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Florida's
Uniquely Beautiful
Ocklawaha River
THEN & NOW
Photo Memory Gallery
An Information, Opinion, Photos, & Sources Report
Compiled by Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca
With the assistance of Captain Erika Ritter & Elaine Wellhoner McCreary
Created: 15 February 2013
Last Revised: 31 May 2015
Ocklawaha is the correct official spelling of this river's name since 1992 (and its original pre-1892 spelling).
From 1892 to 1992 the river's name was officially spelled "Oklawaha."
These are THREE excellent reference sources for information about the Ocklawaha River of BACK THEN:
Bacon, J. H. and W. M. Black. 1891. "Report of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army; Appendix O - Report of Captain Black (page 1620-1627); Improvement of the Ocklawaha River, Florida; Report of Mr. J. H. Bacon, Assistant Engineer, United States Engineer Department, St. Augustine, Fla., May 11, 1891." U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Available online.
Contains the 1891 edition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official Ocklawaha River mileages to the various named landings of the time.
Bigelow, G. E. 1970. History of man in the Oklawaha valley. Pages 47-49 in Carr, M. H.; Dasmond, R. F.; Partington, W. M.; and Robertson, W. B. (eds.). Environmental impact of the Cross Florida Barge Canal with special emphasis on the Oklawaha regional ecosystem. Florida Defenders of the Environment, Gainesville, FL. Available as a hardcopy.
Bigelow (1970) paragraph excerpt follows:
"The story is much the same for the White man: the main stream of white settlement flowed around the Oklawaha area for a hundred years. As early as 1830, the land west of the river had been pioneered by white settlers who lived chiefly from cattle herds and subsistence farming. And Southern slave-holding planter civilization had penetrated the St. Johns Basin as far south as the Zephaniah Kingsley plantation on an island at the north end of Lake George. But the Oklawaha valley itself and the Big Scrub east of the river were not settled until the 1870's and then only sparsely--a few families at Lake Kerr, and a few more along the main watercourse. As late as the 1920's, only six white families, and no Negroes at all, lived in the scrub, so that it remained quite literally a frontier area where a man could make his living with an axe and gun, until well into the present century."
Mueller, E. A. 1983. Ocklawaha River Steamboats. Mendelson Printing Company, Jacksonville, FL. 135 pages. Available as a hardcopy book.
Contains the 1935 edition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official Ocklawaha River mileages to the various named landings of the time.
These are THREE excellent reference sources for information about the Ocklawaha River of more modern times:
Florida Department of Natural Resources (FL DNR). 1989. Florida Rivers Assessment. 452 pp. FL DNR, Tallahassee, FL. Available as a hardcopy book.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 1999. "Fort Mc Coy, Fla." 7.5 minute series; 1:24,000 scale; topographic map. USGS, Denver, CO. Available as a hardcopy map.
This map displays all or part of Ocklawaha River miles 33 to 47 (but identifies only a few of the historic landings).
USGS. 1970. "Lynne, Fla." 7.5 minute series; 1:24,000 scale; topographic map. USGS, Washington, DC. Available as a hardcopy map.
This map displays all or part of Ocklawaha River miles 47 to 60 (but identifies only a few of the historic landings).
NOTE: Click-on individual photos to enlarge them!
Ocklawaha River 1911 Hart Line Steamboats Map.
Although not shown on this map, Butterbutt Landing (of today) would be located
between Conner and Palmetto Grove (which are shown on the 1911 map).
Cypress Gate is shown on the 1911 map.
An unidentified landing on the Ocklawaha River circa 1890.
This photo is labeled as Log Cabin Shack in the Woods at:
http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/3d/cabins/cabins14.htm
Butterbutt Landing of the Ocklawaha River (and Captain Erika Ritter) on 28 February 2009.
Photo by Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca.
Butterbutt Landing of the Ocklawaha River on 18 February 2014.
Photo by Capt. Erika Ritter.
Butterbutt Landing of the Ocklawaha River on 18 February 2014.
Photo by Capt. Erika Ritter.
Butterbutt Landing may have been previously known as Butler-Butt Landing and possibly either Long's Landing or Shingle Mill.
The Butterbutt Landing of today is located about 4 river miles downstream (north)
of the inflow of Silver River (Silver Springs Run) into the Ocklawaha River.
NOTE (05 August 2013): Elaine Wellhoner McCreary--who is a descendant of John Conner Graham--has just reported to the Ocklawahaman that the log cabin in the old photo above was probably John Conner Graham's store at Conner Landing which is slightly upriver from today's Butterbutt Landing. Ms. Elaine McCreary also wrote, "That's the only existing picture of the store that I know of." Thank you very much to Elaine McCreary for her historical information input!
