«o Air««n iHJi " • OF CAlirORNIA o « SANTA BAMARA " > ^ i 3 In • iO A»V«n 3Hi "» O THE lIBIiARY OF o 1 r #^- r" > r t- OB 1 i: K .• YINlOilTV? JO O e THE UfiflARY OF Oft 05 ES^ n • yiN»o-p. ix to xii, will facilitate the finding of any particular route or locality. Hotel rates, the usual prices for saddle-horses, carriages, boats, guides, etc., are in the main the result of personal ex- perience, or from answers to letters of inquiry. Such rates, however, are always variable, with, in general, an upward tendency. The editor will be grateful for the correction of any er- rors, or for information that may increase the value of fu- ture editions. C. L. N. 15 East Sixteenth Street, New York, November, 181)0. CONTENTS. [In order to permit the introductiou of new routes in future editions of the Handbook, -without disturbing the general arrange- ment, tlie routes are numbered deciimMy. Tluis Jacksonville is 10; Fernandifia, 20; St. Augustine, 30 ; while the intermediate numbers, 11, 22, 35, etc., are assigned to routes subordinate to, and more or less connected with, each central point of interest.] PAGE. Introductory Matter, Hints to Travellers, etc xiii Paragraph History of Florida xx Counties and County Maps. Alachua County 1 Baker County 6 Bradford County 7 Brevard County 9 Calhoun County 11 Citrus County 13 Clay County 14 Dade County , 19 De Soto County 21 Duval County 23 Escambia County 27 Franklin County , 29 Gadsden County 31 Hamilton County 32 Hernando County 34 Hillsborough County , 36 Holms County 39 Jackson County 40 Jefferson County 42 Lafayette County 43 Lake County 45 Lee County 49 Leon County .* 51 Levy County , 54 Liberty County 55 Madison County 57 Manatee County 59 Marion County Gl X CONTKNTS. PAOE Monroe County 04 Nassau County 65 Orange County 68 Osceola County 71 Pasco County 74 Polk County 76 Putnam County 80 Saint Jolin's County 82 Sumter County 85 Santa Rosa County 88 Suwannee County 89 Taylor County 93 Volusia County 94 Wakulla Coun'ty 98 Walton County" 100 Washington County 101 I. The Atlantic Coast. KOUTE PAOE 10. Jacksonville 103 11. Jacksonville to St. Augustine and return 110 12. Jacksonville to Fernandina and return Ill 13. Jacksonville to Mayport and return 112 14. Jacksonville to Pablo Beach and return 114 15. Jacksonville to Green Cove Springs and return 115 16. Jacksonville to Fort George Island and return 115 17. The Lower St. John's River and Domenique de Gonrgues 117 20. Fernandina 127 21. Amelia Island 130 22. Amelia River 130 23. Nassau Sound 131 24. Cumberland Sound 131 30. St. Augustine 133 31. Anastasia Island 175 33. Matanzas River and Inlet 178 34. St. Augustine to Jacksonville 183 35. St. Augustine to Palatka 182 38. Jacksonville to Palatka by rail 183 39. Jacksonville to Palatka by river 184 40- Green Cove Springs 187 50. Palatka 188 51. Lake George 190 52. The Fi-uitland Peninsula 191 53. Crescent Lake 191 51. Seville 193 55. Palatka to Sauford by rail 193 56. Palatka to Sanford by river 194 60. Sanford '. 196 CONTENTS. XI ROUTE PAGE 01. De Land 198 02. Lake Helen 199 70. Davtona 200 71. Ormond 202 72. Halifax River 202 80. New Smyrna 20B 81. Ponce Park and Mosqnito Inlet 207 90. The Indian River 210 91. Titusville 213 92. Rockledge 214 93. Melbourne 215 94. Jupiter Inlet 216 95. Jupiter Inlet to Lake Wortli 221 100. Lake Wortli 222 101. The Sea Coast South of Lake Worth 220 II. The Gulp Coast. 110. Fernandina to Cedar Key 229 111. Cedar Key 229 120. Jacksonville to Homosassa 233 121. Homosassa 233 130. The Pinellas Peninsula 236 131. Tarpon Springs 237 132. Clearwater Harbor 243 133. St. Petersburg 247 140. Tampa 249 141. Port Tampa 251 142. The Manatee River 252 150. Charlotte Harbor 254 151. Punta Gorda 256 152. St. James-on-the-Gulf (Pine Island) 259 153. Punta Rassa and Tarpon Fishing 261 154. The Caloosa River 205 155. Fort Mvers 267 156. Lake Okeechobee 269 157. The Everglades 270 158. Naples 271 III. Middle Florida. 160. Sanford to Tampa Bay and Port Tampa 275 161. Winter Park 276 162. Orlando 278 163. Kissimmee 279 164. Lakeland 280 165. Bartow 281 166. Plant City , . . .^ 282 \ii CONTENTS. ROUTE PAGE 170. Jackson vi lie to Ocala 282 171. Inteilachen 28^^ 172. Citra 284 173. OaiiK'Sville ;ind The Land Office 288 174. Jacksonville to Leesburg 290 1 7~). Micanopy and the Seminole Wars 291 180. Ocala 294 181. The Oklawaha 296 182. Silver Spring 299 183. Blue Spring 301 184. Dunellon 302 185. Lake Weir 304 190. Leesburg 305 IV. Subtropical Florida. 200. Biscavne Bay 810 201. The Florida Reefs 315 202. Key West 323 V. West Florida. 210. Jacksonville to River Jirnction : 331 211. Macolenny , 334 212. Olustee 334 213. Lake City 338 214. Live Oak 339 215. Madison 339 216. Monticello 340 220. Tallahassee 342 221. The Wakulla Spring 347 222. St Marks 349 223. Quincv 350 224. Chattahoochee 351 230. River Junction to Peusacola 352 231. Ii[arianna 353 232. De Funiak Springs 354 233. Milton 355 240. Peusacola 355 250. The Gulf Coast of West Florida 365 Miscellaneous Information : Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Citrons, Grape Fruit, Pineapple 368 Native Races of Florida 372 Seminole Words, etc 373 Average Temperature 377 Rainfall, etc , in Florida 378 Population 378 The Game Laws of Florida 379 FLORIDA. Thk State of Florida, owing to its semi-tropical climate, and its remarkable natiaral attractions, is recognized as the most favored winter sauitorium and pleasure resort of Amer- icans. Especially is this true of those who reside so far North that they are certain to be more or less incommoded by protracted cold. The Florida Season. — As soon as the weather begins to be wintry and disagreeable in the North it begins to be pleasant in Florida. Although the fashionable season does not open until after Christmas, invalids or others desiring to avoid the first approaches of cold can always find comfortable ac- commodations near the princiijal places of resort. The lead- ing hotels usually open in January and close in May, and the travelling facilities are at their best during that i^eriod. Kailroads. New York is the natural starting point for travellers from the Northern Atlantic States and Canada. Through tickets without change of cars to St. Augustine and the other prin- cijial resorts in Florida can be procured at any general rail- way office. The Atlantic Coast Line is the shortest. Time, New York to Jacksonville, twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Vestibuled trains are run through from New York. There are three ordinary express trains daily each way be- tween New York and Jacksonville during the winter season. The vestibuled trains are made up of drawing-room cars XIV OCHAN ROUTES. with electric lights, libraries, dining-rooms, smoking-rooms, bath, and all the luxuries of a modern hotel. The direct route passes through Philadelphia, Pa., Wil- mington, Del., Baltimore, Md., Washington, D. C, Pkich- mond, Va., Wilmington, N. C, Charleston, S. C, and Sa- vannah, Ga., to Jacksonville and St. Augustine. S/. Louis, Louisville, and Cincinnati are the three points of departure from the Northern Central gi'oup of States. From these cities frequent trains run either to Pensacola or Jack- sonville, or direct to New Orleans, whence communication with the Florida railroad system is constant and easy. Ocean Routes. The journey to Florida may be pleasantly varied by mak- ing part of the trijj by sea, as indicated in the following list of steamship lines. Tlie Ch/de Steamship Comjyani/, Pier 27 East River, office No. 5 Bowling Green. Tri-weekly steamers to Jacksonville (time, about three days). Monthly schedules are issued, giving dates and hours of sailing. All these steamers touch at Charleston, S. C. The Mallory I/tne, Pier 20 East River, New York, de- spatches a steamer once a week to Fernandina, but little more than one hour's ride to Jacksonville (about three days at sea). 77^6 Ocean Steamship Conqxint/, Pier 25 East River, New York. Steamers once a week from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia (the latter freight only), to Savannah, Ga., five hours from Jacksonville (about forty-eight hours at sea). The Old Dominion Line, Pier 26 North River, New Y''ork. Tri-weekly steamers to Norfolk and Richmond, Va. (about twenty-four hours at sea), thence twenty-two hours by rail to Jacksonville. HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. XV Hints to Travellers. Outfit. Woollen undergarments, shirts, and hosiery of light or medium thickness, according to individual temi^erament, are best. Camels' hair, or some of the so-called unshrinkable flannels are preferable. There are days in every month when thin outer clothing, suitable for summer wear, is desirable, but, in general, clothing of medium thickness is not uncom- fortable. Moderately warm wraps, overcoats, and rugs are indispensable, and mackintoshes or other waterproofs are recommended. For men soft felt hats arc best for general use, but sun-helmets of cork, pith, or duck are convenient for warm weather. Straw or jDalmetto hats can always be purchased in Florida. If much walking is anticipated high shoes are desirable, as deep sand cannot always be avoided. For men leggings of leather or canvas are recommended as a protection against the tangled " scrub " and its living inhabitants, especially the " red bugs " and wood-ticks that frequent the undergrowth. During the winter months snakes are rarely encountered. Leggings are also conveni- ent for riding, and are very generally used by tourists and sportsmen. All the articles specified can be purchased in St. Augus- tine or Jacksonville, at a slight advance upon New York prices, and most of them can be found in any of the larger towns The normal clear, winter weather of Florida is i^erfect for out-of-door life, but seasons differ greatly. "While summer is usually the rainy season there are occasional variations from the regular order. Sometimes there are rainy winters, and every season brings its "northers," when a cold wind blows, sometimes for several days in succession, and fires and warm clothing are in demand. "With a limited amount of luggage it is often inconvenient to carry a full supply of thick under- wear, therefore it is suggested that these sudden changes of temperature be met by donning two suits of light underwear at once. Railway travel in Florida is unavoidably dusty in fair \veather, the di;st being of that i)enetrating (Quality that ren- xvi HINTS TO TJIAVKLLERS. clers its perfect exclusion from cars wellnigh impossible. Dusters are not pretty to look at, but they add greatly to tlie comfort of travel, and any anti-dust contrivances in the way of caps, neckerchiefs, and the like will be found equally con- venient. Camp Outfit. Two woollen blankets, army size ; one sewn together at bottom and along two edges, to form a sleeping- bag, and the other left unsewu, for use in warm weather, ^5.00 ; one rubber j)oncho, $^1.00 ; one suit of oil-skin cloth- ing, coat and trousers, §3.50 ; one perfectly water-tight match-box (a tightly corked, large-mouthed vial is perhai)s best) ten cents ; one pocket or watch-chain compass. This is indispensable in Florida, for in cloudy weather there is noth- ing to steer by in the piny woods, and the watercourses are often so tortuous that bearings are easily lost, fifty cents upward; one mosquito net. Florida hunters use "cheese- cloth," as that is jDroof against sand-flies while the ordinaiy netting is not. The foregoing list covers essentials only. The aggregate cost need not exceed $12.00 Shooting Outfit. Guns according to preference, since every sportsman has his favorite. A light 32 or -i-i calibre rifle will be found very convenient. Game of all kinds has been shot at so much since the introduction of breech-loaders that it has become very wild. The rifle can often be used with good results when shot-guns are useless. For shot, Nos. 9 and 4 with a supply of buckshot for large game, and a few long-range cartridges have been found to serve well for general shooting. Fishing Outfit. An ordinary bass-rod, reel, and line is best for general purposes. Common metallic spinners or spoons are used for trolling. Florida fishes handle trolling gear rather roughly, and *' phantom minnows " and the like are apt to come to grief. For general pui-jioses, Limerick hooks, ringed and bent, are as good as any. A supply of gut-snelled hooks is desirable for use in the perfectly clear waters of certain streams, but in general linen snells are best. The most useful sizes of hooks range from 610 downward, though, of course, for the heavy weights the larger sizes are neces- sary. Sinkers must be provided and floats are often useful. HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. xvii Special tackle for tarpon and kingfisli is described under Eoute 82. Money. A list of towns having banks or bankers is given below. A supjjly of silver quarter-dollars and of nickel five- cent pieces will be found convenient, as small change is apt to be scarce away from tlie larger cities. A stock of one dollar bills is jireferable to those of larger denominations since the weighty and inconvenient silver dollar is in Florida almost invariably tendered in change. Baxks. ' Apopka, Oranse Conntv.— Bank of Apopka. Bartow, Polk Conuty.— Polk County Bank. Brooks\'ille, Hernando County. — Bank of BrooksvUIe (not incorporated). Daytoua, Volusia County. — Bank of Da.^tona. De Laud Volus:a County. — F. S. Goodrich. Enstis, Orange County.— Bishop Bros. Fernandina, Nassau County. — Bank of Femandina. Gainsville. Alachua County.— First National Bank. H. F. Button & Co. Interlachen, Putnam County. — Taylor A Warren. Jacksonville, Duval County. — First National Bank. The Florida Savinss Bank. National Bank of Jacksonville. National Bank, State of Florida. State Bank of Florida (not incorporated). Ambler, Marvin & Stockton. Key West, Monroe County. — Bank of Key West. John White Bank. Kissinimee, Osceola County. — Kissimmee Citv Bank. Lake City, Columbia County.— N. S. Collins & Co. Lakeland, Polk County. — L J. J. Nleuwenkamp. Leesburs, Sumter County. — Morrison, Stapylton & Co. Yager Bros. Ocala, Marion County.— The Buffum Loan &; Trust Co. First National Bank. Orlando, Orange Coiinty.— National Bank of Orlando. Orlando Loan & Sav- ings Bank. Palatka. Putnam County.— First National Bank. Pensacola. Escambia County. — First National Bank of Pensacola. Mer- chants' Bank. F. C. Brent & Co. Punta Gorda, De Soto County. Sanford. Orange County. — First National Bank. Seville. Volusia County. — Bank of SeviiA^. St. Augustine, St. Johns County. — First National Bank. Stanton, Marion County.— The Buffum Loan A Tniet Co. Tallahassee, Leon County. — B. C. Lewis A Son. Tampa, Hillsboro County.— First National Bank of Tampa. Tarpon Springs. — Bank of Tarpon Springs. Tavares, Lake County. — Bank of Tavares (not incorporated). Titusville, Brevard County. — Indian River Bank. Travelling ExpenRes. Individual tastes and habits of ne- cessity govern daily expenses. Lawful rates by rail in Florida are 3 cents a mile on the main lines, and 4 and 5 cents a mile on branches and local roads. If the traveller fi-e- quents the most expensive hotels his daily bills will be from S3 to .?5 a day, or even more, exclu.sive of "tips," but in Xviii HINTS TO TKAVELLEKS. most of the resorts comfortable quarters can be found at lower rates, say $2 a clay, or §8 to 810 a week. With reason- able economy So a day should be a fair average, covering all strictly travelling expenses, and leaving something to spare for emergencies. It is earnestly recommended that travel- lers give only reasonable fees to attendants. In all respect- able hotels they are paid good wages and excessive fees tend to lower their sense of duty. Small fees of five or ten cents, given on the spot for services rendered, secure better attend- ance, and are less demoralizing to the recipient than large fees postponed till the hour of departure. In the height of the season it is well to telegraph in ad- vance for rooms. If a prolonged stay is made at a hotel an itemized bill should be called for at least once a week, since errors can be most easily corrected when fresh in mind. The final bill should be called for several hours in advance of departure — the night before in case of an early morning start. This gives time for the inevitable discussion conse- quent upon the discovery of actual or supiDOsed mistakes. In many of the small hotels away from the principal re- sorts, bathing facilities are very primitive, if not wanting al- together. A pair of bathing mittens carried in a waterproof sponge-bag, so that they can be packed away even when wet, has been found an untold luxiiry under such conditions ; and in the same category may be mentioned a cake of soap in a flannel bag of its own (not waterproofed). Such a liag is far better than the ordinary travellers' soap-box, in which the soap rapidly deteriorates when not 2)''^cked away in a perfectly dry state. Biding and Driving. The ordinary Florida road is not well adapted for pleasure driving, but there are certain sec- tions of the State, as in Marion County, where a carriage may be driven for many miles at a moderate pace through the open woods. Elsewhere, in sections where clay predomi- nates, as in Gadsden and Leon Counties, the roads are excel- lent, save in wet weather. Near the coast, too, there are shell- roads of admirable smoothness. This is notably the case at Fort George Island, Duval County, in the vicinity of Jack- sonville, and near New Smvrna. Finallv. the ocean beaches HINTS TO TRAVELLKRS. xix from Fernantliiia south to Cape Canaveral are, as a rule, 23erfect in all respects for driving or wheeling. The only drawback is that for an hour or two every day when the tide is at full flood the tinest part of the driveway is under water. Equestrians will find passably good saddle-horses at very reasonable rates almost everywhere in the State. Eiding tlirough the woods is always enjoyable, and a gallop on the beaches referred to above is exhilarating beyond descrip- tion. Walking Trips. Extended pedestrian excursions are not likely to be undertaken in Florida, or, if undertaken, are not likely to be repeated. Several weighty reasons are against them. The distance from one place of interest to another is usually too great to be covered on foot in a day. The coun- try roads are always sandy, save in rare instances, and the scenery is, as a rule, very monotonous. From many of the resorts pleasant Vt'alks may be taken through the woods or along the beaches. Often the walking is easy and the ground reasonably clear of undergrowth in the pine woods as well as in the hammocks, but where the saw palmetto is found progress is always difficult. No stranger should ven- ture into Florida woods without a compass. None of the signs known to Northern woodsmen hold good here, and bearings are very easily lost, particularly under a cloudy sky or when night is coming on. All i3edestrians in Florida will sooner or later form the acquaintance of the "red bug," an insect almost invisible as to size, but gigantic in his power of annoyance. High boots or tight leggings, afford some protection, but a salt- water bath (natural or artificial) or rubbing with alcohol or ammonia immediately on reaching home is asi;re prevent- ive of ill effects. XX PAUA(iUAPH lilSTOllY OF FLORIDA. Pjirjigraph History of Florida. 1497. The English claim to priority of discovei*y is based on the following passage in Sebastian Cabot's narrative : "Despairing to find the passage I turned back again, and sailed down by the coast of land toward the equinoctial fever with the intent to find the said passage to India), and came to that part of this firm land which is now called Florida, where my victuals failing, I departed from thence and re- turned into England." During the same year, according to Francisco Adolpho de Varuhagen, Americus Vespucius coasted the whole peninsula. 1500-1502. Gaspar Corte-Eeal, probably a Spanish trader, furnished data from which was traced the first approximately correct outline of the North American coast, clearly indi- cating the Floridian peninsula (Cantino's map, Lisbon, 1502, now preserved in the Biblioteca Estense, at Modeua, Italy). 1513. March 27. Easter Sunday (Pascua Florida, in Spanish) Juan Ponce de Leon sighted the coast near St. Augustine, and named it in honor of the day.' 1513. April 2. He landed in 30° 8' north latitude, prob- ably near Fernandina. 1513. April 8. He took formal possession in the name of the King of Spain. 1516. Diego Miruelo, a pilot and trader, discovered a bay, probably Pensacola, which long bore his name on Spanish maps. Ponce de Leon made a second voyage of discovery, but was driven oflf by the natives, who killed several of his men. 1517. February. Francis Hernandez de Cordova, while on a slave-hunting expedition, landed at some unidentified place on the west coast of Florida. His men were attacked by the natives and driven off. De Cordova himself was fa- tally wounded. 1519. Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda discovers the coast in the ' The year 1512 is usually given as the date of this diBCOvery. Justin Winsor, Vcl. n., cites official documents proving that 1513 is the correct dat?. PARAGRAPH HISTORY oF FLORIDA. xxi vicinity of Peusacola, and proves that Florida is not an island. 1521. February or March. Ponce de Leon, commissioned as governor " of the Island Florida," landed at some point i:)robably not far from St. Augiistiue, and attempted to take possession. He was fatally wounded in a fight with the na- tives, and the settlement was abandoned. Francisco Gordillo and Pedro de Quexos, sent out by Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, discovered a large river and named it St. John the Baptist. They kidnapped about seventy of the friendly natives, and earned them away. TJiese Indians were subsequently retui'ned to their homes. 1525. Pedro de Quexos returned, by order of Ayllon, regained the good-will of the Indians, and explored the coast for two hundred and fifty leagues, setting up stone" crosses bearing the name of Charles V. of Spain, and the date of taking possession. 1528. April 14. Pamphilo de Narvaez with a fleet of five vessels, containing four hundred men and eighty horses, landed in Bahia de la Cruz (perhaps Clearwater Harbor). The fleet was sent along the coast, while the army marched inland and perished, all save four, who escaped after eight years of cajitivity. 1539. May 25. Hernando de Soto reached Tampa Bay, and named it Esj^iritu Santo. His force was five hundred and seventy men, with two hundred and twenty-three horses and a comjilete outfit. He mai-ched northward and westward, treating the Indians, friend and foe alike, with cruel treachery and violence. Passing beyond the present boundaries of Florida he discovered the Mississippi River, where he died and was buried beneath its waters. 1549. June 25. Father Luis Canca de Barbastro, in charge of a missionary exiiedition, landed near Clearwater Harbor, and was killed by the Indians with four of his asso- ciates. 1559. July 1. Tristan de Luna y Arellano, with one thousand five hundred soldiers and settlers, landed in Ichuse (Santa Rosa) Bay. A hurricane almost destroyed his fleet, on Sejitember 19th. Explorations Avere undertaken, but re- xxii i'AIlAGKAl'H IIISTOKY OF FLORIDA. suited iu no discoveries of importance. Mutinies followed among the troops, and eventually the settlement was aban- doned. 15G2. May 1. Jean Bibaut, a French Huguenot, with a colony of the same faith, entered the St. John's Kiver, re- named it La RiviLve do Mai, and erected a stone monument bearing the arms of France. No attemjjt at permanent set- tlement was made at this time. 15(54:. June 22. Rene de Laudonniere, a French Hugue- not, discovered the harbor of St. Augustine and named it La Riviere des Dau2)hines. 1564. July. Fort Caroline built by the French, i)rob- ably at St. John's Bluflf, near the mouth of the " River of May" (St. John's). ■ 1565. August 3. Sir John Hawkins entered the river, relieved the wants of the French colony, and told Laudon- niere of an intended Spanish attack. 1565. August 28. Pedro Meuendez d'Aviles, with a strong Spanish fleet, reached the coast north of Cape Canav- eral. 1565. August 28. He discovered St. Augustine harbor and named it after Aurelius Augustinus, Bishop of Hippo. 1565. August 28. Ribaut reached the St. John's with re- enforcements for the French. 1565. September i. Menendez arrived at the St. John's River and prepared to give battle to the French, who put to sea, pursued by the Sjianiards. 1565. September 5. Menendez returned to find that more French ships had arrived. He retreated to St. Augus- tine and, finding the natives friendly, founded the city on its present site, the oldest in the United States. 1565. September 8. Menendez landed the greater part of his force and took formal possession of St. Augustine in the name of the King of Spain. 1565. September 10. Ribaut's fleet wrecked in a hurri- cane near Canaveral. 1565. September 29. Menendez received the surrender of an advance party of the French who survived the wreck of their fleet at Matanzas Inlet, and put 111 of them to PARAGRAPH HISTORY OF FLORIDA. xxiii death. Sixteen wlio i^rofessed to be Catholic^ were spared, at the intercession of the Spanish chaplain. 1565. September 30. Meuendez, having marched over- land with 500 men, surprised and put to death the Freucli garrison at Fort Caroline. A few escaped, including Lau- donniere, the commander. 1565. October 1. Laudonniere and the survivors of the massacre escaped to sea in two small vessels. 1565. October 10. Ribaut, with the rest of the surviv- ing French, reached Matanzas. About half of them sur- rendered and were put to death. The rest retreated to Ca- naveral and built a fort. 1565. November 8. Menendez attacked the French at Canaveral. Most of them surrendered and were spared. 1565-66. (Winter.) The French survivors who had es- caped to the woods incited the Indians to attack Fort Caro- line, which the Spaniards had renamed San Mateo. 1566. March 20. Menendez returned to St. Augustine from a voyage, quelled a mutiny with difficulty, relieved San Mateo, reorganized the garrisons, and sailed for Sjjain, which he reached in July. 1568. April. Domenique de Gourgues, with the avowed intention of avenging the massacre at Matanzas, captured the Spanish forts on the St. John's River, hanged the surviv- ors of the fight, and destroyed the fortification. 1568-1586. European interest in Florida languished. Settlements were sustained mainly through the personal ef- forts of Menendez. 