux to further explore the St. Johns, as he did in 1788, sailing from Palatka south to Lake Monroe, and gave names to some of the plants described by the Bartrams' journals. Michaux was followed by William Baldwin between 1811 and 1817. Subsequent explorers, including John James Audubon , have carried William's Travels Through North & South Carolina, Georgia, East & West Florida with them as

10640-411: The benefit of the company the even-numbered sections of land for six miles on each side of its line; and, again, on the 21st of September, 1881, acting under the provisions of the act of the legislature of March 12, 1879, 'to amend section 26 of the act 'to provide a general law for the incorporation of railroads and canals,' and to grant aid to railroads and canals incorporated under said act,' they passed

10780-436: The branch from Enterprise to Titusville in 1902. The Sanford and Lake Eustis Railway was organized in 1886 and merged into the JT&KW on May 1, 1890. The line ran west from Sanford to Tavares on Lake Eustis . The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway remains in service and is today part of CSX's A Line. CSX has designated it as their Sanford Subdivision and Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision . Though as of 2011,

10920-408: The central part of the state north, along the Atlantic Coast lived people in the St. Johns culture , named for the most significant nearby natural formation. Around 750 CE , the St. Johns culture learned to cultivate corn, adding to their diet of fish, game, and gourds. Archeologists and anthropologists date this agricultural advancement to coincide with a spread of archeological sites, suggesting that

11060-410: The city of Sanford . It is at this point that the St. Johns' navigable waterway, dredged and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with channel markers maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard , begins. Lake Monroe, a large lake at 15 square miles (39 km ) with an average depth of 8 feet (2.4 m), drains a surrounding watershed of 2,420 square miles (6,300 km ). Sanford has adapted to

11200-427: The city. Mayport is home to approximately 20 shrimping vessels that use the mouth of the St. Johns to access the Atlantic Ocean. Lying within a coastal plain , the St. Johns River passes through an area that was at one time barrier islands, coastal dunes, and estuary marshes. The Florida Peninsula was created primarily by forces and minerals from the ocean. It lies so low that minor fluctuations in sea levels can have

11340-465: The confining layer is fractured to allow breaches of water to percolate down to recharge the layer below. The Floridan Aquifer , underneath the confining layer, underlies the entire state and portions of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina. It is particularly accessible in the northern part of Florida, serving as the fresh water source of metropolitan areas from St. Petersburg north to Jacksonville and Tallahassee . Acidic rainwater erodes

11480-415: The contiguous U.S., find it easier to live in the flatwoods. Typical mammals that live in these ecosystems, such as raccoons ( Procyon lotor ), opossums ( Didelphis virginiana ), bobcats ( Lynx rufus ), and white tailed-deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), are ones that prefer dry, flat areas with good ground cover and available nesting sites. The Ocklawaha River flows north and joins the St. Johns as

11620-482: The counties of Indian River north to Duval produces rain that is drained by the St. Johns River. Tropical Storm Fay in 2008 deposited 16 inches (410 mm) of rain in a 5-day period, most of it located near Melbourne . The St. Johns near Geneva in Seminole County rose 7 feet (2.1 m) in four days, setting a record. The river near Sanford rose 3 feet (1 m) in 36 hours. Fay caused severe flooding in

11760-527: The early 19th century, frustrated when trying to navigate through floating islands of macrophytes , or muck and weeds, as the islands changed location with the creeping flow. Lakes Washington , Winder , and Poinsett are located further along this stretch of the river. The northernmost points of the upper basin contain the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area , created in 1977 to assist with filtration of waters flowing into

11900-401: The efforts of railroad magnates Henry Flagler and Henry Plant to construct rail lines down the east coast of Florida, including a rail link between Sanford and Tampa. Disston was responsible for creating the towns of Kissimmee , St. Cloud , and several others on the west coast of Florida. Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway was

12040-483: The estuarine habitat. Mollusks gather at the St. Johns estuary in large numbers, feeding on the bottom of the river and ocean floors. The abundance and importance of oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) is apparent in the many middens left by the Timucua in mounds many feet high. Oysters and other mollusks serve as the primary food source of shorebirds. The large trees that line the river from its source to south of Jacksonville begin to transition into salt marshes east of