The 1891 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official report of the survey of the Ocklawaha River seems to list the present day Conner Landing as Graham Landing (Miles. 49.6) and the present day Butterbutt Landing as Longs Landing (Miles. 49.2) with a Shingle Mill (Miles. 49.3) landing in-between the two of them. NO Turkey Creek Landing is listed anywhere between Eureka and Silver Spring Run.
The 1935 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Miles and Landing Name list shows Conner (Miles 49.2) and a Long's Landing (Miles 48.6) with a Shingle Mill (Miles 48.8) also in-between the two of them. Just upstream (south) of Conner, a Turkey Creek Landing (Miles 49.6) is listed.
The 1970 USGS Lynne, Fla. topographic map lists a Conner Landing with a Turkey Landing just upstream (south) of it.
The 1989 FL DNR Florida Rivers Assessment book (page 253) under Archaeological Sites shows a Butler-Butt Landing with an ID Number: of 8MR01869 [MR means Marion County] in Segment: 16.00.
Cypress Gate of the Ocklawaha River (actually Eureka Cut) circa 1890.
http://fcit.usf.edu/Florida/3d/ockla/ockla02.htm
At less than 24 feet wide, it was the narrowest traverse
of the entire steamboat voyage on the Ocklawaha River.
This view is looking downstream (north).
The location and present day remnants of Cypress Gate of the Ocklawaha River on 27 May 2010.
This view is looking downstream (north).
Photo by Ocklawahaman Paul Nosca
The left (west) bank still displays the bottom remains of the stumps of the virgin baldcypress trees that were cut somewhere between 1919 and 1935.
The right (east) bank was dredged wider after its virgin baldcypress trees were cut somewhere between 1919 and 1935.
A man-made berm of spoil, from a small west-leading canal just downstream, possibly blocks some of the original view.
At 40 to 50 feet wide NOW, it is still probably the narrowest part of the main navigation channel of the entire Ocklawaha River.
Cypress Gate was also known as the Great Cypress Pass and the Gate of the Ocklawaha.
Cypress Gate was located about 18 river miles downstream (north)
of the inflow of Silver River (Silver Springs Run) into the Ocklawaha River.
Its present day remains are located just upstream (south) of the
CR-316 Eureka Mountain Bridge over the Ocklawaha River.
For more about Cypress Gate:
http://fcit.usf.edu/Florida/3d/ockla2/ockla211.htm
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles24/america-98.shtml
For more about the Ocklawaha River basin's remaining old-growth virgin baldcypress (bald cypress) trees:
https://sites.google.com/site/ocklawahaman/those-sentinel-cypress-survivors-of-the-ocklawaha
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-04-20/news/miket20_1_nixon-ocklawaha-river-johns-river
Statement by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon on 19 January 1971
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=3044
ordering a halt to construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal project:
"I am today ordering a halt to further construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal to prevent potentially serious environmental damages.
"The purpose of the canal was to reduce transportation costs for barge shipping. It was conceived and designed at a time when the focus of Federal concern in such matters was still almost completely on maximizing economic return.
"In calculating that return, the destruction of natural, ecological values was not counted as a cost, nor was a credit allowed for actions preserving the environment.
"A natural treasure is involved in the case of the Barge Canal--the Oklawaha River--a uniquely beautiful semi-tropical stream, one of a very few of its kind in the United States, which would be destroyed by construction of the Canal.
"The Council on Environmental Quality has recommended to me that the project be halted, and I have accepted its advice. The Council has pointed out to me that the project could endanger the unique wildlife of the area and destroy this region of unusual and unique natural beauty.
"The total cost of the project if it were completed would be about $180 million. About $50 million has already been committed to construction. I am asking the Secretary of the Army to work with the Council on Environmental Quality in developing recommendations for the future of the area.
"The step that I have taken today will prevent a past mistake from causing permanent damage. But more important we must assure that in the future we take not only full but also timely account of the environmental impact of such projects--so that instead of halting the damage, we prevent it."
REFERENCE AS: Nosca, P. 2015. "Florida's uniquely beautiful Ocklawaha River then & now photo memory gallery" webpage report. "Paul Nosca's bass fishing photos" website. Paul Nosca, Eureka, FL.
https://sites.google.com/site/paulnoscasbassfishingphotos/the-ocklawaha-river-then-and-now
Email: ocklawahaman1@gmail.com
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