1586. Sir Francis Drake, the English freebooter, at- tacked St. Augustine. The Spaniards fled, offering scarcely any resistance, and the place was burned. After Drake's de- jiarture the people returned and began to rebuild the town. 1593. Twelve Franciscan missionaries were distributed among the Indians on the east coast. 1598. The Franciscan missionaries were nearly all killed by the Indians. 1612-13. Thirty-one Franciscans sent from Spain, Florida constituted a Religious Province of the Order, and named St. Helena. Xxiv I'AKACJllAPH inSTOKV OF FLORIDA. 1638. War between Spanish colonists and tlie Apalachee tribe, resulting in the subjugation of the Indians. 1605. St. Augustine pillaged by English freebooters un- der Captain John Davis. Tiie Spaniards made little or no re- sistance. 165.5. The hereditary governorship of the Menendez fam- ily terminated, and was succeeded by Diego de Eebeilado, as Captain-General. 1(J75. Don Juan Hita de Salacar became Captain-General. 1680. Don Juan Marquez Cabrera became Captain-Gen- eral. 1678. The commandant of St. Augustine sent out a suc- cessful expedition against the English and Scotch settlements near Port Royal. 1687. A large consignment of negro slaves brought to Florida by one De Aila. 1681. The Governor (Cabrera) attempted to remove sev- eral Indian tribes to the islands on the coast. Hostilities followed, many Christian Indians were killed and others carried away as slaves. 1696. Under authority of the Viceroy of New Spain a settlement was made at Pensacola, and Fort Charles was built. 1702. September and October. Governor Moore of South Carolina laid siege to St. Augustine, by land and sea. The town was occujsied and burned, but the castle (the present Fort Marion) held out. Two Spanish vessels appeared and Governor Moore withdrew, losing his transports. 1703-4. Governor Moore sent an expedition into MvJdle Florida mainly directed against the Indians friendly to Spain. He destroyed several towns and carried off many Indians to slavery, at the same time defeating the Spaniards under Don Juan Mexia, who came to the aid of their Indian allies. 1708. Colonel Barnwell of South Carolina invaded Mid- dle Florida and raided through the Alachua country east- ward to the St. John's River. About the same time Captain T. Nairn of the same forces penetrated to the head waters of the St. John's, and possibly to the Okeechobee region, bringing back a number of slaves. PARAGRAPH HISTORY OF FLORIDA. XXV 1718. March. Fort San Marcos cle Apalacbe erected at St. Mark's by Spaniards under authority of the Governor of St. Augustine. About the same time the French estab- lished Fort Crevecoeur at St. Joseph's Bay, but soon aban- doned it and the Spaniards took possession. 1718. May 14. The French under Bienville, the com- mandant at Mobile, attacked the Spaniards at Pensacola, and mainly by stratagem captured the entire garrison, who were sent to Havana in accordance with a promise made be- fore the surrender. 1718. Two Spanish ships appeared off Pensacola, and after a brief bombardment received the surrender of the French commander. The fortifications were at once strongly garrisoned, and an im successful attack was made on the French, who still held Dauphin Island. 1719. September 18. After a series of actions the Span- ish at Pensacola surrendered to the combined land and naval forces of the French under Desnade de Ohampsmelin. Pensacola was destroyed and abandoned, and the cajitured Spaniards were taken to France as prisoners of war. 1722. Pensacola reocciapied by the Spaniards on declara- tion of peace, and the town rebuilt on Santa Rosa Isl- and. 1727. Colonel Palmer of South Carolina, after certain un- successful negotiations with the Spanish authorities in Flor- ida, made a descent upon the northern part of the jarovince, and with the aid of Indian allies hari'ied the whole country to the gates of St. Augustine, capturing many slaves and driving off much live stock. 1736. Spain formally claimed all territory south of St. Helena Sound, as part of her Floridian jjossessions, and warned England to withdraw her colonists. Futile negotia- tions followed. 1739. October. AVar declared between England and Spain, because of alleged encroachments by both parties in the provinces of Georgia and Florida. Governor Oglethorpe of Georgia, having already prepared a force, at once invaded the disputed territory. 1739. December. A detachment of OgletlioiiDe's men X.wi rAllACJUAI'll UISTOIIY OF FLUmDA. attacked Fort Poppa on the St. John's Uiver, opposite Pico- lata, but were repulsed by tlie Spaniards. 1740. Jaiinaiy. Fort at Picolata captured by the Eng- lish. 1710. Juue 20 till July 7. Siege of St. Augustine by the English under Major-Geueral James Edward Oglethovjie, Governor of Georgia. The defence was successfully con- ducted by a Spanish garrison of 750 men under Don Manuel de Monteano. 1742. July 5. Monteano led an expedition against Ogle- thorpe, sailing from St. Augustine. He was repulsed after having forced the English to abandon their first position. 1743. March, General OglethoriDe invaded Florida, and surprised the garrison of St. Augustine, killing some forty men before they could gain the citadel. Oglethorpe with- drew, not being prepared to conduct a siege. 1748. Suspension of hostilities by treaty between Great Britain and Spain. 1750. As the result of a tribal quarrel among the Creek Indians in Georgia, Secoftee, a noted chief of the tribe, headed a movement for secession, and with a large number cf followers settled in tlie Alachua country, Florida. These Indians became known as Semiuoles, i.e., seceders, out- laws. 1762. Hostilities renewed between Spain and Great Brit- ain. The English capture Havana. 1763. February 10. By treaty Great Britain and Sjiain effected an exchange of Cuba for Florida, and the English at once took possession of Florida, and General James Grant was appointed Governor. 1765. The " King's Road," constructed from St. Augus- tine to the St. Mary's River. 1766. Forty families emigrated from Bermuda to Mos- quito Inlet. 1767. Colony of 1.500 Minorcans cstablislied by Dr. Turn- bull at Mosquito Inlet (New Smyrna). 1776. Colony at New Smyrna broken up because of al- leged harsh treatment. 1774. In view of the disaffectiau of the northern colonies PARAGRAPH HISTORY OP FLORIDA. XXVli isendiiig the war for Independence, immigration of loyalists was encouraged from Georgia and the Caroliuas. A consid- erable number settled near St. Augustine. 1775. August. An American privateer captured the British supply ship Betsey, off the harbor of St. Augustine, iu sight of the British garrison. 1778. Nearly 7,000 loyalists moved into Florida from Georgia and the Oarolinas. 1779. September. Hostilities resumed between Spain and Great Britain. 1780. Sixty -one jsrominent South Carolinians sent to St. Augustine by the British authorities as i^risoners of State. 1781. March — May. The Sijaniards tinder Don Bernardo de Galvez, with a naval force under Admiral Solana, invested Pensacola, which was defended by about 1,000 English under General Oami)bell. A chance explosion of a magazine com- pelled the surrender of the English, who caijitulated on honorable terms to a largely superior force. 1783. Colonel Devereaux, a loyalist fugitive from Caro- lina, sailed from St. Augustine with two privateers and cap- tured the Bahama Islands, then held by the Spaniards. They have ever since remained under the British flag. 1783. September 3. Independence of the American col- onies — not including Florida, which had taken no part in the struggle — acknowledged by Great Britain. Upon this Florida was ceded back to Si)ain, Great Britain retaining the Bahamas. English subjects were allowed eighteen months to move their effects. The crown transported most of them to England, the Bahamas, and Nova Scotia. 1784. Zespedez, the new Spanish governor, arrived at St. Augustine and took possession. 1795. Spain receded West Florida (Louisiana) to France. 1811. In view of probable war with England the United States Congress resolved to seize Florida in order to prevent the English from taking possession. 1812. March 17. A number of persons styling themselves " patriots " met at St. Mary's and organized the Republic of Florida. Aided by United States gunboats they took pos- session of Fernandina, elected a governor, and shortly after- xxviii PAKACRArn history of Florida. ward niarclied upon St. Augustine, but were repulsed. The United States soon withdrew its open support, but the "patriots" continued towage war on their own resjionsi- bility, aided by American volunteers. 1814. August. A British force under Colonel Nichols oc- cni)ied Pensacola with the consent of the Simnish comman- dant and hoisted the British flag. 1814. November 14. Pensacola captured by United States forces under General Andrew Jackson. The English, presumably with Spanish connivance, built and armed a fort at the mouth of the Apalachicola River and garrisoned it with Indians and negroes. 1816. August. The fort on the Apalachicola was attacked by a combined force of Americans and friendly Indians under Colonel Clinch, and captured after one of the maga- zines had been exploded by a hot shot. During this time Florida was in a state of anarchy, and Indian forays into Georgia were frequent. 1818. April 7. General Jackson, with a force of Ameri- cans, severely chastised the Florida Indians, capturing a formidable fort at St. Marks. 1818. May 25. Pensacola, which had been reoccupied by the Spaniards, surrendered to General Jackson by the Span- ish after slight resistance. 1819. February 22. Florida ceded by Spain to the United States. 1821. February 19. Treaty of cession formally rati- fied. 1821. July 10. The Spanish flag hauled down and the United States flag hoisted in its place at St. Augustine. A like ceremony took place at Pensacola on July 21st. 1822. March 30. By act of Congress Florida was made a territory of the United States, and organized as such. 1822. June. The first legislative coimcil met at Pen- sacola and created four counties : Escambia, Jackson, St. John's, and Duval. 1823. September 18. Treaty of Fort Moultrie made with the Indians, inducing them to confine themselves to a reser- vation. PARAGRAPH HISTORY OF FLORIDA. xxix 1823. October. Tallahassee selected as the territorial capital. 1823-1835. Settlers began to press into Florida and en- croach upon Indian reservations. Treaties were made and set aside looking to the removal of the Indians. 1834. April 12. Proclamation by the President pursuant to treaty finally adopted, directing the removal ofthe Senii- noles west of the Mississippi. 1835. Autumn. Friendly Indians murdered by those who were disposed to resist the execution of the President's jiroclamation. 1835. December 25. The Seminoles made a descent upon New Smyrna, burned all the houses, and laid waste the plantations. Having been forewarned, the inhabitants escajjed. 1835. December 28. Osceola, the Seminole chief, way- laid and killed General Thompson, the Indian Commissioner, at Fort King, with several companions. On the same day the command of Major Dade, U.S.A., 110 strong, was am- buscaded and massacred by Indians, under Chief Micanopy, near Dragem Junction, Sumter County. Four soldiers feigned death and escaped, three of them reaching Tampa Bay. Thus began the Seminole War, which lasted seven years. 1835. December 31. United States troops under Gen- eral Clinch defeated the Indians near the scene of Dade's massacre, of which event they were at the time unaware. 1836. February 27 — March 6. United States trooijs under General Gaines attacked by a large force of Indians while attempting to ford the Withlacoochee Eiver. The troops intrenched themselves, and were besieged for several days, with constant fighting, until their provisions were nearly ex- hausted, when they were relieved by General Clinch. 1836. June 9. Indians threatened the stockade at Mican- opy. United States forces under Major Heileman marched out and routed them after a sharp fight. 1836. Aiigust 11. Major Pierce attacked Osceola's band of Micosukee Indians near Fort Drane, and routed them. 1836. November 21. Colonel (late Major) Pierce drove a XXX I'AUAGRAPH HISTORY OF FLORIDA. large force of Indians into the Walioo swamp, but no de- cisive victory could be gained, owing to the impenetrable nature of the morass. 1837. January 20. A detachment, -marching to Jupiter Inlet from the head of the St. John's River, found Indians strongly posted on the banks of the Loeohatchee. After at- tacking and dispersing the Indians a stockade (Fort Jupiter) was constructed near the inlet. 1837. January 27. Engagement near Hatcheelustee Creek. The Indians were routed and driven into Great Cypress Swamp. 1837. February 8. Intrenched camp on Lake Munroe at- tacked at night by a large force of Seminoles. The Indians were repulsed with heavy loss. 1837. March 6. Treaty of capitulation signed by Gen- eral Thomas S. Jessup and Seminole chiefs at Fort Dade. A large number of Seminoles nominally surrendered at this time ; the influence of Osceola and the warlike faction proved too strong, and by the end of the summer hostilities were resumed. 1837. October 12. Osceola and seventy-one of his band seized by order of General Jessup and confined as prisoners of war. 1837. December 25. Colonel Zachary Taylor, with a strong detachment, following the main body of the Seminoles southward, overtook them on the shore of Lake Okeechobee. After a stubborn fight, lasting several hours, the Indians fled. Taylor lost one-tenth of his men in killed and wounded. This action terminated concerted resistance on the part of the Indians. After this they fought in small parties. 1838. March 22. Colonel Twiggs captured 513 Indians and 165 negroes near Fort Jupiter. 1839. May. A council with the Seminole chiefs resulted in an official declaration of peace. 1839. July. The Indians, without warning, resumed lios- tilities in all parts of the State. Colonel Harney's command was nearly exterminated at Charlotte Harbor by an over- whelming force of Indians. 1840. August 7. Government station on Indian Key de- stroyed by a war party of Indians. Dr. Perrine killed. PARAGRAPH HISTORY OF FLORIDA. xxxi 1840. December. Colonel Hamey conducted an expedi- tion througli the Everglades. During tlie year the Indians adopted the plan of raiding with small jaarties and the whole State was harried by these bands. 1841. May 31. Colonel, afterward General, William J. Worth was given command of the United States forces in Florida. He inaugurated a summer campaign which proved eftective. The Indians were, during the winter of 1841-42, either captured, killed, or driven into the most inaccessible swamps. 1842. April 19 — August 14. The Seminole War was de- clared at an end. The surviving Indians were removed to Arkansas, with the exception of about 360, who were tacitly allowed to remain in the Everglades. 1845. March 3. Florida admitted to the Union as a State. 1861. January 6. United States Arsenal at Chattahoochee seized by Florida State troops. 1861. Januaiy 7. Fort Marion, St. Augustine, seized by State troops (see p. 151). Fort Clinch, Fernandina, occuj)ied the same day. 1861. January 10. Ordinance of secession adopted by the convention assembled at Tallahassee. 1861. January 10. United States trooijs transferred from Barrancas Barracks to Fort Pickens, Pensacola Harbor. 1861. January 12. All United States property on the mainland, including the Navy Yard and Forts Barrancas and McBae, seized by Florida State troops, the commandant of the Navy Yard with his men being held as prisoners. 1861. Januaiy 12. Formal demand made for the sur- render of Fort Pickens to Florida State troops. 1861. January 14. Fort Taylor, Key West, garrisoned by United States troops. 1861. January 18. Fort Jefferson, Tortugas, garrisoned by United States troops. 1861. April 12-17. Fort Pickens reinforced. 1861. August 6. The blockade-runner Alvarado burned off Fernandina. 1861. November 22. Fort Pickens (Pensacola) opens fire XXxii PAUAORAPII HISTORY OF FLORIDA. upon the Con federate batteries on the mainland. An artil- lery duel continued all day, 1862. January 16. Naval attack upon Cedar Key. 1862. March 3. Amelia Island evacuated by the Confed- erates, and (March 4) occupied by Federals, 1862. March 11. Jacksonville occupied by Federal forces. 1862. March 14. Brigadier- General James H. Trapier, C.S.A., assigned to the command of Middle and East Florida. 1862. March 17. Colonel W. 8. Dilworth assigned to the command of Florida, vice Trapier, transferred, 1862, March 23, New Smyrna i:)artly destroyed by Fed- erals. 1862. April 8. Brigadier-General Joseph Finegan, C.S.A., assigned to the command of Confederate forces in Florida. 1862. April 9. Jacksonville evacuated by the Federal troops. 1862, April 10. Skirmish near Fernandina. 1862. October 4. Jacksonville again occupied by the Federals and shortly afterward abandoned, 1863, March 10. Jacksonville occupied by Federals, 1863. March 31. Jacksonville evacuated by Federals. 1864. February 7. Jacksonville reoccupied by Federals, 1864, February 20. Battle of Olustee. Defeat of the Federals, 1865. October 28. End of the Civil War, Ordinance of secession rej^ealed, after which a civil government under the supervision of a military governor (General John Pope) was temporarily established. 1868. July 41 The fourteenth amendment to the Con- stitution of the United States having been adopted, with a new State constitution, Florida was readmitted to the Union and military supervision withdrawn. 1889, June. Discovery of highly valuable phosphate beds at Dunellon, Marion County, followed by similar dis- coveries in dift'erent parts of the State. Alachua County. Area, 1,260 sq. m.— Lat. 29" 25' to 29° 55' N.— Long. 82° to 82° 59' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 22,929.— Pop. (1880), 16,462.— Assessed valuation (1888), $3,193,000. — County seat, Gainesville. The name is of Indian origin, pronounced al-latch-u-ah, with the accent on the second syllable. Probably, however, the Indian pronunciation accentuated the last syllable. The name was originally given to a remarkable chasm in the earth near Gainesville (see map), and is said to mean lit- erally " the big jug without a bottom;" but there is prob- ably a conveyed meaning to the Seminole ear implying, " the place where the waters go down." The settlement of this region by whites was effected by the agents of Fernando de la Maza Arredondo, an enterprising Spanish merchant of Havana. Messrs. Dexter and Wanton, under his authority and led by the accounts given by Indians of the high roll- ing lands, rich soil, heavy forests, and abundant lakes and streams, penetrated to the vicinity of Gainesville and there established a trading-post. The Indian accounts proved true, and Arredondo obtained a Spanish grant of about 289,645 English acres — rather more than one-quarter of the present county of Alachua. The exact date of the original settlement cannot be ascertained, but it was no doubt prior to the beginning of the present century, when the whole interior of Florida was an unexplored wilderness, and the discoverer of a fertile tract had only to ask for a grant in order to secure what was then regarded as a clear title from the Spanish crown. Alachua is classed in the United States Government re- ports as in the long-leaf pine region. It contains, however, tracts of oak and hickory, hammocks and prairies. The eastern part of the county, at the point of highest elevation, is 250 feet above tide-water ; the western part about 70 feet. Near the Levy county line is a range of sand-hills, 120 feet above tide-water. The Cedar Key Eailroad crosses this range between Archer and Bronson. Along the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers the underlying limestone frequent- ly crops out, forming picturesque and precipitous banks. 2 ALACHUA COUNTY. crowned with rich hammock. From northwest to south- east, crossing the county, is an irregularly detached belt of fine hammock lands, the substratum of which is the peculiar disintegrated limestone of this region. Oaks, hickoiy, gum trees, bay, magnolia, beech, maple, and other hard woods grow here in great luxuriance, although along this belt the rock is but thinly covered with soil. The total area of ham- mock land is about 2.440 acres. It is of two grades, " black hammock," with a sandy loam soil, brown or blackish iu color, and nearly a foot deep; and "gray hammock," with a lighter soil and higher percentage of sand, underlaid with sand or sand-rock. The Suwannee River and its tributary the Santa Fe define the western and northern boundaries of the county. The first named is navigable for steamers throughout this section of its course, and the second as far as Fort White, about eight miles above the confluence of the two streams. In the west- em jjart of the county are countless small lakes and ponds, most of them deep and well supplied with fish. They are connected by natural water-courses, sometimes on the siu'- face, sometimes subterranean, and curious natural wells and "sinks" are of frequent occurrence. These wells are usu- ally perjiendicular shafts, three or four feet in diameter, de- scending through solid limestone rock to a depth of thirty or forty feet. Water strongly imjiregnated with lime is found in most of them, but some are dry and may be ex- plored. This part of the county is sparsely settled as comparetL with the eastern, especially the southeastern section. This, however, renders it the more attractive for sportsmen and campers. Large game has been hunted off in the more thickly settled portions of the county, but deer and turkey are to be found within easy driving distance of almost any of the towns west of Gainesville, and the ordinary game birds are reasonably abundant everywhere. Large lakes are found in the eastern and especially in thj southeastern portion of the county. Of these South Pond and Santa Fo Lake are joined by a canal, and are navi-f-able for launches and small steamboats. Orange Lake, which 4 ALACHUA COUXTY. bounds the county at its southeastern corner, is an irregular body of water, the largest in the county, but shallow and overgrown with aquatic vegetation. In the season, these shallow lakes, are frequented by water-fowl. The remarkably open character of the woods at once impresses the observant traveller. The scrub palmetto is wholly absent over large tracts, and one may ride or drive comfortably for miles through a virgin forest without a sign of a wagon road or of a human habitation. Among the crops that are successfully cultivated in Alachua are artichokes, beans, beets, cabbages, celery, cucumbers, egg-jilant, lettuce, okra, onions, parsnips, peas, jiotatoes (Irish and sweet), pumpkins, radishes, squashes, tomatoes, turnips, arrow-root, barley, castor beans, cassava, chufas, koouti, corn, cotton, pea-nuts, melons, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, sugar-cane, tobacco, and wheat. Oranges are grown successfully whenever facilities for transportation render it possible to market the crop to advantage. Peaches of the Pientau and other early varieties are cultivated ; the Leconte pear is a profitable crop, and strawberries in veiy large quantities are shipped to the North during January, February, and March. The Florida Southern Railway (J., T. & K. "W. system) en- ters the county from the westward, Palatka being the nearest station of importance. The stations next and within the county are : 27. . . .Cones Crossing {Putnam Co.) 45 I 29....Colgrove 43 E 31... Hawthorne ' 41 a Di8t.fr. 32.... Constantino's Mill 40 i Dist.fr. Palatka. I 3.5 ... Grove Park 3T Ocala. V 40....RGchelle''' 32 W 45 Mi canopy Jc 2T | 47 Evinston {Levy Co.) 24 ' Crosses F. C. &. P. Ey. (see p. 5). 2 Gainesville Br. (see below). For continuation of this Une to Ocala, Lees- burg, etc., sec p. G3. Gainesville Branch (J., T. & K. "W. .system) : I 37....Eochelle' 8 E Di8t.fr. 1 41. ...Sink 4 a Dist. fr. Palatka. V 42. ...Oliver Park 3 i Gainesville. W 45.... Gainesville 2. ' Connects with main line (see above). ' Connects with S. F. & W. Ry. (see p. 5), and Cedar Key Division F. C. & P. (see p. 5). ALACHUA COUNTY. 5 The main line of the Florida Central & Peninsula Railway enters the county from the northeast after crossing Santa Fe River. The stations next and within the county are : Dlst. fr. Jackson- viUe. 79 Hampton {Bradford Co.) 51 85 ... . Waldo ' 45 90 Orange Heights 40 94....Campville 36 99. . . .Hawthorne = 31 106 Lochloosa 24 109 .... Island Grove 21 112....Citra {Lecy Co.) 18 Dist. fr. Ocala. > Cedar Key Branch, F. C. & P. (see below). 2 Crosses Gainesville Branch, J., T. & K. W. For continuation of this line to Ocala, see p. 63 ; to Jacksonville, p. 9. Cedar Key Division, F. C. & P., crosses the county south- westerly from Waldo, where it leaves the main line. 0... Waldo 70 ; 6 . . . Fairbanks 64 N E 14 Gainesville' 56 a 18. .. Hammock Ridge 52 Dist. 20... Arredondo 59 fr. Cedar 21 Kanapaha 49 Key. V 24.... Palme:- 46 j SW 29. ...Archer 41 | 38 Bronson (Levy Co.) 32 ' Connects with Gainesville Branch, J., T. & K. W. (see p. 4), and with Gainesville Division, S. F. & W. (see below). For continuation southwest to Cedar Key, see p. 55 ; northeast to Jacksonville, Fernandina, etc., see p. 9. Diet. fr. Waldo. The Gaine.sville Division, 8. F. & W. Ry., runs northeast from Gainesville to Lake City Junction, Columbia County. The stations are : Gainesville ' 36 TkJof f, I 11 Hague 25 SE y.. . , Gaines- I 16 . . . . Newnansville 20 a LakeCitV Gaines ^ 23 .... High Springs 13 l^akeCity vine. -^y^ 33.... Fort White 3 | '''=• 36 Lake City Jc. (Co^Mmftia Co.). . . . ' For continuation northwest, see p. 17. For connectione at Gainesville, see map. BAKER COUNTY. Baker County. Area, 500 sq. m.— Lat. 30° 10' to 30" 25' N.— Long. 82° to 82° 30' W.— Popula- tion (1890). 3.312.— ReKistered vote (1889), 651.— Pop. (1880), 2,312.— Aasessed valuation (1888), $544,308.— County seat, McClenny. The northern part of this county is within the limits of the great Okeefenokee Swamp, which extends to the nortli- BAKER COUNTY SCALE OF MILES ■ward across the Georgia State line. This portion of the county is liardly habitable, but is rich in standing timber which is rafted down the tributaries of the St. Mary's River BAKER COUNTY— BRADFORD COUNTY. 