12180-485: The evaporation of water called evaporites . What covers the peninsula is the result of simultaneous processes of deposits of sands, shells, and coral, and erosion from water and weather. As ocean water has retreated and progressed, the peninsula has been covered with sea water at least seven times. Waves compressed sands, calcium carbonate, and shells into limestone ; at the ocean's edge, beach ridges were created by this depositional forming. North–south axis rivers, such as

12320-437: The former right of way. St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( Spanish : Río San Juan ) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and it is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m); like most Florida waterways,

12460-400: The full line, built to 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge . On February 20, 1886 the 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway opened to Sanford, and the South Florida was converted to standard gauge on September 22. In 1893 the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway ( Plant System ) directly acquired

12600-805: The human tissue. Further climate change between 5,000 and 3,000 years ago led to the Middle Archaic period; evidence suggests that human habitation near the St. Johns River first occurred during this era. Populations of indigenous people increased significantly at this time, and numerous settlements near the St. Johns have been recorded from this era; the banks of the St. Johns and its arteries are dotted with middens filled with thousands of shells, primarily those of Viviparus georgianus —a freshwater snail—and oysters. The advent of regional types of pottery and stone tools made of flint or limestone marked further advancements around 500 BCE . The Archaic people transitioned into settled groups around Florida. From

12740-429: The lake by building some of its downtown area on the waterfront; citizens use boat transportation and Sanford's public dock to commute into town. Optimally an 8-foot (2.4 m) deep channel about 100 yards (91 m) wide after leaving Lake Monroe, the St. Johns meets its most significant tributary in the middle basin, the spring-fed Wekiva River , discharging approximately 42,000,000 US gallons (160,000,000 L)

12880-509: The land was far from water—most fresh water was contained in glaciers and polar ice caps. As a result, Florida was an arid landscape with few trees, dominated by grasslands and scrub vegetation. Around 9,000 years ago, the climate warmed, melting much of the polar ice caps and many glaciers, creating a wetter environment and submerging half the peninsular shelf. As Paleo-Indians now did not have to travel as far to find water, their camps became more permanent, turning into villages. With evidence of

13020-455: The larger St. Johns. Wetlands in the upper and middle basin are fed by rainwater, trapped by the structure of the surrounding land. It is an oxygen- and nutrient-poor environment; what grows usually does so in peat which is created by centuries of decaying plant material. Water levels fluctuate with the subtropical wet and dry seasons. Rain in central and north Florida occurs seasonally during summer and winter, but farther south rain in winter

13160-511: The largest tributary, and one of significant historical importance. The Ocklawaha (also printed as Oklawaha) drainage basin expands through Orange, Lake, Marion, and Alachua Counties, comprising a total of 2,769 square miles (7,170 km ). Ocala , Gainesville , and the northern suburbs of the Orlando metropolitan area are included in this basin. There are two headwaters for the Ocklawaha:

13300-443: The legislature of Florida, by act of March 4, 1879, granted to that company alternate sections of the lands given to the state by the act of congress of September 28, 1850, within six miles on each side of the track or line of its road, provided that the company should comply with the specified provisions of the act of January 6, 1855; and further granted to the company, in consideration of the greatly improved value which would accrue to

13440-565: The length of the river while visiting the southeastern United States from 1765 to 1766. They published journals describing their experiences and the plants and animals they observed. They were charged by King George III to find the source of the river they called the Picolata or San Juan, and measured its widths and depths, taking soil samples as they traveled southward. William returned to Florida from 1773 to 1777 and wrote another journal about his travels, while he collected plants and befriended

13580-501: The limestone and can form caverns. When the overlay of these caverns is particularly thin—less than 100 feet (30 m)— sinkholes can form. Where the limestone or sand/clay overlay dissolves over the aquifer and the pressure of the water pushes out, springs form. The upper and middle basins of the St. Johns River are located in a portion of the peninsula where the aquifer system is thinly confined, meaning springs and sinkholes are abundant. Springs are measured in magnitude of how much water

13720-555: The line, and that was done on August 7, 1891. After the Plant System bought the South Florida, an extension was built north from Pemberton Ferry to Inverness , where the Plant System's Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad continued north, which was completed in 1891. In the Atlantic Coast Line era, the north leg of the Pemberton Ferry Branch would serve as the southernmost segment of their R Line, which ran from DuPont, Georgia to Lakeland via High Springs . By

13860-481: The local Timucua and Mocamas were friendly. The colony was unable to support itself; some of the French deserted. Those who remained were killed in 1565 by the Spanish, led by Pedro Menéndez, when they marched north from St. Augustine and captured Fort Caroline. The river was renamed San Mateo by the Spanish in honor of the Apostle Matthew, whose feast was the following day. Capturing Fort Caroline allowed

14000-572: The local economy and supports 10,000 jobs. The U.S. Navy has two bases in the Jacksonville area: Naval Station Mayport , at the mouth of the river, serves as the second largest Atlantic Fleet operation and home port in the country. Naval Air Station Jacksonville is one of the service's largest air installations, home to two air wings and over 150 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, and the host for one of only two full-fledged Naval Hospitals remaining in Florida. If I could have, to hold forever, one brief place and time of beauty, I think I might choose

14140-557: The mainline west to the Withlacoochee River via Apopka . The line was never opened by the South Florida, instead partially opening as the Apopka and Atlantic Railroad . It was never a success. The St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway was incorporated in 1888 to connect Kissimmee to St. Cloud and Narcoossee . It was immediately operated by the South Florida, and was merged into it in 1893. Neptune Road runs along some of

14280-545: The majority of plant life is aquatic. Wetland staples include the American white waterlily ( Nymphaea odorata ), pitcher plants , and Virginia iris ( Iris virginica ). In the southernmost points of the river, Cladium , or sawgrass, grows in vast swaths of wet prairie that at one time extended into the Everglades . These wetland flora are remarkably successful in filtering pollutants that otherwise find their way into

14420-415: The middle basin due not only to the deluge but the flat slopes of the river. Typically, however, the St. Johns basin receives between 50 and 54 inches (1,300 and 1,400 mm) of rain annually, half of it in summer months. The rate of evapotranspiration corresponds to rainfall, ranging between 27 and 57 inches (690 and 1,450 mm) a year, most of it occurring in the summer. The entire river lies within

14560-448: The mouth at Mayport averages 15,000 cubic feet (420 m ) per second, but with tides it exceeds 50,000 cubic feet (1,400 m ) per second, and following heavy rains combined with tides can top 150,000 cubic feet (4,200 m ) per second. Farther upriver, the discharge rate ranges from 1,030 cubic feet (29 m ) per second near Lake Poinsett to 2,850 cubic feet (81 m ) per second near DeLand. The confluence of numerous springs,

14700-505: The nearly flat Pamlico terrace, giving it an overall gradient of 0.8 inches (2.0 cm) per mile (km); it is one of the flattest major rivers on the continent. Its proximity to the ocean in the lower basin affects its rise and fall with tides and salinity. Tides regularly affect water levels as far south as Lake George; when combined with extreme winds, the river's tidal effects can extend to Lake Monroe 161 miles (259 km) away and have on occasion reached Lake Harney. Tides typically raise

14840-469: The next or through drought and flood cycles. Of vertebrates, numerous species of frog, salamander, snake, turtle, and alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ) proliferate in marsh waters. Most of these animals are active at night. Frog choruses are overwhelming; during alligator mating season the grunts of bulls join in. The marshes around the St. Johns River upper basin teem with birds. A recent study counted 60,000 birds in one month, nesting or feeding in

14980-529: The night on that high lonely bank above the St. Johns River — Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in Cross Creek Using an unofficial nickname of "The River City", Jacksonville has a culture centered on the St. Johns. An annual footrace named the Gate River Run accepts 18,000 participants who travel a course along and over the river twice. The largest kingfishing tournament in the U.S. is held on