7 to tide-water and a market, or else finds its way to the Florida Central & Peninsula Railway Company's stations in the southern tier of townships. The southern part of the county is moderately high pine land, with sandy soil. The j^rinci- pal shipments are turpentine and lumber, with an increas- ing quantity of peaches and vegetables. Near the southwestern corner of the county there took place the most considerable engagement that occurred within the State during the Civil War. The Western Division of the Florida Central & Penin- sula Railway crosses east and west near the southern border. The stations next to and within the couutv are : 19. ..Baldwin (Dwi'aZ Co.) 186 E I 2S....McClenny 177 a Dist. ' 30 .... Glen St. Mary 175 i fr. Jackson- ' 37 Sanderson 168 j villa. 39.... Pendleton 166 | V 47....01sutee 153 ; W 52. . . .Mt. Carrie {Columbia Co.) 153 Dist. fr. River Jc. Bradford County. Area, 550 sq. m.— Lat. 29° 40' to 30° 10' N.— Long. 82° to 82° 40' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 7,502.— Registered vote (1889), 1,370.— Pop. (1880), 6,167.— Highest elevation, 210 ft. (Trail Ridge).— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,124,763.— County seat, Starke. Bradford County is classified in the long-leaf pine region. The best land is gently rolling, with sandy loam, well suited for the cultivation of cotton, corn, vegetables, fruits, and rice. The most fertile land is found along the lakes and water-courses — mainly in the southern and eastern sections. Second class is for the most part a yellow sandy loam, covered with pine forests. It is capable, however, of producing fair crops of oats, itc, and barley. The third-class land is sandy and low, covered with scrub palmetto and underlaid with a compact "hard pan." Cypress ponds abound in the east- ern and northeastern sections, and, besides their timber, af- ford valuable beds of muck, readily available for fertilizing jDurjioses. Swift's Creek, Olustee Creek, New River, and Samson River are tributaries of the Santa Fe, which in turn flows through the Suwannee to the Gulf of Mexico. These streams 8 IiUAI)F6..Bunm 63 a riist fr Jack- I 71.... Temple 5S I n!.oio 60n\'iLle. V 73.... Starke 5T "*^^'^- SSW 79... Hampton 51 ' 85 Waldo (Alachua Co.) 45 For continuation of this line to Jacksonville, see p. 16 ; to Cedar Key, see p. 5. Brevard County. Area, 3,000 sq. m.— Lat. 27" 10' to 28° 50' N.— Long. 80° 10' to 81° W.— Popu- lation (1890), 3,399.— Pop. (1880), 1,478.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,007,474.— County seat, Titusville. The present county was formed from St. Lucie County, in January, 1855. The county seat was successively at Fort Pierce or Susannah (1855 to 1864), Bassville (1864 to 1873), Lakeville (1873 to 1879), and finally at Titusville, or, as it was formerly known, Sandy Point. In 1879 the southern part of Volusia County was added to Brevard, so that the county now includes 108 miles of Atlantic Sea-coast, practically em- bracing the whole of the Indian River with its dependencies, and nearly covering two degrees of latitude. The coast-line forms the eastern boundary of this tract, its general trend being N.N.E. by S.S.E. The western boundary is defined for about twenty miles by the St. John's River, and then follows a township meridian southward to Lake Okeechobee, the great inland sea of Central Florida. The greatest width is on the southern boundary, about forty-two miles, marked by a township line from Okeechobee to the mouth of the St. Lucie River. Fronting the ocean is a strip of beach, broken by occa- sional inlets, and usually varying in width from a few hun- dred yards to a mile. This is covered for the most part with a heavy growth of timber, and rarely rises to a height of more than fifteen or twenty feet above high-water mark. West of this is Indian River, a narrow strait or lagoon, averaging about a mile in width, but spreading out to some six miles 10 lUlKVARlJ COCNTV, at the widest, and contracting to barely a Imndred feet at the Narrows. Near the head of the river are large islands or peninsulas, and farther south, at the Jupiter and St. Lucie Narrows, are innumerable small islands separated l)y channels often not more than one hundred feet wide, and covered with an almost impenetrable growth of mangroves and other troji- ieal vegetation. Indian Eiver is, in fact, not a river as the term is ordinarily understood. It is a great lagoon fed by countless fresh-water streams, but oi^cn to the ocean through several considerable inlets, in which the salt water ebbs and flows. The water is partly salt and partly fresh, according to the state of the tide, or the distance from an inlet, or from fresh-water rivers and springs. The depth averages twelve feet in the channel, and there are no natural obstacles of a dangerous character from one end of the river to the other. The mainland or west shore of the Indian River varies con- siderably in height, and in the character of its soil, but it offers an almost unbroken succession of desirable building sites, and unsurpassed lands for the cultivation of citrus- fruits and pineapples. This fertile belt is comparatively narrow. To the west- ward stretches a wilderness, as yet hardly explored, save by the hunter and surveyor, and still haunted by the large game of Florida — bears, panthers, wild cats, and deer; while turkies and the lesser varieties of wild-fowl are found in abundance. Much of this wild region is swamj^y, and there are many shallow lakes navigable for canoes. There is every reason to believe that this wilderness was once a lagoon and that in the course of time — a few thou- sand years more or less — the natural processes of geological upheaval and accretion will convert Indian Eiver, first into a morass, and then into dry land, while jjerhaps another beach and another river will form to seaward. The shores of Indian River, then, are substantially the only inhabited portion of Brevard County. For a more de- tailed description, the reader is referred to Routes 70 to 74. It remains to describe in general terms the climate of this coast, and this is best done by reference to the reports of the United States Signal Service. BREVARD COUNTY SCALE OF MILES lu, l-l t-l I— 1-1 I 6 ao BREVARD COUNTY— CALHOUN COUNTY. 11 The Indian Eiver Division of the Jacksonville, Tampa, & Key West system at present ends at Titusville, near the northern boundary. The stations next to and within the county are : I 23....Maytowii 18 jj Dist.fr. 31 Aurantia 10 Diet fr Enterprise ^ 35....Mims 6 ^ TitusVille. Jc. Q 37 La Grange 4 * 41 ... . TitusviUe For continuation of this line nortli and south from Enterprise Junction, see pp. 70, 97. For steamboat routes from Titusville, see Route 70. Calhoun County. Area, 1,160 sq. m.— Lat. 29° 40' to 30° 30' N.— Long. 8.5° to 85° 40' W.— Popu- lation (1890). 1,G71.— Pop. (1880), 1,580.— Assessed valuation, $352,862.— County seat, BIonutstowTi. This county was organized with its present boundaries in 1874. It was named after John C. Calhoun, a prominent Southern statesman, who died in 1850. The land is sandy, with clay subsoil and underlying limestone ; for the most part heavily timbered and within easy reach of water transporta- tion. The Apalachicola River, navigable for steamers, forms the eastern boundary, and nearly parallel to it are the Chi- pola River and Brothers River, both of them navigable ex- cept during low water. The bottom-lands along the rivers, especially the Apalachicola, are rich alluvial deposits of in- exhaustible fertility, but subject, of course, to periodical overflow. Sjorings of excellent water abound throughout the county, and the pine lands are for the most jjart of good quality. "West of the Apalachicola the Chiiaola River widens into Dead Lakes, sunken areas with dead cypress-trees standing or lying in water ten to twenty feet deep. It is thought that the subsidence of the lake bottoms is of comparatively recent occurrence. This region can only be penetrated in boats, but it offers great attractions and novel experiences to sportsmen who are not afraid of hard work. St. Joseph's Bay is a fine body of navigable water with shores well adapted for camping. CAIiHOl N COUNTY SCALE OF MILES CITRUS COUNTY. 13 Citrus County. Area, 700 sq. m.— Lat. 26° 40' to 28° 10' N.— Long. 82° IC to 82° 50' W.— Population (1890), 2,387.— Elevation at Mt. Lee, 214 ft.— Assessed valuation (ISSS), $874,752.— County seat, Mannfield. This county was organized, June 2, 1887, prior to ■Rhicli date it was included in Hernando County. It borders upon the Gulf of Mexico, and is drained by the Withlacoochee Eirer, a navigable stream forming its northern and eastern boundaries. The face of the country is level near the coast, covered with heavy hammock growth, and bearing a rich soil of varying depth underlaid with coraline and limestone rock rich in phosphates. Farther inland are rolling pine lands rising to a considerable height. The climate is tempered by the Gulf breezes, and northern and easterly winds are of very rare occurrence. Several of the wonderful springs peculiar to Florida are found within the county. The fishing and 14 CITRUS COUNTY— CLAY COUNTY. limiting arc exceptionally lino. Along the coast are numer- ous shell-mounds and islands, affording excellent building sites. The Homosassa Eiver and its vicinity olfer especial attractions to settlers, tourists, and sportsmen. The Gulf Coast is bordered by countless islands, or keys, of limestone, some of them covered with mangroves, others nearly barren. Navigation is very dangerous owing to reefs, shoals, and oyster-beds that extend in some cases miles from the coast. There are, however, two harbors accessible for vessels drawing not more than four feet, at Crystal Eiver, and Homosassa. Citrus is a rich orange country, and is the natural home of the Homosassa orange, which has, jierhaps, the longest established reputation of any of the Florida varieties, and, it is said, has taken more prizes than any other. The Silver Springs, Ocala, and Gulf Railroad crosses the county from Dunellon, on the Withlacoochee River, to Homo- sassa, near the Gulf Coast. The stations next to and within the county are : I 26 ... , Dmiellon (Marion Co.) 22 ■n!«f ft. 34....Citrouelle U A rnot *, ^?n'i, 38.... Park Place 10 j,^h.!i„, Ocala. I on n...„„f„i Q Homosassa. .Park Place 10 39.... Crystal. 48 Homosassa For continuation of ttiis line to Ocala, see p. 64. Clay County. Area, 640 sq. m.— Lat. 29° 41' to 30" 6' N.— Long. 81° 85' to 82° 1' W.— —Population (1890), 5,134.— Pop. (1S80), 2,838.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,200,000.— Elevation on Trail Ridge, 150 feet.— County seat. Green Cove Spring. Clay County was organized in 1856, from Duval County, and named after the Hon. Henry Clay, of Kentucky, United States Senator for many years, and a candidate for the Presi- dency in 1824 and 1844. The St. John's River, separating Clay County from St. John's County on the east, is here a noble stream varying from one mile to three miles in Avidth. Black Creek, one of its tributaries, is navigable for steamers as far as Middleburg, where two smaller branches unite to form the main stream. These branches find their source re- spectively in the northern and southern sections of the coun- CLAY COUNTY. 15 ty. The South Fork again subdivides into Green's Creek and Ates Creek, "which drain the lake region of the county. The land is in the main mode*-ately high pine, interspersed with hammock and scrub oak. The best plantations lie along the St. John's River, where are many flourishing orange- groves. Through this portion of the county runs the main line of the Jacksonville, Tampa Connects with J., T. & K. W. Svstem. Dist. fr. Pablo Beach. The Jacksonville, Mavport & Pablo Railway & Navigation Co. has its station at Arlington, on the south bank of the St. John's, three miles by ferry, foot of Newnan Street. The stations are : Dist. fr. Jackson- ville. Jacksonville 20 3 Aj-liugton 17 4 ... Egleston .16 1 ... Verona 13 8 Cohaseett 12 9 McCormick 11 10... Mill Cove 10 11 Pine Grove 9 14. ...Idlewild 6 15 Greenfield 5 16 Bumside Beach 4 18.... The Jetties 2 19 , . Jettv Cottage 1 19i.. .Light House ^ 20. . . .Mayport Dist. fr. Mayport. ESCAMIJIA COUNTY. 27 Escambia County. Area, 720 sq. m.— Lat. 31" to 30° 20' N.— Long. 87° 40' to 87° 50' W.— Popula- tion (1890), 20,097.— Pop. (1880), 12,156.— Assessed valuation (1888), $3,649,758. — County seat, Pensacula. The magnificent bay where Pensacola now stands was dis- covered by Pamphilo de Narvaez, Avho landed there, accord- ing to the English historian Jeffries, in 1528. A iDermauent settlement was made in 1696, by the Si^aniards under Don Andre d'Arreola, on the present site of Fort Barrancas, and since that time, although the location of the town was re- peatedly shifted, and it has been held successively by French, English, and Americans, it has never been aban- doned by Europeans. Escambia is the westernmost county of Florida, terminat- ing the Gulf range of counties, and separated from Alabama on the west by the Perdido Kiver, and on the north by the arbitrary interstate line. Its soil is sand underlaid with clay, and its agricultural capabilities are rapidly developing. Its main export, however, is lumber, since Pensacola is the shipping-point for a vast region of heavily wooded land lying to the northward, and penetrated by streams, down which the logs are floated to tide-water. Much of the land in the county is high and rolling, with hardwood hammocks along the watercourses. To hunters, fishermen, and yachtsmen, the coasts and waterways of Escambia County ofier great attractions. The extensive land-locked sounds and bays afford safe anchorage in all weatheis, and are easy of access from sea at all stages of the tide. The shores are almost everywhere available for camping purposes, and game abounds, though reckless and indiscriminate shooting has made it very wild. The Pensacola & Atlantic Division of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad enters the county from Santa Rosa County on the east, crossing Escambia Bay on a long trestle. The stations are : Ppiisft- ' ^ •i'otiemia 155 a -Rivpr i^f V 8....Yn!estra 153 I "i!^"^ ^°'^- NNE 9. ...Escambia.... 152 '"'• ESCAMBIA COUNTY— FRANKLIN COUNTY. 29 The Pensacola & Atlantic Division, Louisville & Nash- ville Eailroad, enters Escambia from Alabama on the north. Stations near aud within the county are : . . . . FlomatOH ' 44 5. . . .Bluff Springs 39 N 12 . . McDavid 32 a 20... Moliiio 24 24. . . Quintette 20 28 Cantonment- lo 32. . . . Gonzalez 12 37. ...Olive T 44 Pensacola ■ Connects with lines to New Orleans, Montgomery, and Selma. ^ Branch to Muscogee, five miles west. The Pensacola & Perdido Eailroad connects Pensacola with Millview, six miles west, on Perdido Bay. Diet. fr. Flomaton. Dist. fr. Psnsacoia. Franklin County. Area, 500 sq. m.— Lat. 29° 40' to 30" 5' N.— Long. 84" 30' to 85° 15' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 3,271.— Pop. (1880), 1,791.— Assessed valuation (1888), $495,427.— Cotmty seat, Apalachicola. Nearly the whole of this county was originally included in what was known as the Forbes Purchase, the result of negotiations made with the Indians by an English firm, Forbes & Co., in 1819. This was just prior to the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States. The sea-coast of this county is sheltered by St. Vincent's, St. George's Island, and Dog Island, within which are broad sounds and bays navigable for vessels of any size and affording fishing grounds unsurpassed by any on the coast. Dog Island Har- bor especially is one of the finest on the Gulf. Owing to its isolated position Franklin County has not yet been penetrated by railroads, and for this reason it offers attractions to the sportsman not possessed by its more ac- cessible neighbors. Tributary to these nearly land-locked waters are a number of rivers and estuaries, many of them navigable for vessels of considerable size, and all navigable for small boats, affording access to some of the be.st hunting lands in Florida. The region is most easily reached by way of the Apalachicola River, from Eiver Junction, whence com- '^ninication by rail is easy and direct from all i^arts of the United States. GADSDEN COUNTY. 31 Gadsden County. Area, 540 sq. m.— Lat. 30" 20' to 30" 40' N.— Long. 84" 15' to 84° 55' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 11,878.— Pop. (1880), 12,169.— Assessed valuation (1888), 11,018,149. —County seat, Quincy. Organized as one of the original counties into which the State was divided in 1822, Gadsden County soon became one of the leading agricultural districts of Florida. The face of the country is undulating, with a subsoil of red clay, well watered, and covered with a heavy growth of hammock and i^inc timber. The Ocklockonee Kiver forms the dividing line from Leon County on the southwest, and into this flow numerous " runs " and creeks of clear water, affording abun- dant facilities for water-power and natural irrigation for wide tracts of land. The hills rise to a considerable height in the northern jiart of this county— more than 300 feet in the neighborhood of Quincy. Under the system of cultivation that prevailed prior to the Civil War, and before adequate means of transportation existed, the annual tobacco crop was something like 5,000 boxes of 350 j^ounds each. Within a few years this industry has been revived by Northern capital on a large scale in the vicinity of Quincy (Route 223). The culture of Cuban tobacco was introduced into Gadsden 32 GADSDEN COUNTY— HAMILTON COUNTY. Couuty in 1829, by a Virginian who settled in the vicinity of Quincy. He was so successful that his example was soon followed, and until the Civil War iu 18G0 the value of the crop nearly or quite equalled that of cotton, the annual ship- ments averaging 1,G00,0U0 pounds. A great advantage of tobacco-growers was that the busy season timed itself so as not to interfere with cotton -planting. Thus the tobacco could usually be harvested after the cotton was started and before it was time for j^icldng, while the packing and boxing was necessarily done in wet weather, when out-of-door work was impracticable. The Civil War first and the abolition of slavery afterward jiractically suspended this industry. The Western Division of the Florida Central & Peninsula Railway crosses Gadsden Couuty with stations as follows : 9 Ocklockonee (I^oii Co.) 34 T,, . I 12....Mdvvav 31 SE fr.Talla- ' 24...0,umcy 19 a Dist. fr. hassee. V 33. Mt. Pleasant 10 I Kiver Jc. NW 42.... Chattahoochee! 1 ' 43 River Junctiou - ' Connects Savannah, Flonda & Western Railway, crossing at once into Georgia. '' Connects Pensaco'a & Atlantic Division L. & N. (see p. 16), and with Chat- tahoochee River Steamers. Hamilton County. Area, 460 sq. m.— Lat. 30" 20' to 80" 40' N.— Lonjr. 82° 40' to 83° 20' W.— Population (1890), 8,477.— Pop. (1880). 6,790.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,042- 495. — County seat, Jasper. The county lies between the Suwannee Eiver on the west, and one of its main branches, the Alapaha, on the south and east. The surface is generally level, with rolling land near the rivers, and a fine growth of hammock timber and pine, and cypress in some portions. Sea Island or long stajile cotton is successfully grown. In the river-swamps and ham- mocks the soil is rich and dark. The Florida Central & Peninsula Railroad runs through the middle of the county from north to south, and the Florida Central & Western Railroad passes close to the southwestern corner at EUa- ville, Madison County. The county contains a number of remarkable springs, sinks, and other natural curiosities. HAMILTON COUNTY -HERNANDO COUNTY. 33 Tlio Gaiuesville Division, Savannah, Florida & Western Eaijroad, crosses the county with stations as follows : Dist. fr. Savannah. 130 Dupont 49 139. ..Forrest 40 N 150....Statenville 29 a 163 .. . Jasper 16 168 Marion 11 1 171 Suwannee (Suwannee Co.) 8 1 179. . . Live Oak {Huwannee Co.) ' Dist. fr. Live Oak. I Connects F. C. & P. Ry. running east to Jacksonville, and west to River Junction (see p. 91). For continuation to Gainesville, see p. 91. The Georgia Southern & Florida Railroad enters the county from Georgia on the north with stations as follows : Dist fr I 167.... Melrose (Ga.) ^^ ^^^^ Dist fr Macon. Ga. s^E l99;;;:w^te Springs-:::. :::.::::::::::n 1 ^^'<^^- I Crosses S. F. & W. Ey. Hernando County. Area, 500 sq. m.— Lat. 28° 25' to 23° 40' N.— Long. 82° to 8»> 40' W.— Popula- tion (1890). 2,474.— Assessed valuation (1888). $900.000.— County seat. Brooks- ville. Until 1850 this county, then three times its present size, was named Benton, after the Hon. Thomas H. Benton, of 3 34 HERNANDO COUNTY. North Carolina, a popular statesman of the day. The pres- ent name was chosen when the original county was subdi- vided in 1875. Brooksville, the county town, lies in the midst of one of the finest agricultural regions of the State. The surface soil is largely a rich vegetable mould, underlaid with brown sandy loam several feet deep, and resting upon a substratum of limestone, clay, or marl. In area the land is about equally divided into hammock, high pine, low pine, and swamp. The hammock lands are almost invariably high and rolling, with fine natural drainage, and an exceedingly rich soil un- derlaid with sand or clay, and having a substratum of lime- stone. All these lands, except the very poorest, are ex- tremely productive, yielding cotton, tobacco, vegetables, and the various field crops. In the central and western parts of the county the ridges rise to a height of some three hundred feet above tide-water. There are no navigable rivers, and the Gulf coast can be approached only by boats of very light draught, save at Gulf Key or Hammock Creek, where there is a good harbor accessible for vessels drawing six feet of water. Indian Creek, in the same harbor, is also a safe anchorage for small vessels. Elsewhere the approaches to the coast are shallow, with numerous oyster-beds, and an archipelago of small barren islands in the northern part. HERNANDO COUNTY 35 The Florida Southern (J., T. k K. W. sjsiem), the South Florida, the Florida Central and the Orange Belt railroads cross the eastern part of the county, and a branch of the first named penetrates to Brooksville in the middle of the county. Stations of the Florida Southern within and adjacent to the county are : _ . „ I 63 ... . Pemberton Ferry ' 11 W Dist. f r. JJist.tr. y 69... Couper 5 a Brooks- Ocala. J, T4. ...Brooksville | ville. I Connects wth South Florida Railroad (see below). For continuation of this line to Ocala, see p. 87. The Bartow Branch of the South Florida Eailroad has sta- tions within and next to the county as follows : , Pemberton Ferry ' {Sumter Co.) . . 57 fj T,. . f 1.... Fitzgerald 56 "-^ Dist fr 3. ...Oriole 54 ^ Dist. Pemberton g BayCity 51 fr. Bartow. J?e.ry. v iq .. Macon (/^a^w Co.) 47 ^ 11.... Orange Belt Jc. - 48 ' ' Connects with J., T. A K. W. system (see above). ■■' Crosses Orange Belt Railway (see below). For continuation of this line, see p. 76. The Tampa Branch of the F. C. & P. Co. crosses the east- ern point of the county from north to south. The stations are : Diet. fr. I 22. . . .Withlacoochee 39 a Dist.fr. Wild- I 2S. .Lacoochee ; 32 I Plant Wood. V 30....Owensboro ••' 31 | City. ' Crosses Orange Belt Railway (see belowV ■■' Crosses South Florida Railroad (see p. 76). For continuation of this line, see p. 76. The Orange Belt Railway crosses the eastern point of the county from northeast to southwest. Stations are : ■n--c=f f, I 06... Wyoming S3 NE Dist.fr. Monrn^' ^ 71 . . . . Lai:oochee ' 77 a St. Peters- ^*^°"'^°^' SW 73....Macon2 75 | burg. ' C. -oases P. C. & P. Ry. (see above). - Crosses South Florida Railroad (see above). For continuation of this line, see pp. 74 and 87. 36 HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. Hillsborough County. Area, 1,300 sq. m.— Lat. 27° 2^ to 28" 50' N.— Long. 82° to 82° 50' W.— Popu- lation (lS90"i, 14,810.— Pop. (1880), 5,814.— Assessed valuation (1888), $3,200,000. — County seat, Tampa. This county, or the region adjacent, early received its name after the Earl of Hillsborough, Secretary of State for the colonies of Great Britain during the American Revolution. The county was organized in 1835. It is mainly in the long- leaf pine region, naturally all woodland, -with 1,185 square miles of rolling pine land, 75 square miles of marshy lowland, and 40 square miles of hammock. Of all the Gulf counties Hillsborough is j^erhaps the most favored in her coast line, which exceeds 150 miles in length, although from north to south the county is only 36 miles wide. This is due to Tauijia Bay, which with its branches, Hillsborough Bay and EiveraudOld Tamj^a Bay, penetrates far into the interior. About one quarter of the whole extent of coast is low and marshy, while the rest rises quite abruptly from the water's edge, often with bluffs and a border of fine beach. The greater part of the county is good pine land, with a fair amount of hammock and some open prairie. The better lands for agricultural purposes lie in the western part. Tampa Bay was one of the first discovered and used by the early navigators, and it is almost certain that traders and freebooters visited its waters prior to Hernando De Soto, who anchored there on May 25, 1539, wdth a fleet of several ves- sels, and a force of 570 men, comiDrising the very flower of Spanish chivalry. He brought with him, also, 223 horses, and the whole elaborate equipment of armorei*s, smiths, and servants essential to the needs of such a force. The Feast of Pentecost of that year fell on the .day of arrival, and the noble bay was named Bahia Espiritu Sancto (Bay of the Holy Spirit), after the devout custom of these early explorers. The Spanish name Mas for centuries retained on the maps, but it appears to have been dropped in favor of the still older Indian name soon after the English gained a foothold. On the shores of the bay and along the Gulf coast and the outlying Keys are many Indian mounds of great interest to XT < ^ i > ^ "' li S < O >^ !^, " ^ " ^ H il ^8 si 3S IIILLSBOROUCII COUNTY. archicologists. Some account of them is given elsewhere with a sketch of the results of such explorations as have thus far been prosecuted. See Index. Tampa Bay is navigable for vessels of the largest class. The bar carries 20 feet of water at low tide, and good an- chorage for yachts can be found almost anywhere within the bay. There are no dangerous obstructions, and the only difficulty likely to be encountered is in running upon the shoals which make out from the shore, and occasionally occur in mid channel. With a yacht properly constracted for ser- vice in these waters running aground is a matter of small moment. For hunters and fishermen the woods and wateis of Hillsborough County offer abundant sport. All the game and fishes peculiar to Florida may be found within a few miles of the centres of jjopulation. The South Florida Eoad, main line, has the following named stations near and within the county : 83.... Lakeland {Polh Co.) i. 48 88. . . .Shiloh 43 E 93.... Plant City. 2. .. 