15120-430: The offset. Although seismic activity in Florida is mostly insignificant, several minor earthquakes have occurred near the St. Johns River, caused by the trough created by Pangaean rifting . All of Florida's abundant fresh water is the result of precipitation that returns to the atmosphere in a process called evapotranspiration that involves evaporation and transpiration of moisture from plants. As rains fall, most of

15260-635: The only totems in North America to have been found outside of the Pacific Northwest—shaped like a pelican and otter were found in 1978 after being snagged by a barge at the bottom of the river. River otters ( Lutra canadensis ) can be found through the length of the St. Johns and its tributaries, living in burrows or in the roots of trees bordering waterways. They eat crayfish, turtles, and small fish, and are active usually at night, playful but shy of human contact. The St. Johns creeps into

15400-424: The peninsula. Early Spanish explorers named the river Rio de Corientes (River of Currents). The St. Johns River became the first place colonized in the region and its first battleground: when French explorer Jean Ribault erected a monument south of the river's mouth to make the French presence known, it alarmed the Spanish who had been exploring the southern and western coast of the peninsula for decades. Ribault

15540-550: The river and broad, shallow lakes. Two of the largest lakes in the middle basin are created by the river: Lake Harney and Lake Monroe. The shallow 9-square-mile (23 km ) Lake Harney is fed by the long narrow Puzzle Lake ; immediately north is the Econlockhatchee River , which joins to increase the volume of the St. Johns to where navigation becomes easier for larger boats. The river veers west, touching on Lake Jesup before it empties into Lake Monroe , passing

15680-467: The river has a long backwater . It ebbs and flows with tides that pass through the barrier islands and up the channel. Uniquely, it shares the same regional terrain as the parallel Kissimmee River , although the Kissimmee flows south. The St. Johns River is separated into three basins and two associated watersheds managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District . Because the river flows in

15820-478: The river is by airboat . Approximately 3,500 lakes lie within the overall St. Johns watershed; all are shallow, with maximum depths between 3 and 10 feet (1 and 3 m). The river flows into many of the lakes, which further confuses navigation. Eight larger lakes and five smaller ones lie in the upper basin; one of the first is named Lake Hell 'n Blazes (sometimes polished to read as Lake Helen or Hellen Blazes), referencing oaths yelled by boatmen and fishermen in

15960-452: The river is the most navigable and shipping is its primary use. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains shipping channels at least 12 feet (3.7 m) deep and 100 feet (30 m) wide. North of Jacksonville, the channels are expanded to 40 feet (12 m) deep and between 400 and 900 feet (120 and 270 m) wide. The towns and cities along the lower basin of the river are some of the oldest in Florida, and their histories have centered on

16100-508: The river level about 1.2 feet (0.37 m) at Jacksonville, decreasing some to 0.7 feet (0.21 m) at Orange Park where the river widens, and increasing back to 1.2 feet (0.37 m) at Palatka as it narrows. As a result of tidal effects, discharge measurements in the lower basin are often inaccurate. However, the estimated rate of discharge between the Ocklawaha River and the center of Jacksonville ranges from 4,000 to 8,300 cubic feet (110 to 240 m ) per second. The nontidal discharge at

16240-492: The river muck. Although the Spanish had colonized Florida for two centuries, the state remained the last part of the east coast of the United States to be developed and explored. Following the Civil War, the State of Florida was too far in debt to build roads and rail lines to further its progress. Florida Governor William Bloxham in 1881 appealed directly to a Pennsylvania-based industrialist named Hamilton Disston , initially to build canals to improve steamboat passage through

16380-436: The river's course runs through Jacksonville with a population of more than a million. Much of the economic base of Jacksonville depends on the river: 18,000,000 short tons (16,000,000 t) of goods are shipped in and out of Jacksonville annually. Exports include paper, phosphate, fertilizers, and citrus, while major imports include oil, coffee, limestone, cars, and lumber. The Port of Jacksonville produces $ 1.38 billion in

16520-450: The river. For 37 miles (60 km) the river passes through a 1,200-square-mile (3,100 km ) basin fed primarily by springs and stormwater runoff. This basin, spreading throughout Orange, Lake , Volusia , and Seminole Counties, is home to the greater Orlando metropolitan area, where two million people live and major tourist attractions are located. The topography of the middle basin varies between clearly distinguishable banks along

16660-404: The river. Both Palatka and Green Cove Springs have been popular tourist destinations in the past. Several smaller locations along the river sprang up around ferry landings, but when rail lines and then Interstate highways were constructed closer to the Atlantic Coast, many of the towns experienced significant economic decline, and ferry landings were forgotten. The final 35 miles (56 km) of

16800-463: The road and the drainage of the land, the alternate sections of the 'swamp and overflowed lands' for six miles on each side of the line of the road of any such company. That the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railway Company was incorporated in March 1878, under the general corporation act of the state, of February 1874, by the name of the Tampa, Peace Creek & St. John's River Railroad Company. That

16940-500: The sandy soil and collects in a slight valley. The upper basin measures approximately 2,000 square miles (5,200 km ); the St. Johns transforms into a navigable waterway in Brevard County . The river touches on the borders of Osceola and Orange Counties , and flows through the southeast tip of Seminole County , transitioning into its middle basin a dozen miles (19 km) or so north of Titusville . The upper basin of

17080-763: The series A and B first mortgage bonds, then in 1890, a Consolidated Mortgage was executed with the Pennsylvania Company for Insurances on Lives and Granting Annuities as trustee for the 4000 bondholders, where the Company's 1.5 million acres of land was to secure said bonds. The company would enter into Receivership under Mason Young, and later under Joseph H. Durkee, who executed a series of "receivers notes/certificate" which would become paramount lien on said 1.5 million acres, each certificate holder owning an undivided interest in said 1.5 million acres. The Atlantic Coast, St. Johns and Indian River Railroad completed

17220-449: The short distance between Sanford and Orlando. However the company had plans to continue to the Gulf of Mexico , reaching it at Tampa . On May 4, 1883, Henry B. Plant and his Plant System (headed by the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway ) bought 3/5 of the stock of the South Florida after an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Florida Southern Railway . Plant had made an agreement with

17360-500: The site of the crash on the Withlacoochee State Trail memorializes the event. The branch's north leg is still in service from Lakeland to Owensboro (just southwest of Lacoochee) and the south leg is still in service from the main line to Eaton Park. The abandoned segment north of Owensboro is now part of the Withlacoochee State Trail (which also continues up the abandoned extension to Inverness). The south leg

17500-575: The southern tip of Lake George , the second largest lake in Florida at 72 square miles (190 km ), 6 miles (9.7 km) wide and 12 miles (19 km) long. The watershed surrounding Lake George expands through 3,590 square miles (9,300 km ), lying within Ocala National Forest and Lake George State Forest , that protect an ecosystem dominated by pine and scrub more than 380,000 acres (1,500 km ) and 21,000 acres (85 km ) in size, respectively. Flatwoods forests dominate

17640-413: The state from the construction of the road, 10,000 acres of the same class of lands for each mile of road it might construct, such lands to be of those nearest to the line of the road, its branches and extensions,—this last-named grant being made subject to the rights of all creditors of the internal improvement fund, and to the trusts to which the fund was applicable under the act of January 6, 1855. That on

17780-403: The state treasurer, the attorney general, and the register of state lands, and their successors in office, to hold the same for the uses provided in the act; and by its twenty-ninth section, the general assembly reserved the right to grant to such railroad companies, thereafter chartered, as they might deem proper, upon their compliance with the provisions of the act as to the manner of constructing

17920-474: The steamboats, with Mason Young, vice-president of the railway company, servicing as president of the steamboat company. The Jupiter and Lake Worth Railway opened in 1889 as a short connection between the Indian River Steamboat Company at Jupiter and the north end of Lake Worth , where steamers continued south. The line was abandoned by 1896 after the completion of the parallel Florida East Coast Railway . The Orange Ridge, DeLand and Atlantic Railroad Company

18060-445: The summer months. Where the river widens between Palatka and Jacksonville, wind becomes a significant factor in navigation, and both whitecap waves and calm surface waters are common. Rain occurs more frequently in late summer and early fall. Tropical storms and nor'easters are common occurrences along the Atlantic coast of Florida; the St. Johns River lies between 10 and 30 miles (16 and 48 km) inland, so any storm striking