3T a 98.... Cork 26 Dist.fr. I 100....Sparkman 24 Dist.fr. Jackson- 103 ScfEuer 21 Port •vdlle. I 105 Mango 19 Tampa. 109.... Orient 15 V 111. . . .East Cove 13 W 115. ...Tampa 9 124. ...Port Tampa^ ' Connects with Bartow & Pemberton Ferry Branches, S. F. Rd. (see p. 80). 2 Connects with F. R. & N. to Pasco County, Dade City, etc. (see p. 76). 3 Connects with ocean steamers to Key West, Havana, New Orleans, and Mobile. Also with coastwise steamboats. The Orange Belt Eoad, from Monroe, Yolusia County, to St. Petersburg, enters Hillsborough County from the nori h near the Gulf and mns southward down the coast. The sta- tions in and near the county are : lOG. . . .Odessa {Pasco Co.) 42 114. . . .Tacony 34 N 116 Tarpon Springs 32 a 120. . . Sea Side 28 122. . . .Sutherland 20 Dist. fr. 123. .. . Yellow Bluff (Ozoiia) 25 Uonroe. 127 Dnnedin 21 130 ... . Clearwater Harbor 18 132 ... . Armour 16 V 138. . . .Cross Bayou 10 S 142....Lel!man 6 143. . . .St. Petersburg : ' Connects with ferry to Port Tampa and coastwise steamboats. Dlst. fr. St. Peters- burg. HOLMES COUNTY. 39 Holmes County. Area, 540 eq. m.— Lat. 30" 43' to 31° N.— Long. 86° 5' to 85° 30' W.— Popula- tion (1890), 4,336.— Pop. (1880), 2,190.— Assessed valuation, $332,954.— County seat, Cerro Gordo. The land in Holmes County is mainly a good quality of pine land, ■which produces cotton, sugar-cane, corn, and tobacco, as the principal field crops. The soil is clay and sandy loam. Peaches, grapes, and plums are successfully grown, and stock- HOLMES COUNTY SCALE OF MILES WALT O/N raising is among the profitable industries. The Choctawhat- chee River is the principal watercourse, finding its source in Southern Alabama, running in a southerly direction across the county, and falling into Choctawliatchee Bay. It is navi- gable for steamboats beyond the county line, and is available for logging purposes and small boats well up into Alabama. Holmes County is underlaid with cavernous white lime- stone, which frequently forms remarkable "sinks " and wells. Most of the lakes and ponds are of this nature, often occur- ring on ridges where there was a sufficient quantity of sand and drift to fill in the cavity when the subsidence occurred. 40 HOLMES COUNTY— JACKSON COUNTY. The Pensacola (Gadsden Co.) 161 tj, I 5....Sneads 156 ^ Dist.fr. I 15.... Cypress 146 '> Dist.fr. River Jc. w 25 Marianna 136 Pensacola. ^ 34....Cottondale 12T 44 . . Chipley ( Washington Co.) 117 ' • Connects witli Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad (see p. 32), and Chattahoochee River steamers. 42 JEFFERSON COUNTY. Jefferson County. Area, 500 sq. m.— Lat. 30" to 30° 40' N.— Long. 83° 35' to 84° 5' W.— Popula- tion (1890), 15,699.— Pop. (1880), 16,065.— Assessed valoation (1888), $1,800,000. — County seat, Monticello. Jefferson County stretches across that portion of the State known as Middle Florida, touching Georgia on the north JEFFERSON COUNTY— LAFAYETTE COUNTY. 43 and the Gulf of Mexico on the south. The Aucilla River, navigable for steamboats to the natm-al bridge, forms the southeastern boundary. The face of the country is unusually diversified, the whole of the northern part hilly and well wooded, Micosukee Lake forming its northwestern boundary. This lake is about twelve miles long and six miles wide at its western end, a curiously irregular body of water, sur- rounded by extensive forests of pine. The soil is generally a sandy loam underlaid with clay, well adapted for the cul- tivation of early vegetables and fruits. The field crops are mainly cotton, corn, rice, sugar-cane, and tobacco. About twenty miles from the coast the hills abruptly disappear, and from this point to the Gulf stretch the " flat woods " almost unbroken, but full of game, and affording an inviting field to the sportsman. The Western Division of the F. C. & P. crosses the county about twelve miles from the Georgia line. Its stations within and nearest to the county are : I 12.... Chaires (Leon Co.) 153 W Dist. fr. 18. ...Lloyd 147 A Dist.fr. Talla- I 2T....Driftou' 138 | Jackson- hassee. V 34 Aucilla 131 ville. E 41 GreenmWe {31'adison Co.) 124 | • Connects with branch to Monticello, four miles, and then with branch of Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad to Sunny Hill, twelve miles, and Thomasviile, Oa., twenty mOes. Lafayette County. Area, 940 sq. m.— Lat. 29° ZC to 30° 15' N.— Long. 82° 50' to 83° 22' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 3,669.— Pop. (1880), 2,441.— Assessed valuation (1888), $502,818.— County seat, New Troy. Lafayette County lies along the west bank of the Suwannee Kiver for the whole of its navigable course, its natural facil- ities for transportation being excellent. The river is navi- gable for steamboats to New Branford, where the Savannah, Florida & Western Railway touches the eastern bank of the river, affording communication by rail with Gainesville, Lake City, and Live Oak, and the great trunk lines of rail- way. The soil is sandy, underlaid with clay, and there is much excellent hammock land as yet unoccupied. The southern extremity of the county is within ten miles of LAFAYETTE COUNTY— LAKE COUNTY. 45 Cedar Keys, the Gulf terminus of the Florida Central & Peninsular Railway. The Gulf coast of Lafayette County is very shallow, and destitute of harbors, save at the mouth of the Suwannee and Steinhatchee Rivers, where small vessels may find shelter and anchorage. The fishing is excellent in the rivers and along the coast. Game of all kinds is very abundant in the heavily wooded and sparsely populated region that covers the whole county a few miles back from the river. Lake County. Area, 1,100 sq. m.— Lat. 28° 20' to 28° 55' N.— Long. 81° IS' to 81° 55' W.— Population (1890), 8,020. Organized in 188T, no census. — Aesessed valuation (1888), $3,724,116.— Highest elevation, 500 ft.— County seat, Tavares. Lake County was formed in 1887 by an act of the State Legislature uniting portions of the adjoining counties (Orange and Sumter). It is among the most beautiful of the inland counties, owing to the picturesque groups of lakes from which it takes its name, and which cover nearly one- sixth of its surface. The larger members of the group are known as Lakes Harris, Eustis, Griflfen, Dunham, Dora, Yale, Minnehaha, Mineola, and Apopka, the last named lying jjartly within the borders of Orange County. Besides these there are small lakes, almost without number, and abundant flowing streams. That the county is nearly on the "divide " of the Floridian Peninsula is evident from the fact that streams flowing through its territory find their way to the ocean through the three widely divergent channels of the St. John's, the Withlacoochee, and the Kissimmee, the first named falling into the Atlantic near the northern boundary of the State, while the others reach the Gulf of Mexico, through Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. In point of fact, the highest elevations in the State, nearly five hundred feet above tide-water, are found in this county. The appi'oaches, however, are so gradual that only the surveyor's level can demonstrate the constant rise. The larger lakes are all navi- gable for small steamers, and as some of them are connected LAKE COUNTY. 47 by natural or artificial waterways quite an extensive and varied system of navigation exists. The Jacksonville, Tanii^a & Key West Railway system, through the Florida Southern Railway Company, affords abundant transportation facilities, and there are besides the Tavares, Atlantic & Gulf, and the Orange Belt Railways. These lines intersect in all directions, skirting the lake shores and rendering all parts of the county easily accessible. Other branch roads are contemplated, notwithstanding the multiplicity, for Lake County is one of the richest orange- gi'owing counties in the State, and it has been abundantly proven that, to be profitable an orange grove must be within a very few miles of a railroad. The St. John's & Lake Eustis Division of the Florida Southern Railway (J., T. & K. W. system) enters the county at Astor (forty-two miles from Palatka) after crossing the St. John's River. The stations are : Diet. fr. Astor. Astor 25 4 Bryansville 21 6 Cummings 19 7. . . .Sellar'g Lake 18 12 . . . Summit 13 15 Ravenswood 10 16 Pittman 9 18. . . . Altoona T 20. . . . Glendale 5 21.... Umatilla 4 25 Fort Mason ' Dist. fr. Fort Mason. 1 Connects with branches to Tavares and Leesburg (see below). Connections with the foregoing at Fort Mason (sixty-seven miles from Palatka). This line is U-shaped, curving around the north snore of Lake Eustis. The stations are : Leesbnrg > 23 1 . . . . Dist.fr. Sanford. J, 19 ... Sorrento 10 | Tavares. 24 ...Mt.Dora 5 V W 29 Tavares The Southern Division F. C. & P. enters the county from Sumter County on the west. The stations adjacent to and within the county are : I 5 Bamboo (Sumter Co.) IT j^ 9 Montclair 13 Dist. fr. 11 . . . . Leesburg ' U '} Dist.fr. Wildwood. J, 14. ...Sadie 8 Tavares. o l.'i .... Eldorado 7 22 Tavares 2 ' Connects with J., T. & K. W. system (see p. 47^. 2 Connects with J., T. & K. W. system (see p. 47). The Tavares, Orlando & Atlantic Eailroad has stations as follows within and adjacent to the county : 0... Tavares' 32 N Dist.fr. I 4... Ellsworth 28 a Dist.fr. Tavares. V 8 Victoria 24 Orlando. 8 10. . . .Gainsboro (Orange Co.) 22 ' I Connects with J., T. & K. W. system (see p. 47), and F. C. & P. (sec iOiovc). LAKE COUNTY— LEE COUNTY. 49 The Tavares, Apopka & Gulf Railroad has stations as fol- lows : 0.... Tavares ' 29 3.... Ellsworth 25 N 8....Astatula 20 a Diet. fr. 15.... West Apopka U Diet. £r. Tavares. 20 .-. . . Montverde 9 Clermont. V 23. . . .Watts Jc 6 S 27 ...Mineola 2 29... Clermont » Connects with J., T. & K. W. ; Tav., Or. & Atlantic ; and F. C. & P. (see p. 48). The Orange Belt Eailroad from St. Petersburg, on Tampa Bay, to Monroe, Orange County, lias stations near to and within the county as follows : 92 Cedar Hammock {Sumter Co.) ... 57 I 98 Mascotte 51 W Dist. fr. I 102.... Sheridan 47 a -nis-f f,. StPeters- I 107 .... Clermont ' 42 ' -l'^'"- "• burg. V 109 Mineola 40 E 110... Mohawk 39 116 Killaruey {Orange Co.) 33 Monroe. ' Connects with Tavares, Apopka & Gulf Railroad (see above). Lee County. Area. 1,800 sq. m.— Lat. 25° 50' to 26° 58' N.— Long. 81° 40' to 82° 5' W. —Population (1890), 1,413.— Assessed valuation (1888), $875,834.— County seat, Myers. Lee County was formed by act of Legislature in 1887 out of Monroe County. By a popular vote of the inhabitants it was named after General Robert E. Lee, the Confederate leader. Like the adjacent counties of Dade on the east, De Soto on the north, and Monroe on the south, it still is a wilderness, mainly fore.st, but opening toward the west into the vast level savannas and everglades bordering upon Lake Okeechobee. The fact that until 1887 the county seat (Key West) was one hundred and eighty-five miles from the north- ern limit of the county gives an idea of the " magnificent distances " of this region. Fort Myers, or Myers as it is now called, is the j^resent county seat. There are as yet no railroads in this county, the nearest terminus being at Puuta Gorda, about nine miles north of the boundary line. Access from that point is easy by means 50 LEE COUNTY. of steamboats which run down the coast to Naples, and np the Caloosahatcliee River. The Gulf coast is well provided with harbors in San Carlos Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and Ostego Bay. The Caloosahatcliee River is the most important of the watercourses, finding its source in Lake Okeechobee and flowing in a southwesterly direction to the Gulf. For twenty- three miles from the month it averages more than a mile in widtli and is navigable for vessels drawing about seven feet. Above this point it narrows, to about one hundred and LEE COUNTY— LEON COUNTY. 51 seventy-five feet, becomes deeper, with banks sometimes ten to twenty feet high and clothed with a dense growth of virgin forest. The Disston Land Company has straightened and dee^jened the channels connecting with the great lake, so that now small steamers can go through to and from the Kissimmee River, crossing Lake Okeechobee. The county in general is flat and low, averaging some thirty feet above tide-water. The soil is well adapted to vegetables, oranges, pineapples, sugar-cane, and all the tropical fruits. The lands bordering the Upper Caloosahat- chee are largely vegetable mould, several feet in depth, and even in the pine lands muck-ponds are found at short inter- vals, affording valuable manure. Considerable quantities of egg-jjlauts and tomatoes are shijjijed to the North in January and February, and the strawberry, which ripens here in Jan- uary, is already an important crop. Stock raising is the most important interest of Lee County, and from Punta Eassa, at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee, the annual shipments to Cuba number about 10, 000 head. Leon County. Area, 900 sq. m.— Lat. 30° 15' to 30° 41' N.— Long. 84° to 84° 55' W.— Popula- tion (1890), ir,735.— Pop. (18S0\ 19,662.— Assessed valuation (1888), $2,006,413. — Elevation, 250 feet, near Tallahassee. — County seat, Tallahassee. Leon County is one of the oldest and most prosperous in the State. To the stranger apjDroaching from the generally level country to the eastward it presents a pleasing variety of landscape, with its wooded hills and picturesque valleys, its hard clay roads, its groves of magnolia and live-oak, and the extensive plantations of cotton, sugar-cane, tobacco, and grain. Pears, peaches, and grapes are profitable crops and easily cultivated. The soil is clay and sand, the sand predominating in what are known as ' ' gray hammocks " while in the rich lands or •'veritable hammocks," as they are locally termed, red clay predominates and forms a permanently rich and practically inexhaustible soil, suitable for almost all agricultural pur- 52 LEON COUNTY. poses. Beneath this, at a depth of eight or ten feet, is a bed of liuiestone, through which run .subterranean rivers, and in which are formed the remarkable "sinks" that are among the natural curio.sities of tlie region. As a grazing country Leon County is noted all over this part of the State. There are several kinds of native grass, which grow with great luxuriance, and are apparently quite as good for dairy stock as any of the standard Northern grasses. Among these are the Bermuda grass, " crab grass," " crow's foot," and " beggar weed." The last named is a leguminous plant which springs up without seeding on almost all cultivated land, after the usual market crop has been haiTested. It possesses excellent fattening qualities, and if not used for pasturage forms a fertilizing crop which returns to the sur- face soil an abundant supply of excellent manure. The other kinds of grass make good hay when harvested and cured. All kinds of live stock eat them with avidity, and thrive as well as on the Northern varieties. LEON COUNTY. 53 During the existence of negro slavery, Leon Connty was mainly occnpied by large planters, whose estates covered thousands of acres, and whose wealth enabled them to live in true baronial style. Their crops of cotton and tobacco were hauled to the St. Mark's River and shipped thence to the markets of the world. Tallahassee, the capital of the State and the county seat, was the social centre of this life and still retains many of its former characteristics. The great plantations are now largely subdivided and sold or let to small tenants, and the productive energies of the county are adjusting themselves to the now order of things. There are several large lakes within the borders of the county, all of which afford excellent sport for the fisherman, and to the southward, within easy reach, is an almost un- broken wilderness, reaching to the Gulf of Mexico, where there is an abundance of game. The eastern part of the county is drained by the St. Mark's River (.see p. 98) and the western part by the Ocklockonee. Neither of these streams is navigable within the limits of Leon County. The "Western Division F. C. & P. crosses the county from east to west, with stations in and near the county as follows : I 147 .. . Llovds (Jefferson Co.) 61 ^ Dist.fr. 153....Chaiies 55 , r>,Kffr Jackson- ' 165 .. . Tallahassee ■ 43 /^ Tjfvpr Tr. viLe. Z, 174.... Ocklockonee 34 i ■"Jvcr.fi. ^ m ... Midway (Gadsden Co.) 31 ' ' Connects with St. Mark's Branch F. R. & N. (see below). For continua- tion east see p. 43 ; west, see p. 32. The St. Mark's Branch F. C. & P. south from Tallahassee. Stations are : 0,... Tallahassee' 21 N ^Ta'lli^' '^ ■■ ■??'»'*■--■ ■■•■•■••■_ 17 A _Bist. f r. hassee V 16....Wakulla (irafcM^ia Co.) 5 St. Mark's. S il....St. Mark's {Wakulla Co.) 1 ' Connects with Western Division F. C, & P. (see above). 54 LEVY COUNTY. Levy County. Area, 940 sq. m.— Lat. 29° to 29" 35' N.— Long. 82° 22' to 83° 5' W.— Popula- tion (1890), 0,57.').— Registered vote, 1,540.— Pop. (1880), 5,7CT.— Assegsed valua- tion (1888), $1,101,369.— Elevation, 120 ft., near Bronson.— County seat, Bronson. Levy County was organized in 1850, and named after a leading i^olitician of that day, who soon afterward changed LEVY COUNTY SCALE OF MILES his name to Yulee. He was a senator of the United States and prominent in the movement for secession. A large proportion of the land in Levy County is undulat- ing pine fore^i with a sandy soil more or less mixed with loam and underlaid with limestone. It is well ada^sted for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. The whole county LEVY COUNTY— LIBERTY COUNTY. 55 is well within the latitude adapted for orauge culture. The Suwannee Eiver forms the northwestern boundary, and is navigable for river steamers, as is the Withlacoochee, which forms the southeastern boundary. Midway between these two is the Wacassassa River, navigable for small boats, and penetrating what is known as the Gulf Hammock, a rich, fertile tract capable of producing all the farm crops in great abundance. The coast is well provided with harbors for small craft, and at Cedar Key vessels of considerable size can find shelter and secure anchorage. The best oysters on the Gulf Coast are found in this vicin- ity and are shipped in large quantities to other parts of the State. The Cedar Key Division F. C. & P. enters the county from the northeast. Its stations near and within the county are : 29 Archer {A lachua Co.) 41 -.j p, I 38....Bronson 32 ^;^ Dist. fr. 50.... Otter Creek 20 '} Dlst. fr. Waldo. ' 51....Ellzey 19 Cedar Key. c^TT 60 . . . Rosewood 10 *"^ 70.... Cedar Key ' Connects at Gainesville with J., T. & K. W. system, and with F. C. & P. (see pp. 4 and 5). Liberty County. Area, 800 sq. ni.— Lat. 30° to 30" 40^ N.— Long. 84° 40' to 85° 10' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 1,499.— Pop. (1880), 1,362.— Assessed valuation (1888), $238,012.— County seat, Bristol. Liberty County lies between the Apalachieola Eiver on the west and the Ocklockonee River on the east. The land is for the most part second and third class pine, with a sandy soil underlaid with clay. Oranges are successfully cultivated, and the rivers and lakes abound with fish, but the princiiml industry is stock-raising, for which the open pine-woods are admirably suited. No railroads have as yet penetrated the county, but the Apalachieola River affords steamboat communication with the Gulf of Mexico and with the Flor- ida Central &, Peninsula Railroad at River Junction. Bristol, the county seat, has a population of about three no LIBERTY COUNTY. Imndred souls. In the middle of the county ai'o a number of small lakes from one to five miles in length. Taluga JLIBERTY COUNTY SCALE OF MILES Biver, a tributary of the Ocklockonee, and New River, flowing directly to the Gulf of Mexico, drain the central portion of the county. MADISON COUNTY. 57 Madison County. Area, 650 sq. m.— Lat. 30" 12' to 30° 3S' N.— Long. 83° W to 83° 50' W.— Population (1890), 14,28S.— Pop. (ISSO), 14,T98.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,- 500,100. — County seat, Madison, The eastern half of Madison County is mainly pine land, and the western is largely hammock of good quality. The natural division between these two tracts rung irregularly A Y "-^ L '°~^ " R L. MADISON COUNTY SCALE OF MILES north and south. A clay subsoil underlies the whole region, farther below the surface among the pines than among the hammocks. In both divisions the soil is productive and so well adapted to the cultivation of Sea Island cotton that one of the largest manufacturing houses in the world has estab- lished a factory at Madison, the county seat. It is claimed that nearly one-twelfth of the entire long staple cotton crop of the world is grown in Madison County. The climate can hardly be considered semi-tropical, but the Gulf of Mexico 58 MADISON COUNTY. is near enough to prevent destructive frosts, the nights are generally cool, and the temperature rai'ely rises above ninety degrees in summer, and the health of the settled jjortions of the county is exceptionally good. Figs and grapes are among the most prolific of the fruit crops. Fig-trees grow without cultivation, reaching in a few years a height of fifteen to twenty feet, and bearing abundantly. Grapes are raised in large quantities, including the native scui:)pernong, and foreign varieties, including the black Hamburg, and the wine-producing industry has aleady reached respectable pro- portions. Le Conte pears have been introduced within a few years, and with peaches can be ripened for the North- ern markets long before similar fruits come to perfection in higher latitudes. The Suwannee and Aucilla Elvers with their tributaries drain the county, aflbrding abundant water and numerous mill-sites. In the extreme southern jjortion, and extending into the neighboring counties of Taylor and Lafayette, i.'^ a great swamp, known as San Pedro Bay. It has never been explored beyond a short distance along the edges. The whole tract, save occasional ridges and islands, is under water, and four considerable streams flow outward in difl:erent direc- tions. These are the Finholloway and the Econfenee on the west, and the Spring Warrior and Steinhatchee on the east. The "bay" is a noted retreat for large game, including deer, bear, jianthers, and wolves. It is no trifling matter to hunt in this region, but with competent guides good sport may be anticipated. The "Western Division F. C. & P. bisects the county, crossing it from east to west, with stations at : 94 Bncki Jc. {Suwannee Co.) 113 I 95....Ellaville 112 E Dist. f r. I 103 .. . Lees 104 a jj-^t ft- Jackson- ' 105 .... West Farm 102 ville. V 110. . . .Madison 9T W 124.... Greenville 83 131 Aucilla {Jefferson Co.) 76 Elver Jc. For continuation east to Jacksonville, see p. 91 ; west to Tallahassee, Pensa- cola, etc., see p. 43. MAXATEE COUNTY. 59 Mauatee County. Area, 1,330 sq. m.— Lat. 26° 56' to 27° 38' N.— Long. 82" to 82° 50' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 2,899.— Pop. (1880), 3,544.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,257,922.40. — County seat. Manatee. Manatee County takes its name from the manatee, or sea- cow, an animal formerly abundant along the coasts of Flor- ida, but now nearly extinct (see p. 218). Lying mainly be- tween the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth parallels of latitude, it is semi-tropical in all its climatic characteris- tics, and being on the coast its range of temperature is still further modified by the equalizing influence of the Gulf. GO MANATEE COUXTV. Wilhout projiulico to otlier sections it may Ije said that tlin county contains a greater area of strictly arable land than any other county south of the twenty-eighth parallel. There is a great variety of soil ranging from rich hammocks to worthless swamps, but the greater part is pine land capable of more or less successful cultivation according to location. Some excellent farms have been oj^ened in the flat woods, and crops can be grown out of doors the whole year round. The i^rairie lands, of which there are tens of thousands of acres, are believed to be productive, but at latest ail- ■saces no considerable attempt has been made to cultivate them. The garden section of the county is aloug the Manatee Biver, which is bordered by some of the richest hammock laud in the State, and smaller hammocks and "bays" exist all through the piney region. Early vegetables for the Northern markets are cultivated with great success. The coast extends from Tampa Bay on the north to the headwaters of Charlotte Harbor on the south. It includes the mouth of the Manatee River and Sarasosta Bay with its outlying keys, and affords an unsurpassed cniising-ground for pleasure craft suited to the navigation of these shallow waters. Fish, oysters, and turtle abound, the tarpon may be caught with the rod, and the devil-fish may be hari^ooned out in the Gulf. The keys are many of them quite high and well adapted for residence and the cultivation of the more tender sub-tropical fruits. The nearest railway connections are at Tampa, and St. Petersburg on the north and Punta Gorda on the south, with which points there is constant communication by coasting steamers running to the river towns on Manatee and Sara- sosta Bay. The county is a great cattle range, with its jorincipal ship- ping point at Charlotte Harbor (see Route 81). The fishing is good in all the lakes and streams as well as along the coast, and deer are found within a few miles of any of the settle- ments. The Manatee and the Myakka Rivers are navigable for small boats far up into the interior, and these aflTord the MANATEE COUNTY— MARION COUNTY. 61 easiest access to the best Imutiug-grounds, since camp equip- age cau be more easily carried by boat than by any otlier means of transportation. Mariou County. Area, 1,55T eq. m.— Lat. 28° 55' to 29° 30' N.— Lonff. 81° 35' to 82" 32' W.— Populatlou (1890), 20,T83.— Pop. (1S80), 13,046.— Assessed valuation (1888), $4,- 222,200.