18200-492: The upper basin. Wading and water birds like the white ibis ( Eudocimus albus ), wood stork ( Mycteria americana ), and purple gallinule ( Porphyrio martinicus ) depend on the water for raising their young: they prey upon small fish and tadpoles in shallow water and puddles in the dry season. In successful seasons, their colonies can number in the thousands, creating a cacophony of calls and fertilizing trees with their droppings. The river turns north again as it rolls through

18340-428: The water is directed to lakes, streams, and rivers. However, a significant amount of fresh water is held underground but close to the surface in aquifers . A surficial aquifer consisting mostly of clay, shells, and sand is over a confining layer of denser materials. Wells are drilled in the surficial aquifer, which supplies better quality water in areas where the deepest aquifer has a high mineral content. Occasionally

18480-433: The world" in a travel guide he published in 1876. The river gave Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings access to the St. Johns from her homestead at Orange Lake . The region served as a major fishing attraction until a decline in water quality occurred in the 1940s, and since then further degradation of the river and its sources have occurred. In particular, Lake Apopka earned the designation of Florida's most polluted lake following

18620-525: The year 2000, 3.5 million people lived within the various watersheds that feed into the St. Johns River. Starting in Brevard County and meeting the Atlantic Ocean at Duval County , the St. Johns is Florida's primary commercial and recreational waterway. It flows north from its headwaters, originating in the direction of the Lake Wales Ridge , which is only slightly elevated at 30 feet (9.1 m) above sea level. Because of this low elevation drop,

18760-486: Was a 3-foot gauge 6-mile (9.7 km) line built in 1885, connecting DeLand with DeLand Landing on the St. Johns River. The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West line intersected it 2 miles (3.2 km) from DeLand Landing at DeLand Junction . The railroad was reincorporated in 1886 as the Deland and St. Johns River Railroad Company and converted to 5-foot gauge to match the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway. In 1893

18900-419: Was altered to make way for agricultural and residential centers, suffering severe pollution and redirection that has diminished its ecosystem . The St. Johns, named one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998, was number 6 on a list of America's Ten Most Endangered Rivers in 2008. Restoration efforts are underway for the basins around the St. Johns as Florida's population continues to increase. Historically,

19040-433: Was chartered in 1881 to run from Sanford southeast to Oviedo and Lake Charm . The South Florida leased it in 1883, and it was standard gauged on September 21, 1886. Today, the route is still in service as CSX's Aloma Spur from Sanford to Winter Springs . The Cross Seminole Trail runs along the former right of way from Winter Springs to Oviedo. The Apopka Branch was part of the original charter, running from Mayo on

19180-446: Was detained after he returned to Europe. In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière arrived to build Fort Caroline at the mouth of the St. Johns River; they called the river Rivière de Mai because they settled it on May 1. An artist named Jacques LeMoyne documented what he saw among the Timucuan people in 1564, portraying them as physically powerful and not lacking for provisions. Fort Caroline did not last long, though relations with

19320-420: Was named for Colonel Henry Haines , who organized the construction of the line and was considered to be Plant's most trusted employee. The main line remains in service and is today the southernmost segment of CSX's A Line Amtrak continues to operate passenger service on the line and uses it to reach Tampa Union Station . Amtrak's Miami-bound trains also travel the line to Auburndale and turn south on to

19460-657: Was responsible for removing the Alachua Seminoles west of the Suwannee River , either killing them or forcing them farther south towards Lake County, in 1818. Jackson's efforts became the First Seminole War , and were rewarded by the naming of a cattle crossing across a wide portion of the St. Johns near the Georgia border—previously named Cowford—to Jacksonville. The result of Jackson's offensive

19600-481: Was the transfer of Florida to the U.S. Following the Seminole Wars, a gradual increase in commerce and population occurred on the St. Johns, made possible by steamship travel. Steamboats heralded a heyday for the river, and before the advent of local railroads, they were the only way to reach interior portions of the state. They also afforded the citizens of Jacksonville a pastime to watch competing races. By

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