— County seat, Ocala. Marion County lies on tlie central ridgo of the Florida Peninsula, the natural drainage being toward the Atlantic on the east, and toward the Gulf of Mexico on the west. The extent from north to south is thirty-eight miles, from east to west fifty-four miles, and ifc is one of the richest orange- growing counties in the State, possessing besides some of the most attractive natural sceneiy and many of the most popu- lar winter resorts. The land is divided into the usual grades of hammock, first, second, and third class pine and scrub, the last named, however, being confined almost wholly to the townships lying east of the Ocklawaha River, omitting, however, the bend of the stream from Moss Bluff to Eaton, where there are high rolling hills and excellent soil. The rest of the county is very attractive, even to one who sees it only from a passing train. The gently swelling hills clothed with oj^en woods, and often carpeted with green grass, suggest, even in midwinter, some of the most beautiful parts of the North. There is an almost total absence of the scrub palmetto, witli which the traveller becomes so familiar as the almost ever- present undergrowth of the pine forests, and while there are wide reaches of inferior pine barrens, the general impression conveyed is of a naturally rich and productive country. The native growth of wild orange -trees suggested grafting to the first settlers, and the result has been some of the finest groves in the State, or even in the world. In 1889 valuable phosphate beds were discovered in the southwestern part of the county. Their extent is not definitely determined. Of veritable high hammock land it is estimated that Marion County contains nearly one hundred thousand acres, (52 MARION COUNTY. covered with a ricli and practically inexhaustible regetable mould. These lands were under cultivation by the aborig- inal races long before Eui'opeans came, and here the Sem- inoles made their most resolute stand against the United States forces during the war that resulted practically in their extermination or expulsion. MARION COUNTY. 60 o Orange Lake, Lake Weir, Lake Kerr, Lake Biyant, and countless smaller bodies of water are within the borders of the county, and Lake George, forming part of the St. John's Kiver, touches its eastern boundary. The Ocklawaha River runs across the county from south to north, navigable for the entire distance. To this stream are tributary. Silver Spring Eun, navigable to its source, and Orange Creek, the outlet of Orange Lake. The "Withlacoochee River defines the southwestern boundary, with Blue River, a wonderfully beau- tiful " spring run" as a tributary. The main line of the Florida Soiithern Railway (J., T. & K. W. system) enters the county from Palatka, etc., on the north. The stations near and within the county are : 45... Micanopy Jc. (Alachua Co.) 101 4T Boardman 99 N 49. . . . Mcintosh 9T a 52....Lochbie 94 Diet. fr. Palatka. 55 Oak Lawn ' 91 5T. . . Reddick 89 63.... Martin 83 TO....F. C. & P. CrosBing.. T6 72....0cala'' 74 82. . . . Welshton 64 85. . . .Candler 61 88 Oklawaha 58 89 . . .Weir Park 57 93 . . . .South Lake Weir 53 96 Conant {Lake Co.) 50 Diet. fr. Brooks ville • Branch east to Citra, 6 m. (see helow). 2 Connects with Silver Spring, Ocala & Gulf Railway (see p. 64), and South- em Division F. C. & P. (see below). For continuation south, see p. 48 ; north, see p. 4. The Soutliern Division F. C- & P. crosses the outlet of Orange Lake from Alachua County on the north. Its sta- tions in and near Marion County are : Dist. fr. Femandina. 111.... Citra' 67 117....Sparr8 61 120. . . .Anthony 58 124. . . .Spring Park 54 126 ... . Silver Spring Jc. 2 52 130....Ocala3 48 141 ... Belleview 37 146 .. . Summerfield S2 151 ... . Oxford {Sumter Co.) 27 Dist. fr. Tavares. ' Branch west to Oak Lawni, 6 m. (see above). 2 Branch west to Silver Siiring, 1 m. 3 Connects with J., T. & X. W. system (above) ; Silver Spring, Ocala & Gulf Railway to Homosassa (see p. 64). 04 MARION COUNTY— MONROE COUNTY. The Silver Spring, Ocala & Gulf Railroad runs southwest from Ocala. Its stations in and near the county are : 0... Ocala" 48 I 3 Apnew 45 NE 8....Martel 40 a n-ot fr is.t. fr. 13)^. Lcroy 34J.^ 1 ^q'": "='^'"- i 20,.. ^r'^^} 2^"^ -- SW 26....Dunel!on 22 | 34 Citronelle ( Citrus Co.) 14 1 Connects with J., T. & K. W. system, and F. C. & P. (see p. 63). Monroe County. Area, land and water, 2,600 sq. m.— Lat. 24" 30' to 25' 50' N— Long. 80° 40' to 82° 55' W.— Population (1890), 18,T64.— Assessed valuation, $1,408,458.— County seat, Key West. The county as it exists is far smaller than prior to 1887, when the whole northern portion, now Lee County, was separated for convenience of administration. The popula- tion prior to the division was 10,940 (1880). Nearly one-half of the present county is on the main pen- insula of Florida, the most southerly portion of the territory of the United States. The rest comprises the long line of kej's and reefs that reach from Cape Florida on the east coast of the peninsula to Key West and the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of about one hundred and forty miles. The peninsula section is almost uninhabited, and has been only partially surveyed, owing to the nature of the country, w'hich has not yet joroved inviting to settlers, save hunters or fishermen. The northern and western part of this tract is more or less available as a cattle range, but to- ward the coast innumerable bayous wind in and out, forming a labyrinth known as the Ten Thousand Islands. This re- gion has been partially mapped by the United States Coast Survey. It affords an attractive cruisiug-ground for sports- men provided with small boats. The more imi^ortant part comprises the chain of keys or islands, almost wholly com- posed of coralline rock, which sweeps in a grand curve around the end of the peninsular and forms the northern bank of the Gulf stream, at its very source. Monroe County lies between the twenty-fourth and twenty 65 oi- ler da ift, in- ice as m- lid c ty, er- is )st ed Qd 3t, Qe 2,- P. a, ts ■'s Q- le MONROE COUNTY— NASSAU COUNTY. 65 sixth parallels of latitude. Frost is unknown within its bor- ders, its vegetation is strictly tropical, and its climate milder than any other part of the Atlantic seaboard. The keys (Spanish, cayo, island) are at once an aid and a menace to navigation. They afford shelter to small craft, but the channels are so tortuous that they are extremely dan- gerous for large vessels. Coral reefs approach the surface at intervals throughout a wide belt of ocean. As soon as they are built up to within a few feet of the surface man- groves take root and in a few years the foundation is laid for a new island. Key West (see p. 323), is the only large city in the county, and the only point to and from which there is at present any regular means of access. Eailroads there are none, except tramways at Key West, but the possibility of a southern ter- minus for a line down the eastern coast of the peninsula is in contemplation. Turtle Harbor being regarded as the most favorable locality. It has even been seriously suggested that a line carried on trestles from key to key is not beyond the resources of modern engineering. Several lines of ocean steamers touch regularly at Key West, and there are mail packets once a week thence to Biscayne Bay and the intermediate Keys. Nassau Coiiuty. Area, 600 sq. m.— Lat. 30" 15' to 30° 45' N.— Long. 81° 26' to 82° 5' W.— Population (1890), 8,293.— Pop. (1880), 6,635.— Assessed valuation (1888), $2,- 564,351.— Highest elevation, 25 to 30 feet. — County seat, Femandina. See p. 127. Nassau County, named by its early settlers after William, Prince of Nassau, is the northeastern county of Florida. Its northern and western boundary is defined by the St. Mary's Eiver, sejiarating it from Georgia, and navigable for steam- boats as far as Trader's Hill, thirty miles from the sea. The Nassau Eiver, with its affluent, Thomas Creek, forms nearly the .whole of its southern boundary. The soil varies from the clays and marls of the river-bot- toms to sandy loam and sand near the coast and among the 66 NASSAU COUNTY. pines of the interior. The immediate sea-coast is formed by Amelia Island. It is covered with calcareous sand and is one of the islands where the famous long staple sea-island cotton originated. Similar soil is found along some of the sea-coast rivers, often in connection with what are known as " fresh marsh and black rush lands," which are considered very valuable for gardening. Corn, cotton, and oats are the principal commercial pro- ducts, and early vegetables, strawberries, and melons are suc- cessfully raised for the Northern markets. Many of the semi-tropical fruits can be grown, but not with sufficient certainty to make them profitable crops. The Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad, the main ave- NASSAU COUNTY. 67 nue of commerce between Florida and the North, enters the county at the northwestern angle, running in a southeasterly direction to Jacksonville, in Duval, the adjacent county. Stations near and within the county are : Dist. fr. VV^ay Cross. 35 Folkston (Georgia) 41 1 40 Boulogne 36 1 46....Hilliard 30 V 56.... Callahan ' 20 SW 64. . . .Dinsmore (Duval Co.) 12 76 JackBonville '■* (Duval Co.) NW A Dist. fr. Jack- sonville. ' Crosses F. R. & N., Southern Division (see below). 2 Connects with J., T. & K. W. system F. C. & P. (see pp. 25 and 26) ; Jack- sonville, Mayport & Pablo Railway (see p. 26). Also with ocean steamers to the North, St. John's River steamboats. The Southern Division F. 0. & P. (Fernandina to Orlando) has the following stations in and near the county : Dist. fr. Fer- nandina. SW Fernandina ' 4T 11 ... . Hart's Road Jc. ^ 36 19. ...Italia 28 27 ... . Callahan 3 23 32 . . . Crawford 15 37 ...Dutton 10 41 . . Brandy Branch 6 47 Ba'.dwiu ■> (Dttvai Co.) o NE A Dist. fr. Baldwin. ' Connects with ocean steamers. " Connects with Jacksonville & Fernandina Branch F. R. & N. (see below). = Crosses S. F. & W. Ry., Jacksonville Division (see above). •• Connects with Western Division F. C. & P. (see p. 7). The Jacksonville and Fernandina Division F. C. & P. runs nearly north from Jacksonville to Hart's Road, thence east to Fernandina. Its stations are : Dist. fr. Jack- sonville. Jacksonville ' 37 5 Jacksonville Jc 32 15. . . .Duval 22 27.... Hart's Road 2 10 37.... Fernandina 5 Dist. fr. Fernandina. > Connects with railroads and steamers out of Jacksonville (see pp. 25 and ! 2 Connects with Southern Division F. C. & P. (see above). 3 Connects with ocean steamers. 68 ORANGE COUNTY. Oraii?^e County. Area, 1,250 sq. m.— Lat. 28" 20' to 28° 52' N.— Long. 80° 50' to SI'' 40' W.— Population (1890), 12,5T9.— Pop. (1880), 6,618.— Assessed valuation, $4,652,573. — County 8eat, Orlando. Orange County, as its name implies, is in the central orange belt of the peninsula, and includes some of the most exten- sive groves in the State. The head waters of the St. John's Kiver form its eastern boundary, and a group of lakes adds greatly to the natural attractions of the region. Lake ORANGE COUNTY. 09 Apopka, lying mainly within the western boundary of the county, is second in size only to Okeechobee, and Lakes Monroe, Jessu^j, Harney, Butler, Conway, Maitland, and many othei*s, range from a few acres up to thousands of acres in extent. Almost without exception the land rises from the water in gently rolling hills, securing immunity from malarial influences and affording unsurpassed sites for homes and for the cultivation of the various crops. The face of the country is varied and the soil con-esponds. There are high and low hammocks, high, medium, and flat pine lands, bay-heads and savannahs, all of which are cajaable of different uses for the agriculturist and horticulturist. A l^artial list of the fruits that can be successfully and profit- ably grown in this county includes oranges, lemons, limes, grape-fruit, shaddock, citron, guava, pineapples, pomegran- ates, Japanese plums, figs, etc. Rice, sugar-cane, cassava, strawberries, plums, and early vegetables are cultivated with success. The central and northwestern townships are the most at- tractive, and contain most of the population. Toward the east and south there are few or no settlements and an abun- dance of game during the winter months. The larger lakes and the St. John's Eiver above Lake Monroe are navigable for launches and small craft, but there are at j^resent no regular boats running above Sanford. The main line of the J., T. & K. W. system enters the county from the north, with stations in and near Orange County as follows : Dist.fr. I Enterprise Jc' (Fo^jwza Co.) 7 N -r,, . ^ Enterprise V 4....Monroe2 3 a Worrt J» 8 7.... Sanford 3 | ^a^^orQ- ' Connects Indian River Branch J., T. & K. W. system (see p. 97). 2 Connects Orange Belt Railroad (see p. 70). 3 Connects South Florida Railway (see p. 70) ; and Sanford & Indian River Railway (see p. 71). For continuation of this line north, see p. 97 ; south, see below and p. 70. The South Florida Railway, connecting with the J., T. & K. W. system at a station used in common, has stations as follows within and near the countv : 70 ORANGE COUNTY, Dist. fr. Sanford. 15. 18. 20. 21. 24. 26. 30.. 32.. 34.. 39 . ' Connects J. , Dist. fr. St. Peters- burg. 0. . . .Sanford ' 124 3....Belair 121 N 5 . . . . Lake Mary 119 a 10 Long wood ^ . 114 13 ... Altainonte Spring Ill Dist.fr. 15....Maitland 109 Port IS.... Winter Park 106 Tampa. 22.... Orlando s 102 V 27 Pine Castle 97 S 34....McKinnon 90 40 . ..Kiesimmee ■• (O.sreote Co.) 84 ' Connects J.. T. & K. W. system (p. 69), and Sanford & Indian River Kail- way (p. 71), and St. John's River steamboats, '■i Connects Florida Midland Railway (below). 3 Connects Tavares, Orlando & Atlantic Railway. * Connects Kissimmee River steamers. The Orange Belt Bailroad, Monroe to Petersburg on Tampa Bay, has stations in and adjacent to tlie county as follows: Monroe ' 149 2....Svlvan Lake 147 NE 4 ...PaoJa^ 145 A 6. . . .Island Lake 143 9. . . . Glen Ethel 140 11 ... . Groveland 138 12. . . .Palm Springs ^ 137 — Granada — Dist. fr. 15.... Forest City 134 Monroe. 18. . . .Toronto - 131 . . . Lakeville 129 . . . Clarcona ^ 12S . . .Millerton 125 ...Crown Point 123 .Winter Garden 119 . . .Oakland 117 . . . Killamy 115 ...Mohawk {Sumter Co.) 110 T, & K. W. Bvstem (see p. 69). s Crosses Sanford & Lake Eustis Branch J.. T. & K. W. system. 3 Crosses Florida Midland Railway (see below). * Connects Tavares. Or:ando & Atlantic Railway. * Crosses Florida Midland Railway. For continuation southwest, see p. 87. The Florida Midland Railway lies ■wholly within the coun ty. Its stations are : Longwood ' 27 3 ...Palm Springs 2 24 N 4 Altamonte 23 a • 6. . . .Lake Brantly 21 8....Fitzville 19 10... East Apopka 17 11 ... . Apopka 3 16 15 Clarcona * 12 18.... Villa Nova .9 20.... Oconee 7 V 21....Minorville 6 S 23....Gotha 4 27 Englewood ' Connects J., T. & K. W. system (see p. 69). "Crosses Oranire Belt Railway (see above). 5 Crosses Tavares. Orlando &"Atlantic Railway. * Crosses Orange Belt Railway (see above). V sw Dist. fr. Longwood. Dist. fr. Englewood. ORANGE COUNTY— OSCEOLA COUNTY. 71 The Sanford & Indian River Eailroad (S. F. Ry. is completed to Lake Charm. The stations are : 0. . . . Sanford 19 2 SpeerGrove 17 N 3....FortKeed 16 ^ 3.5 ...Onoro 15.5 4 Silver Lake 15 D:st.fr. 5....Rutledge 14 Sanford. 6... Lords 13 T....Clyde8 12 12....CUfton T V 14....Tnscawilla 5 S io jOviedo, \ ^^- • tLake Charm j" system), Diet. fr. Lake Charm. Osceola Coiintj. Area, 2,520 sq. m.— Lat. 27° 10' to 28° 30' N.— Long. 80° 50' to 81° 35' W.— Popu'.ation (1890), 3,122.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,667,895.— County seat, Eissimmee. Osceola County, named after the famous Seminole Chief, was formed by act of the State Legislature in 1887, from l^arts of Orange and Brevard Counties. A series of large lakes, Tohopekaliga, Cypress, Hatcheneka, and Kissimmee, connected by canals and natural channels, form the head- ■waters of the Kissimmee River, flowing southward to Lake Okeechobee, and thence through the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf of Mexico. This whole system of inland water- courses is navigable to Kissimmee at the head of the chain of lakes. The surface of the country is generally level or slightly rolling, with vast tracts of rich, low-lying prairie land. The soil is especially adapted to the cultivation of vegetables, which can be brought to perfection, in ordinary seasons, in January and February. The latitude of the northern extremity of the county is 28'^ 30', assuring almost entire freedom from frosts and an abun- dance of grass for stock-raising during the whole year. A large number of cattle, sheep, and swine range the woods with- out shelter, and are " rounded up " at stated seasons, afford- ing one of the most profitable industries of the county. Large quantities of sugar-cane have been planted on the re- cently reclaimed lands, with every prospect of a speedy and bountiful yield. 72 ORCEOLA COUNTY. The temperature at Kissimmee rarely rises above 90° in the summer, and the natural healthfulness of the locality — i; — 1- -7f-f^^ 1 Shingle Cr rf' o •Ft.Daveuport ' D E SOTO OSCEOLA COUNTY SCALE OF MILES I— I 1-^ I— I ^ r— i-i 5 10 has been singularly confirmed by the experience of the white OSCEOLA COUNTY. 7,3 age company. Since 1881 these men have been employed without intermission, even in summer, and have enjoyed un- interrupted health. Not a single death had occuiTed up to March, 1889, and it had never been necessary to send for a physician. As the work is carried on in a region usually supposed to be highly malarial, this record is certainly note- worthy. Osceola County is settled only at its northern extremity. To the south of Lake Tohopekaliga the wilderness is almost unbroken. Game abounds, and a large part of the egion is accessible in small boats by taking advantage of the creeks and numerous small lakes that abound throughout this re- gion. Within a few years past large drainage operations have been undertaken under State patronage by the Okeechobee Drainage Company, which have reclaimed extensive tracts of land in Osceola County, and bid fair largely to increase the sugar product of the State. The South Florida Railway from Orange County on the north crosses the northwest corner of the county with sta- tions near and within the boundaries as follow : I 34 McKinnon (Orange Co.) 90 N t,. . ^ Dist.fr. I 40....Iiissimmee 84 a ^l|'-"- Sauford. V 44. . ..Cambells 80 i rp " S 57....Davenport (Poit Co.) 6T | -lampa. For continuation of this line north, see p. TO ; south, see p. 79. 74 PASCO (JOUNTY. Pasco County. Area, 1,700 sq. m.— Lat. 23" 9' to 28" 29' N.— Long. 82° to 82" 4^ W.— Popu- lation (1890), 4,249.— Assessed valuation (1888), $954,329.— County seat, Dade City. This county was formed in 1887 from the southern part of Hernando County. In soil and climate it is among the most favored of the Gulf counties, lying just above the twenty- eighth parallel of latitude and within the influence of the warm Gulf breezes. For the most part the soil is naturally of the better grade of pine lands, underlaid with clay, marl, and limestone. There are large areas of rich hammock, es- i:)ecially in the western townships, which send some of the most noteworthy exhibits to the annual fair at Ocala. Cotton, oats, rice, corn, and sugar-cane, are the staple^ and all kinds of vegetables have been introduced within the past few years. The Pithlaschoscootee and Anclote Rivers drain the eastern jiart of the county, and the Withlacoochee and Hillsborough drain the western part. In some sections the land rises to the height of eighty or ninety feet above tide-water, and the high hammocks are covered with a mag- nificent growth of hard wood. The hunting and fishing are good, but for large game it is necessary to go ten or twelve miles from the railroads, and guides with camping outfits are indispensable for strangers. The Orange Belt Railway enters from Hernando County on the north and crosses it southwest and northeast. The stations adjacent to and within the county are : Diet. fr. Monroe. V sw 66 Wyoming (Hernando Co.) 83 71 Lacoochee ' 78 73.... Macon a 76 75 . . . Leonard 74 78....Blanton 71 79....Cliipco 70 84 San Antonio 65 88.... Pasco 61 91 . . Big Cypress 58 98 . . . Drexel •. 51 106 ...Odessa 43 117 Tarpon SpTings(Hilhborough Co.)32 NE A Dist. fr. St. Pet- ersbui"g. 1 Crosses Tampa Branch F. C. & P. (see p. 76). 2 Crosses J., T. & K. W. (see p. 76). For continuation nortb, see p. 35 ; south, see p. 38. 22. I 23. Dist. fr. 1 30. Wildwood. V 31; . S 44. Gl. 70 I'ASCO COUNTY— POLK COUNTY. The Tanii)a l>raiich of tlio F. C. & P. enters from Hernando County on the north. Stations in and near the county are : . . .Withliicoochee {Sumter Co.) 39 . . . Lacoochee ' 33 N , . . Owensboro 2 31 a DiKt. fr. ..Dade City 2.5 j Plant City. ...Abbott 17 I , . .Plant City {Hillsborough Co.) ' Crosses Orange Belt Railway (see p. 74). '■J Crosses J., T. & K. W. (see below). For continuation north, see p. 35. The Pemberton Feriy Branch of the South Florida Pail- way (J., T. k K. W. system) has stations within and near the county at : . .Bay City {Hernando Co.) .51 ..Macon 47 N .. Orange Belt Jc. ' 4G a . . Owensboro '■' 45 . . Dade City 41 . Ellerslie 35 ..Richland 34 I . . Tedderville 25 | ..Kathleen {Polk Co.) 20 ' Crosses Orange Belt Railway (see p. 74). 2 Crosses Tampa Branch F. C. & P. (see above). For continuatiou north, see p. 35 ; south, see p. 80. 6.. 10.. 11.. Dist. fr. 12.. Pemberton 16.. Ferry. 22.. k' 23.. f i 32.. 37.. Dist. fr. Bartow. Polk County. Area, 1,980 sq. m.— Lat. 27° 35' to 28° 10' N.— Long. 81° 25' to 82" 2' W.— Population (1890), 7,897.— Pop. (1880), 3,181.— Assessed valuation, $3,500,000.— County seat, Bartow. The county was formed in 1859, by act of the State legis- lature, from portions of the large neighboring counties of Hillsborough, Orange, and Sumter, but its organization was interrupted by the Civil War, and not perfected, in its pres- ent .shape until 1874. It is named after James K. Polk, elev- enth President of the United States. The twenty-fifth par- allel of latitude runs nearly through the middle of the county. It was settled mainly by cattle men, who had served in the In- dian wars and noted the natural advantages of the country. Its average elevation above the sea is estimated at 150 feet, and its greatest elevation, according to the levels run by the engineers of the South Florida Railroad, is 235 feet. Nearly one-fifth of the surface is water, in lakes of every conceivable POLK COUNTY. <7 size and shape, from Lake Kissimmee, eighteen miles long, down to little pools too small to be shown on the map, but sometimes indicated by a dot. As a rule, these lakes are full of pure, clear water, and well stocked with fish. Most of them are deep enough to deserve the name of lakes or l^onds, but some are little better than savannahs. The lake region iiroper lies in the middle of the county. The north- POEK CO. ern portion of this region is high rolling land, the bluffs ris- ing sharply from the lake shores sometimes as much as sixty feet. These afford an endless niimber of excellent building sites, with the advantage, somewhat unusual in Floi'ida, of a decided elevation. The land is sandy and sandy loam, and the usual variety of high and low hammock and the three grades of pine land are well distributed over the countv. Toward the south the 7S I'OLK COUNTY. face of the country is more generally level, and prairies are more frequent. Tlie Kissimmco Iliver, hero mainly a succession of lakes, is navigable to the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Okeechobee and tho Caloosahatchee River. Peace River is navigable for small boats to Fort Meade. This stream falls into Char- lotte Harbor on the Gulf of Mexico. Its tributaries, with those of the Alalia and the Withlacoochee Rivers, drain a wide region in the southern and western part of the couniy. The best grade of pine lands in this region are considered most desirable for agricultural purposes, because, under judicious cultivation, their productiveness seems to increase, while the high hammocks deteriorate after a few years of astonishing productiveness. The dryer kinds of low ham- mock are prized for general farming and garden crops, es- pecially the early vegetables that are becoming such an im- portant factor in the commerce of the State. The timber is mainly pine and cypress, but all the hard woods are found in the hammocks. The summer temperature ranges from 86' to 97° at mid- day, falling some twenty degrees during the night. In the winter the ordinary range is from 45° to 75°, with, however, occasional northers, when the thermometer drops very sud- denly to the freezing-point. After the first of February im- munity from frost is almost certain, and the thermometer ranges from 60° to 78°. The rainy season begins in June and lasts till the middle or end of September, rain falling, as a rule, almost every day. The vital statistics of the county show that general health is good, the death-rate from ordinary diseases very low. The county commissioners of Polk County certify the follow- ing list of its products: Corn, oats, rye, pumpkins, squashes, beans in variety (tho snap and lima runners being very pro- lific), peas (in variety), i^otatoes, beets, carrots, onions, pars- nips, egg-plant, cucumbers, cantaloupes, water-melons, cab- bages, collards, cauliflower, kohl-rabi, ruta-bagas, turnips, pepper, okra, tomatoes, lettuce, salsify, spinach, miistard, sorghum, sugar-cane, cassava, arrow-root, ginger, chufas, pindars or ground peas, goubers, grass-nuts, pie melon, etc. POLK COUNTY. i'J Of plants and herbs, sweet marjoram, thyme, tea-plants, castor-bean, and benue. Of fruits, orange, sweet, bitter-sweet, and sour; lemons, limes, grapes, peaches, LeConte and avo- cado pears, tiger api^les, sugar apples, citron, shaddocks, grape-fruit, mangoes, Japan plums, bananas, pineapples, guavas, plums, j^omegranates, figs, olives, and pecans. Many of these are not recommended as profitable crops. The list is given to show the possible range of agricultural resources. The Polk County region was a favorite hunting and farm- ing ground of the aboriginal races, and mounds and other evidences of prehistoric habitations are found. "When the United States surveys were made in 184:8 numerous evi- dences existed of extensive cultivation, but the luxuriant forest growth has nearly obliterated most of them at the present time. The South Florida Railway enters the county from Pagco County (northwest), and Osceola County (northeast), ita branches forming a triangle in the heart of the county. The main line has stations near and within the county as follows : 42 ... Campbells (Osceola Co.) 71 50... Lake Locke... 63 NE 54 Emmanton 61 /\ 57 . . Davenport 58 I 61... Haines City 54 1 68. . . .Bartow Jc. ' 47 Diet. fr. 72 ...Anburndale 43 Port 77 ... . Fitshughs 38 Tampa. 81 Acton 34 83 Lakeland = 32 V 93.... Plant City 22 SW 115. ...Tampa 9 124. . . .Port Tampa DIst. fr. Sanford. " Connects Bartow Branch (see below). ^ Connects Pemberton Ferry Branch (see p. 80). The Bartow Branch stations are : I Bartow Jc.i IT -kjtj" ■n:„(. f- 5 ... Winter Haven 12 . T^• f RortV/wTn v 9.... Eagle Lake 8 ^^ , ^'^V BartowJc. V 2,...Go?don8ville .5 fr. Bartow. °^ IT.... Bartow •■' I I Connects with main line to Tampa, south, and Sanford, northeast. - Connects F. S. (J., T. & K. W. system) for Punta Gorda, Charlotte Harbor, etc. 80 rOLK COUNTY— PUTNAM COUNTY. The Pemberton Ferry Branch has stations near and within Polk County as follows : 23 ... . Richlaud (Pasco Co.) 31 I 32. . . .Tedderville 22 NNW Dist.fr 37 .... Kathleen 17 a Dist. fr. Pemberton 1 40 . . . Griffin's Mill 17 I Pimta Ferry. V 43 . . . Lakeland ' 14 Bartow. S8E 51.... Haskell 6 | 57....Bartow2 ■ Crosges J., T. & K. W. from San ford and Tampa. '^ Connects Bartow branch and 1'". S. Ky. to Punta Gorda. Putnam County. Area, 860 sq. m.— Lat. 29" 20' to 29" 50' N.— Long. 81" 25' to 82" 2' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 11,166.— Pop. (1880), 6,261.— Assessed valuation (1888), $4,130,503. —County seat, Palatka. Putnam County is one of several organized in 1847, after the first Seminole war. It is named after General Israel Pufrnam, of the Revolutionary Army. The shajje is very ir- regular, some of the boundaries being crooked rivers, and others arbitrary lines. As is often the case in Florida, it is impossible to give a general statement of the topography. The great river St. John's divides the county into two por- tions, of which the western is by far the larger. Orange Creek, the navigable outlet of Orange Lake, just over the line, in Alachua County, joins the Ocklawaha Eiver at the southern boixler, and together they form a considerable stream tributary to the St. Johns, and one of the famous tourist routes of Florida (Route 181). Except in the im- mediate vicinity of the water-courses the western part of the county is gently undulating, covered with heavy pine forests, which are rapidly giving way to orange groves. Through this compairatively low region there runs an elevated rolling plateau, ten or fifteen miles wide, and in some places said to be two hundred feet above tide-water. This plateau is dotted all over with lakelets, surrounded by wooded hills. Here and there are prairies and swamps of moderate extent. An attractive section of the county is the Fruitland Penin- sula, a tract of land eight or ten miles wide, somewhat re- sembling the plateau just described lying between the St. John's River on the west and Crescent Lake on the east. Its PUTNAM COUNTY. 81 surface is generally tilly, interspersed with lakes, forests, and occasiual marslies. The J., T. & K. W. Railway system passes through the entire length of the peninsula. Crescent Lake is a navigable body of water, having easy steamboat connection with the St. John's Eiver through Dunn's Creek, the outlet at the northern extremity of the lake. To the north of this stream, still on the east side of the St, John's Eiver, is a fine orange region, including some of the oldest and best groves in the State. The St. John's Eiver through- out this portion of its course is practically a series of lakes, varying in width from a mile to four miles. It is slightly affected by the ocean tides as far up as Lake George, and the current is nowhere so rapid as to interfere with the use of small boats as a convenient means of travel. The main line (J., T. & K. W. system) from Jacksonville 82 PUTNAM COUNTY— SAINT JOHN'S COUNTY. DiBt. fr. San ford- and the north crosses the county nearly north and south. Stations are as follows : 41 . . .West Tocoi {Clay Co.) . . .84 46 ...Bostvvick 78 N 49 Teiisdale 75 a 52. . . .Sauble 72 55 I'alatka Junction 69 56....Palatka i 68 58....Lundy 66 Dist. fr. 60 Peniel 64 Jack- 63 . . . .Buffalo Bluff 61 Bonville. 64 Satsuma 60 67....8isco 57 70 Pomona 54 72....0omo 52 75 Huntington 49 V 78 Denver 40 S 82.... Hammond (Volitsm Co.) 42 84.... Seville (Volusia Co.) 41 ' Connects St. Aug. & Halifax River Ry. (p. 84) ; St. John's & Halifax River Ry. (p. 85) ; and F. S. Ry. to Gainesville (see below). For continuation of main line J., T. & K. W. system, see pp. 16 and 97. The main line Florida Southern Railway runs east from Palatka. The stations within the county and just beyond its western line are : Dist. fr. Palatka. 0. . . .Palatka • 47 5 Francis 42 12 . . .HoUister 35 15. . .Manville 32 17 . . .luterlachen 30 19. ..Keuka 28 21... Clark's Mill 26 23 Johnson 24 25. . . .Cooper's Mill 22 26 Cone's Crossing 21 29 . . Colgrove 18 Dist. fr. Gainesville. • Connects St. Augustine & Halifax River divisions (see p. 84) ; and with main line J., T. & K. W., north to Jacksonville, and south to Tampa and Pnnta Gorda (see above). Saint John's County. Area, 1,000 sq. m.— Lat. 29" 22' to 30° 13' N.— Long. 81° 5' to 81° 40' W.— Population (1890), 8,677.— Pop. (1880), 4,535.— Assessed valuation (1888), $2,250,- 8T0. — County seat, St. Augustine. See p. 133. St. John's County may almost be termed a peninsula, lying as it does between the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the St. John's River on the west. Along the river there are valu- able lands under successful cultivation at many points for oranges, pears, sugar-cane, vegetables, and the like. A short distance back from the river the fiat woods appear, succeeded . JOHNS GO. SCALE OF MILES 84 SAINT JOHN'S COUNTY. by belts of rich hammock, which in turn give way to palmetto scrub that extends to the sea-coast. A few small streams, tributary to the St. Johns, water the rolling lands along the river, and others find their way into Matanzas Inlet, Halifax Eiver, and North River on the coast. Much of the land is, and probably must remain, worthless, but, thanks to its climate, the county is one of the most prosperous in the State, and attracts more tourists than any other section. This is due to the existence of St. Augustine, where nearly three centuries ago Europeans first learned the salubrity of the Floridian climate. The history of St. Augustine is that of St. John's County, and will be found in the account of that city. Fishing is good all along the creeks, inlets, rivers, and lagoons, and game is to be found by persevering huntsmen, thanks to the almost impenetrable " scrub " in which deer and turkeys still find shelter. It is wellnigh useless, how- ever, to hunt without guides and dogs, and even then hunt- ing is no child's play. The harbor of St. Augustine, with its connecting inlets, is a favorite resort for yachtsmen, and a short day's mn to the northward ojiens the extensive inland cruising grounds of the St. John's Eiver and its numerous lakes. The Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax Eiver Eailway (J., T, & K. W. system), St. Augustine to Palatka, has stations as follows : O....St. AnsustineJ 31 0. . . .New St. Augustine 30 NE 4....TocoiJc 26 a 8. . . . Smith's 22 10. . . . Middleton 20 Dist. fr. 12 Armstrong 18 St.Augus- 14. ...Holy Branch 16 tine. 16.... Quid's 14 18. . . Merrifleld 12 20. . . .Bueua Vista 10 V 21. . . .Pattersonville 9 SW 25. . . .East Palatka Je 6 31.... Palatka- Dist. fr. Palatka. 1 Connects vith J., T. & K. W. system to Jacksonville (see p. 85). ^ Connects with J., T. & K. W. system to Indian River. Tampa and Pmita Gorda (see p. 82). The Jacksonville, St. Augustine tt Halifax Eiver liailwav SAINT JOHN'S COUNTY— SUMTER COUNTY. 85 (J., T. & K. W. system) is the most direct route between the two cities. Stations auJ distances follow : Jacksonville ' 37 1.... South Jacksonville S6 NW 3 . . . . Phillips 34 A 5 Bowden 32 9 Summervllle 23 10. . . .Nesbit 2T Dist.fr. 11. ...Eaton 26 D'st. fr. Jack- 14 Sweetwater 23 St. Augns- sonville. 16 Bayard 21 tine. 18 Register 19 19. . . .Clarkville IS 21. . . .Durbin 16 V 28 Sampson 9 SE 32. . . .Magnolia Grove 5 37 St. Augustine- > For railway and steamboat connections see p. 103. * Connects with line to Palatka, see p. 84, Sumter County. Area, 625 sq. m.— Lat. 28° 15' to 28» 57' N.— Long. 81° 55' to 82° 18' W.— Population (1890), 5,350.— Pop. (1880), 4,686.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,719,- 018. — County seat, SumtervUle. Sumter County is topographically part and parcel of the central lake region, and of the large orange-growing counties of Lake, Marion, Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco. It was orig- inally organized as a county in 1851, including parts of the present territory covered by Orange and Polk Counties. Changes to the present boundaries were made successively in 1871, 72, '79, and '87. The Withlacoochee Eiver, which forms the major part of the western boundary, is navigable to Pembertou Ferry. In the winter of 1888-89, during a l^eriod of exceptionally high water, a boat crossed from the vicinity of Lake Panasoflfkee and the Withlacoochee Eiver, thus demonstrating the possibility of crossing from the Atlantic to the Gulf. The shooting and fishing are excellent over a large portion of the county. Near Dragem Junction is the scene of the massacre of Major Dade and his com- mand (see p. 305), which was practically the beginning of the long Seminole war, 1835 to 1842, which nearly exter- minated the then existing settlements in South Florida. The Florida Southern Railway (J., T. & K. W. system) en- SUMTER COUNTY. ters the coiintv at a i^oint about twelve miles soiithwest from Leesburg. The stations within the county and near its lim- its are : I 115 Cason's (Lake Co.) 31 -^jp, 120.... Centre HiU 26 ^. -n, ^ f, Dist.fr. 125 ...Webster 21 '^ ^^zll Falatka. J, 129 . . . . Dragem Jc. i IT 1 J,,r<> Q^P- 135....Pemberton2 11 ^"^*'- ° " 146 ... . Brooksville (Hernando Co.) ' 1 Crosses F. C. & P. (see below). " Connects with J., T. & K. W. system for Punta Gorda and Tampa. The southern division F. C. & P. enters the county from Ocala, Marion County, on the north. Stations adjacent to and within the county are as follows : Dist. fr. Ocala. N 16 Summerfleld (Marion Co.) 21 21. ...Oxford 16 . 26....Wildwood 1 11 '^ 29 Orange Home 8 31. ...Bamboo 6 35 Montclair 2 37 ... . Leesbm-g2 (Lake Co.) ' Dist. fr. Leesburg. J Connects with Tampa branch F. C. & P. (see below). 2 Connects with J., T. & K. W. sj'stem (see p. 4T). The Tampa division F. C. & P. connects with the forego- ing at Wildwood. The stations are : O....Wildwood' 61 5 Coleman 56 N 8 Panasoffkee 53 a DiBt.fr. 9.. . Sumterville Jc 52 Dist. fr. Wfldwood. 14....Bn8hnell 4T PlantCity. V 18.... St. Catharine* 43 S 22 . . . .Withlacoochee 39 28 Lacoochee (Hernando Co.) 33 ' Connects with F. C. & P. to Leesburg (see above). 2 Crosses J., T. & K. W. system (see above). The Orange Belt Eailway crosses the southern part of the county. The stations near and within the county line are : I 51 Mascotte (La/cfl Co.) 96 p 56 . . Cedar Hammock 91 ■7 Dist.fr. 60....TaiTytown 87 y» Dist. fr. St. Monroe, w 64 Wyoming 83 Petersburg. Xr 70.. .Lacoochee' (flernarido Co.) 77 " 71 Macon"-' (//ernando Co.) 76 ' > Crosses Tampa Branch F. C. & P. (see p. 35). ' Crosses J., T. & K. W. system (see p. 35). 88 SANTA ROSA COUNTY. Santa Rosa County. Area, 1,200 sq. m.— Lat. 30° 19' to 30° 58' N.— Long. 80" 38' to 87° 20^ W.— Populiition (1890), 7,948.— Pop. (1880), 6,645.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,282- 800. —County neat, Milton. Santa Eosa County, next to the narrow tenitory of Es- cambia, is the westernmost county in Florida, and was one of the original civic divisions of the State. It takes its name from the fine bay discovered by Tristan de Luna in 1559. Santa Kosa has four navigable rivers, namely, the Escambia, forming the -western boundary, and navigable into Alabama ; the Blackwater, draining the north- ern half of the county, a rich lumber region, sparsely settled, SANTA ROSA COUNTY— SUWANNEE COUNTY. S9 and affording a fine cattle range ; the Yellow River, crossing the county diagonally, and forming jiarfc of its eastern boundary, and East Bay Eiver, parallel to Santa Rosa Sound, a short distance inland. The lumber and live-stock interests are the principal industries, sheep raising having of late years taken a foremost place. Tlie subsoil is clay with a sandy surface, and rice, corn, sweet potatoes, oats, Leconte pears, peaches, grapes, and figs are grown successfully. The pecan tree flourishes and makes a profitable crop when once the trees are in bearing. The nuts are quite equal to those grown in Texas. The finest and oldest grove in the State is in the town of Black- water. The Pensacola & Atlantic division of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad crosses the county on a line running nearly northeast and southwest. The stations near and within the county are : Dist. fr. River Jc. V SW 110 ... Crestview (Walton Co.) 50 .^t, 114....Chaffin'8 46 ■". 122.... Holt's 38 -^ 131 . . .Good Range 29 141. ...Milton 19 144 Arcadia 16 152 Escambia {Escambia Co.) 8 Dist. fr. Pensacola. For continuation southwest to Pensacola see p. 29 ; east, to River Junction see p. 101. Suwannee County. Area, 750 sq. m.— Lat. 29° 52' to 30° 24' N.— Long. 82° 46' to 83° 18' W.— Popu- lation (1890), 10,505.— Pop. (1880), 7,161.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,579,988.— County seat. Live Oalv. The name Suwannee is of Seminole or Muskhogee origin, meaning "deep water," and the fine stream that bears it and gives its name to the county forms the boundary on three sides. It is navigable for river steamboats as far as White Springs during the greater part of the year, and with its numerous tributaries affords many desirable mill sites. The river gives easy access to the Gulf of Mexico, and the loca- tion of the county within reach of the sea-breezes from both directions renders its climate exceedingly equable. The temperature averages about 50° in the winter months, and in 90 SUWANNEE COUNTY. Stammer rarely rises higher than 90°, the average being 80° to 85°. The soil is a sandy loam with a substratum of clay, fertile and easy of cultivation. Large tracts of good land are still open to settlement imder the State and United States laws, and while considerable portions are held by capitalists, the prices of land to actual settlers are by no means exorbitant. The lumber within reach of water or railway transporta- tion is abundant, and of excellent quality. Hammock lands SUWANNEE COUNTY. 91 border the water-courses bearing the finest varieties of hard- wood, as ash, hickory, live oak, red oak, white oak, cherry, red bay, beach, majjle, and magnolia, while pitch pine and yellow pine cover thousands of acres of rolling country. Sea Island cotton was largely cultivated by slave labor be- fore the Civil War, and now, after a lapse of many years, is resuming its importance. Some of the leading Northern and European cotton factors have permanent warehouses at Live Oak and elsewhere. The total annual shipment of cotton, accoi'ding to the latest rejjort available, is about three thou- sand bales. Oranges can be successfully cultivated, but not with the certainty that obtains in South Florida, and tobacco is becoming an important and profitable crop. Extensive plantations of the Leconte pear are in bearing, strawberries are extremely prolific, and all the small fruits are in a marketable condition a month ahead of the same kinds in Delaware, and two weeks in advance of Georgia. The western division of the F. C. & P. crosses the north- ern i^art of the county on a line running northwest and southeast. The stations within the county are : , 71 — Welbom 94 o^, Dist. fr. 76... Houston 89 °^ Dist.fr. Jackson- J, 82. .. .Live Oak" 83 A Talla- viUe. T^Vrr 92....BuckiJc.=' 73 ■^" 95....EIlaviile 70 ' ' Crosses Savannah, Florida & Western Railway (see below). " Connects with Suwamiee River Railroad (see below). For continuation westward see p. 5S ; eastward, p. 18. The Gainesville division S., F. & W. Ed. (Savannah, Gra., to Gaines\dlle, 249 miles, 9^ hours). Stations within and near the county are : Dist. fr. Savannah, Ga. 168 Marion (Hamilton Co.) 81 171 Suwannee 77 179 .. . .Live Oak' 70 184 ...Padlock 65 188. .. . Pine Mount 61 190....McAlpin 59 196. ..O'Brien 52 203 . . New Branford^ 46 216 . . .Lake City Jc.^ (Columbia Co.). . .33 • Crosses western division P. C. & P. (see above). " Connects Suwannee River steamers. ' Connects Lake City division. Dist. fr. GaineBvillei ^'2 SUWANNEE COUNTY— TAYLOll COUNTY. Tlie Suwannee Iliver Kailway runs from Hudson-on-tlie- Suwanuee to Bucki Junction. It is about twelve miles long, with no regular stations between termini. "When the Su- wannee Eiver is low tliis road is convenient for steamboat connections at New Branford. Taylor County. Area, 1.080 sq. m.— Lat. 29° 40' to 30° 15' N.— Long. S3° 22' to 84" W.— Popu- lation (1890), 2,122.— Pop. (1880), 2,2T9.— Asssessed valuation (1888), $270,094.— County seat. Perry. Taylor County was organized in 1851, and named after General Zachary Taylor, the poi^ular hero of the war with Mexico, 1847-48, and subsequently President of the United States. The county has about forty miles of coast on the Gulf of Mexico, with shallow harbors at the mouths of the Aucilla, FenhoUoway, and Econfena Elvers, and in Deadman's Bay, available only for small boats. There are no lighthouses on this coast. The surface is generally level, intersected with plentiful streams, some of which afford excellent mill sites, and in all of which the different varieties of fish are found in plenty. The piney woods are broken by several large ham- mocks, the home of bear, deer, panthers, wild-cats, and tur- keys. The game has not yet been hunted out in this region, and good sport may be had with the assistance of competent guides. Along the Gulf the pine lands are veiy poor, but in the interior they are of good quality, the soil varying from gray to dark in color, and about two feet deep. The ham- mocks are a dark sandy loam, unsurpassed in fertility. As a cattle range the county has always afforded excellent facilities, owing to the abundant growth of native grasses. Tlie climate is that of the Gulf coast of Florida, and is healthy when ordinary judgment is used. Along both banks of the Econfena River there is a healthy belt ten miles wide, while along the FenhoUoway it is sickly, the reason being that in the former case the water is pure, while in the latter case it is strongly impregnated with lime. In the lime-water TAYLOR COUNTY. 93 regions cisterns for rain-water are used by prudent residents. Tlie Econfeua Biver rises in Washington County, soiitlieast from Oak Hill. Its course is thirty miles from its source to St. Andrew's Bay, but this is interrupted by Natural Bridge, fifteen miles from the mouth, to which i:)oint the stream is navigable. Below the bridge for several miles the voyager is delighted by the frequent occiirrence of remarkable springs along the west bank. The lands along this river are of fine 94 TAYLOR COUNTY— VOLUSIA COUNTY. quality and the locality lias a high reputation for liealthful- ness. Bear Creek, a navigable tributary, enters the Econfena from the eastward, about four miles from salt water. Besides the springs referred to are Hampton Spring on Rocky Creek and a chalybeate spring on Blue Creek. Perry, the county seat, may be best reached from Madison. Madison County, thirty-one miles by mail route. Tolusia County. Area, 1,340 sq. m.— Lat. 28° 35' to 29° 25' N.— Long. 81° 35' to 81" W W — I'opiilation (1890), 8,463.— Pop. (1880), 3,294.— Assessed valuation (1888), $3,994,- 572.— County seat, DeLand. Volusia, as may be inferred from the phenomenal increase in its population, is, to Northern settlers, one of the most attractive counties of South Florida. This is largely ac- counted for from its easy access to Northern markets, its ad- vantages of soil and climate for invalids, and the facilities that it offers to tourists and sportsmen. The county was organized under territorial government in 1825, and its somewhat unfortunate early name was Mosquito County, a title which was naturally repudiated as soon as possible, and Orange was adopted. It originally included Orange and Brevard Counties. In 1854 Volusia and part of Brevard were set oflf, and in 1878 the present boundaries were established. Lying between the St. Jo^m's Eiver on the west, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Volusia County has navigable waters on both sides, besides which railroads cross it in four directions, affording ready transportation for the enormous orange crop. The country bordering the principal railroads and watercourses, indeed, is almost a continuous orange grove, and the planters claim that no part of the State excels it for raising this favorite crop. The land is largely high pine and hammock, and very ju-oductive for all kinds of crops. Along the ocean front are found the narrow beaches, .sometimes, as at Daytona and Ormond, rising into verit- able hammocks. Within these, to the westward, are the coastwise rivers, the Halifax and the Hillsborough. West- VOLUSIA COUNTY. 95 •ward again is a wide belt of the richest hammock, two or three miles wide, and containing evidences of ancient culti- vation in the shape of drains, canals, and mined houses, con- cerning some of which all records have been lost, while the 06 VOLUSIA COUNTY. histoiy of the others, as the Turnbull tract at New Smyrna, is tolerably well known. Beyond the hammocks is a belt of prairie, broken by islands of cabbage-palm and pine, rising first into "flat-woods," and again into the rolling pine-lands that extend nearly to the St. John's Kiver at the western boundary. The first settlement within the present limits of the county was made during the British occupancy by Dr. Turnbull, a Scotch gentleman of wealth, who, having obtained a large conditional grant of hammock land in the vicinity of New Smyrna, enlisted a colony of some fifteen hundred Greeks, Italians, and Minorcaus, and brought them over with the intention of organizing an agricultural community. Dissensions followed, and the colony was broken up, but not before a large amount of work had been accomplished (see Eoute 63). In 1803 a colony of nearly twenty families from St. Augus- tine resettled the abandoned lands of the Turnbull tract, es- tablishing, in spite of hostile Indians, quite a prosperous set- tlement. In 1835, however, the Seminole war broke out in earnest, and the inhabitants were obliged to escape across the river and see their houses and plantations burned behind them. Until 1842 the county was abandoned by whites, and even after that time Indian alarms were so frequent that, in 1860, there were barely twenty-five families within the pres- ent boundaries. Then followed the Civil War, when New Smyrna enjoyed a short lived and costly importance as an entrepot for blockade-runners, but was presently shelled by United States gunboats, and nearly destroyed. An expedition from Jacksonville was sent up the St. John's Eiver, and is said to have captured every man in the county. Two of the prisoners were released, however, as too small of stature for military duty, and for several months these two were the only white men in the county. At the first election after the return of peace there were twenty-one registered voters, and every one of them was present to organize the first court. Shortly after this the movement began which has so wonderfully increased the population of the county, and developed its resources. VOLUSIA COUNTY. 97 The main line of the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West sys- tem to Saudford (connecting for PuntaGorda and Port Tampa) and Titusville follows a generally north and south direction near the St. John's Eiver. The stations within and near the county are : Dist. ft". Jackson- ville. 77 Denver (Putnam Co.) S2 81 Hammond 78 84.... Seville 75 . Bakersburg 71 .Pierson ..'. 70 .Eklrld^e 67 Barbervil e 65 .Deep CreeSi 62 89 99 Sprmp; Garden 60 103 .. . Glenwood 57 103....mcrh:aud Park 55 107....DeLaudJc.i 52 108. . .Beresford 51 113.... Orange c:tyJc. 2 47 118 .. .Ente. prise Jc 41 12D....Osteeu 30 131.... Cow Creek 25 138. . . Maytown 18 147 Aurantia (Brevard Co.) 9 151 Mims (Brevard Co.) 5 153 La Grange (Brevard Co.) 4 157 .. . .Titusville (Brevard Co.) Dist. fr. Titus- ville. ' At DeLand Junction is a spur three miles eastward to DcLand, and two miles westward to DeLand Lauding. 2 At Orange City Junction Is the crossing of the Atlantic & Western Sailroad (see below). Atlantic & Western Railroad from Blue Springs on the St. John's River to New Smyrna on the sea-coast, crossing the county from east to west : . . .Blue Springs 29 O?^:.. Orange City Jc 28>4 W ■nut f_ 3 ...Orange City 26 a Dist. Smyrna 8J^ .. Lake Helen 19>^ j fr. Blue bmyma. ^ 22 . Waverly 6 Springs. E 25>^ . . Glencoe Z}4 29 New Smyrna At Orange City Junction is the crossing of J., T. & K. W. (see above). 98 WAKULLA COUNTY. Wakulla County. Area, 580 sq. m.— Lat. 30° to SO" 20' N.— Long. 84° 5' to 34° 4.5' W.— Popula- tion (1890), 3,109.— Pop. (1880), 2,723.— Assessed valuation (1888), $362,281.— Covaity seat, C'rawfordvillc. This county is named after the famous spring near the Gulf coast. The Seminole word Wakulla means mystery, and no one who visits the spring will question the fitness of the title (see i?. 348). A further mystery, peculiar to this region, is the alleged "Wakulla Volcano," a column of smoke or vapor that perpetually rises above the trees at a certain point to which no man has as yet penetrated (see p. 347). The surface is mainly level and sandy, with a clay subsoil and limestone rock, often rich in phosphates, not far below the surface everywhere. Heavily timbered hard-wood hammocks cover a large portion of the county, and game is abundant. The Oeklockony River, a considerable stream, forms the western boundary, and its tributaries water the Avestern part of the county. In the eastern part are the St. Mark's and Wakulla Rivers, w Inch unite, forming the Apala- chee River, five miles from the Gulf. The former has its source in the famous spring just referred to. The latter rises in a small pond, nineteen miles northeast from the WAKULLA COUNTY. 99 junction of the streams. Boats drawing four feet of water can ascend to the sources of both these streams. It is sup- posed from topogi-aphical surveys that the St. Mark's derives its supply from Lake Micosukee and its tributaries (see p. 52). Numerous sinks occur along a certain connecting line, and sometimes the river itself emerges for a time above ground. The Ocklockony River, forming the western boundary of the county, rises in Georgia, and running generally south, falls into Ocklockony Bay, twenty miles west of St. Mark's. It is navigable for steamboats about fifty miles. Some twenty miles from its mouth it divides. New River carrying a portion of its waters to the bay. Its principal tributaries are Tugalo, Little River, Robinson's Creek, and Rocky Com- fort. The Gulf coast line is about twenty-five miles in extent, not attempting to trace its various indentations. It forms an extensive bight known as Apalachee Bay, early discovered by the Spaniards, and the site of attempted settlements in the sixteenth century. At the mouth of St, Mark's River, on the east side, is a lighthouse showing a fixed w'hite light of the fourth order, visible fifteen miles at sea. The tower is white, eighty-three feet in total height above the water. The channel is well buoyed, and admits vessels drawing seven feet at low tide. The principal industries are turpentine-making, stock-rais- ing, bee-culture, hunting, and fishing. There are many natural curiosities as sinks, springs, and the like scattered through the county. The supply of drinking-water is mainly derived from cisterns, as the natural flow is strongly im- l>reguated with lime. The St. Mark's Railroad from Tallahassee, in Leon County, to St. Mark's, is twenty-one miles long ; through time, one hour and forty-five minutes. I Tallahassee 21 t,j Dist.fr. ' 4....Belair IT . Dist.fr. Tallahassee, o 16 .... Wakulla 5 '^ St. Mark's. ° 21 ... St. Mark's ' For conoections at Tallahassee (sec p. 53). 100 WALTON COUNTY. Walton County. Area, 1,360 eq. m.— Lat. 30" 20' to 31" N.— Lontr. 85" 52' to 86° 39' W.— Popu- lation ( 1890), 4.811.— Pop. (1880), 4,201.— Assessed valuation (1888), $1,122,755. — Coucty seat. De Funiak Springs. Walton County i.s bounded on the north by Alabama, east by Holmes and Washington Counties, south by Choctawhat- chee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and west by Santa Bosa County. The laud is mainly covered with pine woods, flat near the coast but high and rolling to the northward. The soil is for the most part sandy with clay near the streams. The land is highly productive and large shii^ments are an- nually made of cotton, corn, sugar, vegetables, fruits, and to- bacco. Stock-raising, especially sheep, is extensively fol- lowed and is on the increase. This industry was originally introduced by a colony of Scotch Presbyterians who settled in the Euchee Vallev in 1823, and whose descendants still WALTON COUNTY— WASHINGTON COUNTY. 101 remain among the most prospprous and thrifty farmers of this region. The Pensacola & Atlantic division of the L. & N. Rd. crosses the county from east to west. The stations within and near the county are as follows : 70 Ponce de Leon (Holmes Co.) ... 134 I TT....Argyle 128 E •ni-^ f,. 81 . . . .De Funiak Springs 124 a Y.;^t t- River Jc 94.... Mossy Head 109 PengacSk Kiverdc. y l01....Deer)and 102 , -t^ensacoia. W 110....Crestview 93 i 114. . . .Milligan {Santa Rosa Co.) 89 For continuation of this route to Tallahassee, etc., eastward, see p. 40 ; west- ward to Pensacola, p. 8T. Washiugton County. Area, 1.330 sq. m.— Lat. 30° to 30" 40' N.— Long. 85" 20' to 86" 32' W.— Popu- lafon (1890), 6,416.— Pop. (ISSO), 4,089.— Assessed valuation (1888), $759,537.— County seat, Vernon. Washington was one of the original counties organized after the United States acquired the territory of Florida. Holmes and Jackson Counties bound it on the north, Jackson and Calhoun on the east, the Gulf of Mexico on the south, and "Walton County on the west. The principal exports are cotton, timber, and cattle. The soil is in the main sandy, with alluvial bottoms and hammocks along the rivers. Some of the cultivated iDortious of the county have been tilled by whites for nearly half a century, and from time immemorial by the aborigines who preceded them. The sheep-growing industry has developed here, as in the neighboring counties, during recent years, and bids fair to become a very profitable branch of farming. The fine bay of St. Andrew's and its viciuity offer exceptional attractions to sportsmen. The Western division of the Florida Central & Peninsula Eailway closely follows the northern boundary line. The stations are : 34 Cottondale (Jackson Co.) 171 44....ChipIeY 161 E Dist fr \ B3....Bonifay 1.52 a -pi-.^t f- KverJc i 61....Caryvil!e 144 , pi^'t^-^- xuverdc. y 63. . . .Westville 142 ! I'ensacola. W 71 ... , Ponce de Leon 134 77 ... . Argyle ( Walton Co.) 128 For continuation of this route eastward to Tallahassee and JacliBonvIlle see p. 41 ; westward to Pensacola see p. 40. JUNIVIR:^ ALIFORNL! JACKSONVILLE. 108 10. Jacksonville, Duval County (C.H.). Population (1S90), 17,100.— Lat. 30° 24' N.— Long. 81° 40' W. Hotels. — (Rates are given by the day unless otherwise stated. Where rates are omitted no reply to inquiry has been received.) (Jarleton Hotel, Rooms $1 upward; restaurant « /a cajie. — Ducal. — Kterett. — Grand Vieir. — Glenad i, $3 to $3. 'm).— Hotel Tojni, $2. — Lafayette.— Oxford.— St. James Hotel, $4.— 7're- moiit House. — yvindsor Hotel. $4 and $5. Special rates are usually mide for permanent guests, or by the week. Besides the hotels there are ne.ir-y 100 boarding-houses, at $8 to J15 a week. Ratlroads, Steamboats, etc. Jacksonville, Tampa £ Key West System (to St. Augustine, Indian River, Tampa, Punta Gorda, etc.). Station foot of Bridge St. (see p. 25). Fcoridt Central d- Peninsula Railway (to Tallahassee, Pensacola, Fernan- dina, Cedar Key, Orlando, etc.). Station foot of Hogan St. (see p. 26). Savannah, Florid i & Western Railway (Waycross Short Line). Station foot of Bridge St. (see p. 25). Jacksonville, Mayport d- Pablo Railway d- Xavigation Co. (to Mayport and Buruside Beach). Ferry from foot of Market St. (see p. 26). Jacksonville d Atlantic Riilroid (to Pablo Beach). Ferry from foot of New- nan St. (see p. 26). People's Line (St. John's River Steamers). Astor's wharf, foot of Hogan St. De Bary Line (St. John's River Steamers). Foot of Laura St. Beich d- Miller Line (to Fort Geo ge, Mayport, etc.). Tyson & Co.'s wharf, foot of Pine St. Clyde Line (New York, Charleston & Florida Steamship Co.). Astor's wharf, foot of Hogan St. Tramways, with cars at five minute intervals, run through Bay St. eastward, two miles to the r.ver bank below Commodore's Point, where there are a race- course and one or two hotels, mainly for transient resort. Good view across and down the river. Westward tha Bay Street line crosses McCoy's Creek into the subiubs. A cross-town line runs ou: Pine St. to the Sub-tropical Exposition grounds and beyond, and another out Laura St., two miles to the suburbs of Somerville and Warren ; ualform fare, 5c. Carriage rate from railroad stations and steamboat landings to any part of city 23c. 1 luggage 25c. per piece. Livery. — Carriases and saddle-horses may usually be best engaged through the hotel clerk; there are, however, many excellent "livery stables where, if de- sired, special terms may be made. The following are approximately the pre- vailing rates : Saddle-horses, 73c. to 11.50 an hour, $3 a day ; single teams, $1.50 an hour, $4 a day ; double teams with driver, $2 an hour, $5 upward a day. Boats and Launches may be found at the foot of Market St. ; row-boats. 25c. an hour ; with attendant, $2 to $5 a day. Special bargains must be made for steam launches and tha like, or for protracted expeditfons. Points of Ikterest in Jacksonville. The Sub-tropical Exposition (p. 104). Citv Water-works (p. 104). Post Office, Bay St., cor. Market. Banks (hou's 9.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.).— Bank of Jacksonville.— First National Bank of Florida, cor. Bay and Ocean Sta. — State Bank of Florida.— National Bank, State of Florida. 16 West Bay St. — National Bank of Jacksonville. —Flor- ida Savings Bank and Raal Estate Exchange. — Ambler, Marvin & Stocktou. Cigar Manufactories. Fibre Works. Churches.— Ba\)tist, Rev. Mr. Plummer.— Consregational, Rev. R. T. Hall, Hogau St.— Episcopal, St. John's, Duvil St., near Market. —Methodist, St. Paul's, Rev. J. B. Anderson. Duva! St., cor. Newnan.— Methodist. Trinity, Rev. W. S. Fitch, Monroe St. and City Park.— Presbyterian (North), Rev. S. W." Paine, Ocean lU4 JACKSONVILLE. St.— Presbyterian (South), Rev. Dr. Dodge. Newuau St.— Roman Catholic. Father Kceuy, Newnan St. There are also a large number of small congre- gatious, mainly negroes, scattered through the city. The Sub-tropical EKposition. The buildings for this an- nual exhibition of the products of Florida are in the City Water-works Park, on Hogau Street, about three quarters of a mile from the river, fifteen minutes' walk from Bay Street and the principal hotels. Tramcars run out Hogan Street (fare 5c.). The exhibition proper is usually ojoen from early in January till about April 1st ; 25c. general admission ; 50c. on special occasions, gala nights, and the like. The build- ings are open at all times, however, as some objects of in- terest always remain, even when the exhibition is closed. Among these are the tropical plants within the building, the living manatee or sea-cow in the artificial lake, with deer, and sometimes other Floridian animals and birds in an en- closure to the west of the main building. In connection with the exhibition are the Jacksonville Water-works. The supply is drawn from artesian wells. The first of these was driven in 1883, and the last and deep- est in 1889. The water is impregnated with sulphur, and emits a slightly unpleasant odor when it reaches the air. This odor disappears almost immediately, and the water, a% delivered to the service-pii^es, is jjure and wholesome. The strata penetrated by the last and deepest boring, 1,020 feet, were as follows : Sand, 20 ft. ; clay (phosphatic), 2 ft. ; co- quina, 20 ft. ; blue clay. 300 ft. ; fossil limestone, 2 ft. (small flow of sulphur water, 8 to 10 gallons a minute) ; blue clay, 100 ft. ; fossil rock, 30 ft. ; flinty rock, 6 ft. ; open lime rock, yielding a strong flow of water, 100 ft. ; hard, sandy lime- stone, 350 ft., with a constantly increa.sing flow of excellent sulphur water. The maximum flow is 2.333 gallons a min- ute, at a temperature of 78' on reaching the surface. Shops. The principal stores are on Bay Street, running for a mile near and parallel to the river. All the ordinary wants of travellers can be supplied here at prices but little in advance of the prevailing rates in Northern cities, and it is often easier to purchase articles here than to bring them from a distance. Drives. Within the city pleasurable driving is limited to JACKSONVILLE. 105 the wooden pavements which now cover most of the prin- cipal streets. As these are jjleasantly shaded, and in the main bordered with pretty residences, they are quite pojDular. Out- side the city the shell road is the favorite drive. Follow Pine Street to Eighth Street, one and one-half mile from the Court House ; turn to the left, and follow Eighth Street, which presently merges in the Moncrief Springs Koad. This may be followed to its junction with the shell road, through the La Villa precinct, and so back to town, eight miles. The Old King's Eoad, a relic of the days of English rule, is still in fairly good order for several miles out, and so is the Pan- ama Eoad, following the north bank of the river toward its mouth. On the south side of the river are charming drives on ex- cellent shell roads. Cross the river by ferry from foot of Newnan Street (moderate extra charge for horses and car- riages) ; follow direct road from wharf one-quarter of a mile, turn slightly to left, and cross railway. This is the old road to St. Augustine and beyond, constructed under the adnun- istration of the British Governor, James Grant (1765), Per- mission may be obtained at the gate lodge, one mile from fer- ry, to drive through the private grounds of Villa Alexandria. Eastward the road leads to Devins Point, Arlington Creek, etc. It is recommended not to diverge far from the shell roads, as the sand makes heavy work for horses. In the saddle, how- ever, any of the wood roads may be comfortably followed. History. The site of Jacksonville became important to aboriginal tribes long before the advent of Europeans. At this point the St. John's River, after flowing for more than two hun- dred miles in a tortuous northerly course, makes a sharp bend to the eastward, and falls into the ocean twenty miles below the city. The elbow of the river formed a natural rendezvous for tribal expeditions for war or the chase, and the existence of shell and burial mounds in the vicinity at- tests its frequent, perhaps permanent occupation. The Ind- ians knew it as " Wacca Pilatka," Cow's Crossing, whence its IOC JACKSON VIM J-:. early English name, " Cow's Ford." The Freuoh and Sjian- iards were not road builders, but dui-ing colonial times the English built what was known as the King's Road from St. Augustine and points still fartlier south. Cow's Ford was the natural crossing point, and the King's Road served as the highway for the pioneer. The early Indian and Span- ish wars antedated the existence of Jacksonville. During the war for independence on the part of the Northern Col- onies, Florida was, if anything, royalist in sentiment. In 1816, Florida, having jjassed again from British to Spanish rule, one Lewis Z. Hogans, a settler on the south side of the river, married a Spanish W'idow, Dona Maria Suavez by name, who held a grant of two hundred acres on the present site of Jacksonville. Moving to his wife's land, Hogans was ready to reap the benefit of the tide of immi- gration that began in a small way soon after the transfer of the territory to the United States in 1819. A feny was es- tablished, and an inn oi^ened in 1820, by John Brady, and by 1822 it became necessary to plan for the future. Streets were accordingly laid out, and a town government was organized. The town was formally incorporated in 1833, and named after General Andrew Jackson, Governor of Florida prior to its organization as a territory, and afterward President of the United States. Until 1835 the town grew with consider- able rapidity, but with the outbreak of the Seminole War (see p. ) in that year its prosperity was checked. It be- came fox the time a place of refuge ; blockhouses were erected and a garrison was maintained, until 1842, when the Seminoles were subdued. With the return of peace, the town resumed its growth. It was the natural port of entry for all traffic from the ocean, and the distributing point for such overland commerce as sought an outlet by sea. In 1860 the population was 2,118, the lumber interest had assumed important proportions, and, as a shipping point for all Florida produce, Jacksonville was without a rival. The Civil War (1861 to 1865) checked this era of prosperity. The Confederate authorities garrisoned the place, but no considerable measures were taken for its defence. On March JACKSON VILLS. I07 11, 18(52, the United States gunboats, Ottawa, Seneca, and Pembina crossed the bar at some risk. The next day, with several lighter draft vessels that had joined, the squadron sbeamed np to Jacksonville, which was jDeacefully surren- dered by the city authorities. The small Confederate force that had been in possession retreated to the interior. The report of Lieutenant T. H. Stevens, commanding the United States squadron, avers that he found many smouldering ruins of mills, houses, and other property that had been recently burned, while the Confederates charge the destruc- tion of property to the Federals. Fortifications were erected and it was announced that the place would be permanently held by United States forces. Under this assurance a meeting of citizens, held on March 20th, repudiated the ordinance of secession, and called for a convention to reorganize a State government under the laws of the United States. Four days afterward, March 24:th, there was another meeting, pursuant to adjournment, at which a call for a convention was issued in due form. Notwithstanding all this, however, there came an order on April 10th, withdrawing the whole force, and sending it North on what was deemed more important service. Many of the inhabitants who had declared their allegiance to the United States Government feared to remain, and were given transiDortation to the North. On October 4th of the same year Jacksonville was again occupied for a sliort time by a Federal force under General Brannan, and again abandoned. An expedition, consisting of the First Eegiment of South Carolina Volunteers, Colonel T. W. Higginson commanding, and a portion of the Second South Carolina Volunteers, under Colonel Montgomery, reoccupied Jacksonville on March 10, 1863. These troops were negroes, lately slaves, and were recruited in South Carolina. They were among the tirst of the regiments of colored troops afterward organized in the service of the United States. Jacksonville was at this time merely a picket station, a considerable body of Confederate troops being encamped some eight miles to the westward. The purpose of this expedition, as stated in the report of 108 JA(;KS()NVIIiI.H. General Saxton, was to establish a base of operatious in Florida, and harass the enemy more by inviting enlistments of negroes than by active operations. The three transports conveying the troops came up the river under convoy of a guaboat. No opposition was met with, the transports made fast to the wharves, and the men jumped ashore without waiting for the gang-plank. There was much consternation among- the few remaining inhabitants, on the unexpected arrival of the dreaded negro soldiers, but, as a general thing, they were kept well in hand during the period of their stay. On March 23d, the Confederates mounted a gnn on a plat- form car, and ran it down the track within range of the city. On the next day the experiment was repeated, and several buildings were struck by shells. On March 26th, a strong reconnoitering party marched out along the railroad, under command of Colonel Higginson. They had a brush with the enemy, losing a few men about four miles from the town. To the surprise of all connected with the expedition, an order for the abandonment of Jacksonville was received, and on March 31st the United States forces were withdrawn. At this time there occurred an act of vandalism, the respon- sibility for which could never be fixed. A mania for firing buildings seemed to seize upon the stragglers and camp fol- lowers who managed to escape from the control of their offi- cers. A high wind was blowing, and Jacksonville was almost wholly destroyed. The fleet steamed away, leaving the place in flames. Even at the North the management of this exj^edi- tion, involving, as it did, the needless occupation and abandon- ment of a jaartly loyal city, provoked severe condemnation. On the afternoon of February 7, 1864, the few remaining inhabitants of Jacksonville, not much more than one hundred souls in all, saw the not unfamiliar spectacle of a gunboat, with her crew at quarters in front of the city. A few shots were fired by the small detachment of Confederates on duty, when comjianies of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts and the Eighth United States Colored Troops landed and took pos- session. This was the most formidable expedition that landed at Jacksonville during the war, numbering about five thousand men. well supplied with cavalry and artilleiy. JACKSONVILLE. 109 Pausing only long enough to land their material, and leaving an adequate garrison, the command pushed on at once along the line of the railroad toward Lake City, and met the crush- ing defeat at Olustee, described under Route. The defeated Federals fell back upon their fortifications at Jacksonville, and occupied them until the close of the war in 1865. The river was patrolled by gunboats, and no serious attack was afterward made by the Confederates. Immediately after the restoration of peace, large quanti- ties of cotton, which had been stored for safety in the sur- rounding country, sought Jacksonville as a convenient port of shipment, and since that time her commercial prosperity has been assured. Jacksonville has been a popular winter resort for Northern visitors ever since it became readily accessible to travellers. The tract on which it stands was originally what is known as I'oUing pine land, having good surface drainage to the river in front, and to McCoy's and Hogan's Creeks on either side. The natural drainage, however, is mainly through the sandy soil, into which the heaviest rains disappear at once, leaving the surface practically dry. The streets and public squares are well shaded with live oaks, water oaks, and otlier native trees, and in the gardens of many of the private houses are orange, lemon, lime, magnolia, and other semi- tropical trees and shrubs generally unfamiliar to the North- ern visitor. Many of the orange trees in the streets and elsewhere are of the bitter variety, cultivated merely for ornament and shade. The fruit is not usually considered edible, though it is used in the preparation of certain beverages, preserves, and the like. The uninitiated Northern visitor often learns the diflference between sweet and bitter oranges by practical experience, for he is told to help himself freely from any of the trees in the public streets or squares. The climate of Jacksonville is that of the North Florida Atlantic sea-coast (see p. 377). The city is near enough to the ocean to enjoy its influence in regard to temperature, Avhile the force of the northeasterly gales that are occasion- 110 JACKSONVILLE. ally experienced is sensibly diminished by the intervening belt of timber. As a centre from which excursions can be made, Jackson- ville is especially convenient, since all the principal railroad and steamboat lines diverge from this point (see p. 103). The principal streets are paved with the Wyckoff cypress pavement, laid with cross sections of cypress logs set on end, arranged according to size, and having the interstices filled with cement. The streets not so paved are deep with the native sand of the locality, or perhaps rendered a degree less impassable by means of certain waste material from the fibre factories. Wooden sidewalks are almost universal, ex- cept on the main business streets. Excursions. 11. Jacksonville to St. Augustine. J., T. & K. W. Ry., 36 milef5 by railway (1 hour 40 minutes). The train passes almost directly from the station to the fine drawbridge across the St. John's River. This bridge was opened in 1889. It is of steel throughout, with a total length of 1,320 feet. The draw is 320 feet long. South Jacksonville occupies the point of land formed by the bend in the river. It has 800 inhabitants, and is becom- ing an attractive suburb. It contains many handsome resi- dences. Here terminated the southern section of the Old King's Road from St. Augustine, built by the English under the administration of Governor Grant (1765). The road is still in use. It may be seen to the left of the track as the train moves away from the river. For a short time the line passes through a scattered growth of oaks, magnolias, and other hard wood trees, interspersed with occasional orange groves. Then it enters the pines, slightly rolling at first, but grad- ually falling off into the flat woods and belts of hammock that border the sea-coast. For stations and distances see p. 85. Between Jacksonville and St. Augustine there are no important towns, but the soil is productive, and considerable shipments of agricultural products are made. Between JACKSONVILLE. HI Sweetwater and Bayard the line crosses Arlington Creek, a tributary of the St. John's. A little south of Sampson it passes near St. Mary's pond, shortly after which the prairies bordering the Tolomato River, open to the south and east, and soon the towers and orange-trees of St. Augustine are visible beyond. Tourists whose time is limited, may visit St. Augustine and return to Jacksonville the same day, having about five hours for sight-seeing. Engage a carriage at the station. Drive to principal points of interest (see p. 133). Visit Fort Marion (see p. 157). Lunch, inspect the Alameda group of hotels, visit Anastasia Island or the North Beach (connection by rail with the latter from Union Station). To accomplish all this in five hours ad- mits of no loitering, and is not recommended. So hasty a visit should only be undertaken rather than lose a look at the ancient city altogether. 12. Jacksonville to Fernandina. By F. C. & P. Ky., 37 miles (1 hour 40 minutes). Passing through the suburbs of Jacksonville, the line runs nearly due north, crossing Trout Creek (five miles) a short distance above its junction with the St. John's. Three miles farther Cedar Creek is passed, and beyond this is the rolling pine forest of Duval County. Six miles north of Duval sta- tion is Nassau River (see p. 131), and at Hart's Road Junction, the line curves to the eastward. The station takes its name from a contractor who cut a military road through the then unbroken forest during the earljt Indian wars. Six miles farther it crosses Amelia River on a trestle whose predecessor was burned during the Civil War (see p. 129), and then turns to the northward, soon coming in sight of Fernandina. Tourists who have but a short time at their disposal may drive about the city and see the chief points of interest dur- ing the five or six hoiirs that intervene before the return train. For description of Fernandina and vicinity see p. 127. Consult local time-tables. 112 JACKSONVILLE. 13. Mayport and Bumside Beach. Part steamboat, part rail. Ferry from foot of Pine Street, Jacksonville. Boat connects with Mayport & Pablo Railway & Navigation Co. at both ends of line. Twenty miles (1 hour 15 minutes). Fare, 50c. ; round trip, $1. Con- sult local time-tables. The river below Jacksonville is described in detail, p. 117. The steam ferryboat from Market Street rounds Commo- dore's Point, and connects with the Mayi^ort & Pablo Rail- way on the south bank of the river, three miles. Landings are sometimes made on signal, at intermediate wharves. The conspicuous grove at the mouth of Arlington Creek, is Empire Point, sometimes called Devins' Point, the coun- try seat of General A. S. Devins. of Boston. The railway soon enters the pine woods, and for ten miles there are only occasional openings. The line then crosses a wide prairie intersected by Pablo Creek and Mt. Pleasant Ci'eek. The clumps of dark cedars scattered along the prairie mark the site of shell mounds, the work of prehistoric In- dian tribes. Beyond the prairie the train enters a fine palm hammock. Here the newly arrived visitor from the North often makes his first acquaintance with the lofty cabbage-palm in its native habitat. The hammock extends to the edge of the beach. The train runs directly to a platform connected with the Pavilion and hotels, where good entertainment can be had. Bumside Beach is largely frequented by excursionists from Jacksonville and the interior (Palmetto Hotel, $7 to §10 a week). The beach is at present making slowly out to sea- ward, so that there is quite a stretch of dry sand before the hard, level, wave- washed^ bathing-beach can . be reached. Looking south one may see the large hotel at Pablo Beach, six miles (see p. 114). "Wheelmen often ride from Burnside or Mayport to Pablo Beach, whence there is a railway back to Jacksonville. The beach is admirable for driving, but teams should be secured by telegraph to avoid delay. In arranging for a walk or ride between Pablo and Burnside, the time of tide should be considered, and the start made just after the tide has begun to run ebb. This will insxire a JACKSONVILLE. 113 roadway of ample width for several hours, or until the tide again approaches high water mark. From Burnside the train backs to Mavport, two miles, keeping just inside the line of sand dunes, between which pretty glimpses of the ocean are caught from time to time. Mayport, at the mouth of the St. John's Kiver, is so called from the name given by the French, in 1562, "La Riviere de Mai," before the Spaniards took possession. There is no large hotel in the place, but meals and rooms can be had at the Burrows House, near the railroad. The town has about five hundred inhabitants. There is much picturesque life to be seen along shore among the fishermen and men engaged in constructing mattresses for the jetties (see p. 117). Toward the sea-beach are numer- ous summer cottages, belonging, for the most part, to city residents. From the lighthouse a good view of the river is obtainable. The fishing industry at Mavport is of considerable im- portance. Shad begin running up the river as early as Jan- uary, and are taken in seines in large quantities ; as many as ten thousand are said to have been taken in one day. There is a tradition among fishermen at the river mouth that shad are never known to go to sea again. At all events, that they are never taken going out. Some of the fishermen believe that the shad perish in the upjier reaches of the river. The shad season continues till April, and, when perfectly fresh from the water, the fish compare favorably with their North- ern brethren. The sand composing the Mayjjort dunes is of a peculiarly white, fine quality. It drifts like snow across the railroad, and great mounds move to and fro, sometimes burying houses and trees in their course. Near Mayport the Span- iards built a fort which was taken and destroyed by Dome- nique de Gourgues, in 1565 (see p. 120). The conspicuous group of buildings on^ a large shell mound on the opposite side of the river is a mill for grind- ing shells for fertilizing purposes. It is possible .sometimes to purchase Indian relics from the superintendent or work- men, but the supply is very uncertain. Small boats may be 114 JACKSONVILLE. liiied at Mayport or Pilot Town, with or without attendants, to explore the neighl)oriiig shores and inlets. Fort George Island and Batten Island are on the opposite side of the river, and may be reached by row-boat or feriy. A pleasant excursion from Jacksonville is to go to May- port by rail as above, and return by boat, or vice versa. Tickets are available by either route. 14. Pablo Beach. Hotel, Murray Hall, $2.50 to $4 a day. By Jacksonville A: Atlantic Railroad, ferry from foot of Newnan Street, Jacksonville, 17 miles Cflfty-five minutes^). The line is nearly straight to the eastward, from South Jack- sonville, passing a few unimportant stations in the pine for- est, and crossing a wide prairie just before reaching the coast. The village of Pablo is mainly a seaside resort, with a fine hotel, and a superb bathing-beach three hundred feet wide at low tide. The seaward slope of this beach is only eight inches in one hundred feet, so that to the eye it is appar- ently level, and as the beach is absolutely free from irregu- larities, the bathing is safe, even for children. Sand dunes covered with beach-scrub and occasional cabbage-palms de- fine the shore line, and for a mile these are crowned with cottages, hotels, and other buildings suited to a seaside re- sort, among them a sanitarium belonging to a large Catho- lic institution of Jacksonville. The large hotel, Murray Hall, is cleverly contrived to give its guests all possible advantage of its fine situation, the parlor windows com.manding an out- look to sea, northward up the beach to Mayport, and south- ward till the breaking surf and the gray beach disappear in the haze. Carriages and horses for riding and driving on the beach can be had from a well-furnislied livery stable, at reasonable rates. Visitors for the day have ample time for an exhilarat- ing drive on the beach in either direction, and it is possible even to drive to Burnside or Mayport, and return to town either by boat or rail from one of those points. JACKSONVILLE. 115 15. Jacksonville to Green Cove Springs. By J., T. & K. \V. Ry. from foot of Bridge Street, 29 miles ^1 hour 15 min- utes), or by steamboat. By consulting local time-table.s, connections can be made, so as to vary the trip, going by rail and returning by boat. It is recommended to return by boat, as the afternoon hours are pleasant on the river. For description of this part of St. John's River see p. 184 ; for Green Cove Springs see p. 187. 16. Fort George Island. This is the most southerly of the Sea Islands, lying just north of the St. John's Eiver. It is most directly reached by boat down the St. John's from Tyson & Co.'s wharf, foot of Pine Street, Jacksonville. If preferred, however, the tourist may go by rail to May2:)ort (see p. 112), and cross thence in a small boat. The steamers land at Pilot Town, on Batten Island. Here are a number of cottages and houses, at some of which boai'd and lodging may be obtained at ^7 to §10 a week. A short distance west of the steamboat wharf is a Coquina ruin, of no great antiquity, but interesting for its picturesqueness. Others of the same kind are scattered about the neighborhood. On this island was the Spanish fort gallantly taken by De Goui'gues and his Indian allies, as described on p. 121. If a visit to Fort George is intended, it is well to telegraph in advance for conveyances, to K. Spencer, Postmaster, Fort George. The roads on these islands are smooth, hard, and level, winding among a magnificent hammock growth, with occasional glimpses of the sea, or of extensive island-studded jirairies. A causeway crosses the creek to Fort George Island, one of the most attractive localities on this part of the coast. It is in area about two miles square. The eastern shore facing the ocean has a broad stretch of white sand beach, backed by a range of high dunes generally covered with scrub. The heavily wooded central ridge of the island rises to a con- siderable height. The highest point is Mount Cornelia, on 116 .JACKSONVILLE. ■which is an observatory, whence is a fine outlook ovei' the neigliboring marshes, rivers, and ocean. The square top of this observatory is visible twelve to fifteen miles at sea. The hill, or " mount," on which it stands is the most prominent natural landmark anywhere on the Southern coast, and has been, since the days of the early exjilorers, the mark by ■which the entrance to the St. John's River was recognized by mariners. The island was originally settled by one McQueen, a Scotchman, who probably named it after some locality in his native land. Then it was purchased by a wealthy Southerner, Kingsley by name, ■svho made it an ideal jjlantation of the old school, maintaining an army of slaves, and largely culti- vating cotton and other marketable products. The home- stead, somewhat modernized, still stands, ■with its negro quarters and outbuildings near the northern end of the isl- and, with a fine avenue of venerable moss-draped cedars in front and along the river side. After the Civil War the family, i^ressed for money, sold the whole property for ^7,500, and shortly afterward four hun- dred acres were sold to a Boston company, Avho erected a large house — the Fort George Hotel — which for many years was a favorite resort for Northern visitors. This was burned May 1, 1889, and has not yet been rebuilt. Many handsome private houses have been built at desirable jjoiuts along the sea front, and many wealthy Northern people make this their home during the winter months. The whole island is intersected with a charmingly irregular network of roads, admirable for riding, driving, or walking, and there are few more enjoyable experiences in Florida than an exploration of these magnificent woods. JACKSONVILLE. 117 17. St. John's River. Called Welaka (chain of lakes) by the Indians, Rivifere de Mai by the French (1562), St. John's Kiver by the Spanish (1564). This is tlie largest stream in Florida. It rises in a vast tract of uncharted and unnamed lakes and marshes near the Atlantic coast in Brevard and Osceola Counties, about in latitude 28° 10' N., and flows northward, in a di- rection generally parallel to the coast, but exceedingly tor- tuous when considered in detail, a distance of nearly three hundred miles. It falls into the sea in latitude 30° 25' N., between Fort George and Batten Islands on the north, and the mainland on the south. Between this point and St. Augustine Inlet, forty-two miles south, the mainland abuts upon the ocean, a condition rarely found on the South At- lantic sea-coast. Almost everywhere else a system of islands or peninsulas lies a short distance off the coast, affording sheltered navigation by an inside route. In this case the St. John's River goes far to make good the lack of the usual channel, for vessels drawing five feet can ascend about two hundred and thirty miles, where they are only about seven miles from the tide-water of Indian River. The bar at the mouth of the river is one of the most treacherous on the coast, although the construction of jetties was begun in 1880 and still continues. Prior to this large sums were ineffectually expended in dredging. The orig- inal plans called for about one thousand feet of jetties, extending in an easterly direction from deep water inside the bar. It was thought that the scour of the tides would thus keep clear a channel of ample width, and with 15 feet depth at low water. The jetties had been carried out, according to the latest official figures, more than 3,000 feet on the north side of the channel, and about 7,000 feet on the south side. The contractor reports 20 feet at high water. The mean rise and fall of the tide at the bar is 4 feet 6 inches. St. John's River Light is a red brick tower with black lan- terns, 80 feet above sea level, showing a fixed white light of the third order, visible 15 miles at sea (Lat. 30° 23' 37", Long. 81° 25' 27"). 118 JACKSONVILLE. AiJproacliing from sea and looking southward along the beach, the houses and wharves of Mayport are seen on the left, with the works on shore where the jetty mattresses are made and launched. Farther to the south are the hotels and cottages of Burnside Beacli and Pablo Beach (see p. 114). On the right of the entrance are Batten Island and Fort George Island (see p. 115) joined by a causeway. The cluster, of buildings is on Batten Island. It includes the pilot and telegraph station, and some interesting and picturesque old Coquina ruins. On both points of the river mouth forts were erected about 1566 (see p. 124). After crossing the bar, the most conspicuous natural object is St. John's Bluff, with precipitous sand-slopes toward the river, and crowned with dense woods. Elsewhere on all sides stretch wide marshes, beautiful in color at times, and dotted here and there with tree-covered islands, which are often shell mounds of unknown antiquity, sometimes containing relics of pre- historic races mucli sought after by the antiquarian. Just under the bluff a small creek makes into the river from tlie southward. This is navigable for row-boats for several miles, and at flood tide affords a pleasant trip, par- ticularly in the afternoon, when the shadow of the blutf falls across it from the westward. About five miles up aie ruins of abandoned rice plantations, with old sluice-gates, and evi- dences of former cultivation. St. John's Bluff is believed to be the site of old Fort Caroline, subsequently Fort Mateo (see p. 121). Traces of ancient fortifications of considerable ex- tent still exist, mingled with the half- obliterated earthworks thrown up by the Confederates during the Civil War. The bluff has been washed away by the river, carrying with it the remains of the old Spanish citadel and the main works. The position was fortified by the Confederates in the winter of 1861-62. On September 17, 1S62, a fleet of six United States gunboats crossed the bar, and for some hours vigorously shelled the woods and batteries about St. John's Bluflf. They dismounted or disabled some of the guns, and damaged the breastworks. No landing was attempted. On October 2, 1862, an expedition consisting of seven gun- boats from Commodore Dupout's fleet, and escorting a de- JACKSONVILLE. 110 tachnient of 1,500 troops, attacked the Confederate fortifica- tions on St. John's Blnft". The Confederates soon abandoned the works, leaving 9 guns and a considerable quantity of munitions of war, which fell into the hands of tiie Federal forces. Beyond St. John's Bluff the river widens to three-quarters of a mile. Pablo Creek and Mount Pleasant Creek find their way through the marshes from the southward in the order named, and Sister's Creek, Hannali Mills Creek, and Cedar Point Creek from the northward in the order named. These are all navigable for several miles, but are not attractive ex- cept to sportsmen, as they are for the most part bordered by marshes. A wooded shore, with a settlement known as the Shijn/ard, borders the river for a mile above St. John's Bluff. A chain of marshy islands occupies the middle of the river for about two miles, with Clapboard Creek and Brown's Creek on the north shore. Beyond Long Island, the last of the marshy series, the river widens into Mill Cove, and bends to the southwest. Dame's Point Light appears about two miles distant. This is an iron structure, painted red, with white upper works, standing on a shoal in mid-stream, with deep water on both sides. It shows a fixed white light, visible eleven miles. A mile below the light is Yellow Bluff (P. O., New Berlin), a village of a dozen houses, standing among ti-ees on a bluff some thirty feet high. Above this the stream widens to near two miles, with the channel close to the northern shore, and trends to the north- ward and westward. Dunn's Creek enters from the eastward two miles above Dame's Point, with a peculiar group of pine trees on its eastern bank. One mile farther is Drummond's Point, between Cedar Creek on the east and Drummond's Creek on the west. Here the river turns again to the south- ward, and St. John's Mills is seen about two miles distant. The stream that enters from the westward is Trout Creek. At the south side of its month is Sandfly Point, and opposite, across the St. John's, is Reddies Point, marshy near the water, but with high land and numerous houses among the trees at a little distance. The next stretch of river is about four miles, trending 120 JACKSONVILLE. southward. Just south of Redclies Point is Chaseville, a small town with a wharf. Tlie easterly bank is high and heavily wooded. Here Pottsburg Creek enters from the eastward. On the west bank, four miles distant, is Commo- te ore's Point, with Jacksonville showing beyond. On the ! outh bank is the lauding of the Jacksonville, Mayport & Pablo Beach Railway & Navigation Company. Opposite Com- modore's Point is Arlington Eiver, with the village of Arling- ton to the north of the mouth, and Empire Point, with General A. S. Divens' residence o2)posite. Many otlier handsome coun- try places line the east bank of the river in this vicinity. Rounding Commodore's Point the city is in sight, with the bridge of the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railway sys- tem crossing the river to Oklahoma and South Jacksonville. For description of Jacksonville and vicinity see p. 103. Domenique de Gourgues. There is not in all history material for a more romantic, pitiful, tragic, and heroic drama than was enacted along the placid reaches of the lower St, John. Somewhere beneath these shifting sands may still lie the stone cross, carved with the fleur-de-lis of France, that Jean Ribaut raised when he discovered the river in 1562. Fragments of arms and armor are still found from time to time on the sites of the old Spanish forts. The first discoverers made their welcome harbor here on the first day of May, and named the river in honor of that month, but the name subsequently given by the Spaniards superseded "La Riviere de Mai" of the Huguenots. Perhaps Ribaut took a rose-colored view of the land after his long sea-voyage in a crowded ship, but he certainly was enamoured of the climate and country. " To bee short," he wrote in his journal, as done into English (the original is not known to exist), "it is a thing unspeakable to consider the things that bee seene there, and .shalbe founde more and more in this incomperable land " (Hackit's Eng. Transla- tion of 1582). He did not long remain here, however, but, on June 25, 1564, another French squadron of three ships JACKSONVILLE. 121 under Ribaut's lieutenant, Ren6 ile Laudonniere, anchored off the bar, and were welcomed by Satourioua, the powerful chief of thirty neighboring villages. The Indians had care- fully preserved, and even sacrificed to Kibaut's cross with its mystic symbols. St. John's Bluff is the supjiosed site of Fort Caroline, which the French forthwith proceeded to build. The climate at once exercised its spell upon the members of the expedition even in the heat of July, and their accounts of the region are enthusiastic. Venerable In- dians were said to have been seen who claimed to be two and a half centuries old, and expected to live thirty or forty years more. The Indians, after some demur, helped in building the fort, which is depicted by Le Moyne, the special artist of the exj^edition, in his illustrated narra- tive. The Indians were agriculturists, though, like all savages, they had their intertribal wars, and Satouriona was glad of European allies. When the fort was finished the French Protestants, eager for gold as were their Spanish contemporaries, pushed their explorations inland, and formed other Indian alliances. Complications and threats of war followed, and during the winter of 15G4-65 dis- satisfaction, conspiracy, and mutiny developed in the little garrison of the fort. Laudonniere fell ill, provisions ran short, the mutineers took possession under the leadership of one Fourneaux, and plans were formed for buccaneer- ing expeditions against the Spanish West Indies. After a partly successful, but finally disastrous cruise, the bucca- neers returned to Fort Caroline, and three of the leaders were tried and executed. Their bodies were hanged on gib- bets as a warning to future mutineers. By May 1, 1565, the French neared the end of their re- sources. In a land ready to yield an hundred-fold not an acre had been tilled. The hospitality and resources of the Indians were well-nigh exhausted, and the colony watched wearily for reinforcements that had been promised from France. By dint of threats and i:>ersuasions, Laudonnifere managed to wrest provisions enough from the Indians to carry his men through the summer. They were building a new ship, in the 122 JACKSON vii>lj:. hope of escaping from the now hatetl land of their exile, when, on August 3(1, four ships appeared in the of!iiig, which proved to be the English squadron of Sir John Hawkins, who had been on a successful slave-hunting expedition to the coast of Guinea. Hatred of the Sjianiard was a senti- ment common to French Huguenot and English freebooter, and the visit of Hawkins seemed most opportune. He warned them of an intended Spanish attack, renewed their store of provisions, and sold them a ship in v/hicli, with their other vessels, they miglit hope to reach Fiance. Prepara- tions for departure were hastened, when, on August 28th, another fleet appeared. It was Eibaut with the long-e.\i)ected reinforcements. All seemed favorable for the establishment of a prosperous colony, when, to quote a graphic sentence from Parkmau, "at half-past eleven on the night of Tues- day, September 4th, the crew of Eibaut's flag-ship, an- chored on the still sea outside the bar, saw a huge hulk, gi'im with the throats of cannon, drifting toward them through the gloom; and from its stern rolled on the sluggish air the i^ortentous banner of Spain." It was the San Pelayo, flagship of Pedro Menendez, accompanied by five other vessels bearing five hundred soldiers, and commissioned to exterminate the Lutheran colony. The French sliii)s were not ready for a night engagement, so when the Spaniards cleared for actiort, they slipped their cables and escajjed to sea, keeping up a running fire as they went. Menendez j)ursued, but the French outsailed him, and when he re- turned he found such preparations made for defence that he dared not risk an attack. Accordingly he sailed southward, rejoined the rest of his squadron, and founded St. Augustine (see p. 135). Here, then, were two "Christian" colonies on the edge of an unknown continent, three thousand miles from home, each plotting for the other's destruction. Eibaut was the first to make a move. After a council of war, he sailed for St. Augustine with almost all his able- bodied men on September 10th, was caught in a hurricane and wrecked near Cape Canaveral. Nearly all escaped with their lives, but were brutally massacred by the Spaniards at Matanzas (see p. 178). The paltry garrison under Laudon- JACKSONVILLE. 128 niere left in Fort Caroline numbered nearly two huntlrecl, few of them fit to bear arms, and sheltered behind a half- dismantled fort. "When Menendez, from the redoubt at St. Augustine, saw the French straining every nerve to work oft" shore in the teeth of an easterly gale, he con- ceived and acted upon the bold idea of destroying Fort Caro- line during their absence. Contrary to the advice of his of- ficers and priests, he marched on this hazardous errand with five hundred men. The storm continued, but at daybreak on September 20th, after an arduous march of three days, during which only the iron will and fanatical exaltation of Menendez prevented open revolt, they found themselves in sight of Fort Caroline. Vigilance was somewhat relaxed by the guards as day drew on. Menendez, seeing his opi:)or- tuuity, gave the word, and his men rushed, shouting their war cry "Santiago!" upon the nearly defenceless Frenchmen. Resistance was made only by a few. Laudonniere, Le Moyne the artist, and Challeaux the carpenter, all of whom wrote ac- counts of their exjjeriences, escaped to the woods, where they were joined by others, twenty-six in all, and succeeded event- ually in reaching the small vessels anchored inside the bar. At the fort the work of extermination was concluded with the conscientious fidelity that characterized the religious wars of the period. One hundred and forty-two souls were slain, and their savagely mutilated remains piled upon the river bank. Fifty, including women, infants, and boys under fifteen were spared. It was generally reported and believed in France that Me- nendez hanged a number of those who had surrendered, and placed over them this inscriijtion : " I do this not as to Frenchmen, but as to Lutherans." Leaving a strong garrison in the captured fort, which was renamed San Mateo, Menendez marched back to St. Augus- tine, where he was soon destined to deal with others of the hated Lutherans. On September 25th, the escaped survivors of the Fort Car- oline massacre sailed for France in two vessels, and, arriving in due course, spread the news of the savage deeds of the Spaniards throughout the kingdom. 124: JACK.S(JXVILLE. 'I'lieie was boundless indignation in Fiance, but the king — Charles IX. — was afraid of his powerful neighbor, and woiild do nothing to avenge the insult. When his policy of inaction became evident, a private gentleman of France, a tried soldier, Donieuique de Gourgues by name, resolved to take the matter into bis own Lands. He purchased three vessels with his own means, equij^ped them, manned them with one hundred and eighty soldiers and sailors, and set forth on a crusade as romantic and more desperate than that for the Holy Sepulchre. It was not until he reached Ameri- can waters early in 1568 that he told his men the true jDur- pose of the exisedition, and succeeded in an impassioned speech in arousing their enthusiasm and gaining their con- sent. Passing within sight of the Spanish forts on the St. John's, exchanging salutes with them, indeed, De Gourgues sailed to the St. Mary's Kiver or thereabout, and landing found the Indians ripe for war against the Spaniards. The chief was Satouriona, formerly the friend of Eibaut. It took the Indians three days to muster for the onslaught and perform their usual incantations. Then, leaving a small guard with the shi23S, de Gourgues and his Indian allies moved to the attack by way of Amelia Sound, to what is now Fort George Island. The Spaniards had partly completed a fort near the pres- ent site of Pilot Town, and to this de Gourgues first directed his attention, keeping his men concealed till the tide ebbed, so that they could wade the inlet. Fortune favored his movements, and at noon he dashed upon the unfinished defences with sach vigor that not one of sixty Spaniards within the works made his escajie. Olotoraca, a young chief, the son of Satouriona, who accompanied de Gourgues as guide, shed the first blood. Leaping the ditch with a French pike in his hand, he transfixed a Spanish cannoneer just as he was discharging his gun. The surprise and the victory were complete, and, save a few reserved for a more terrible fate, in remembrance of the acts of Menendez, all were put to the sword. On the opposite shore, near where Mayport now stands, the Spaniards had another fort, which at once opened fire on JACKSONVILLE. 125 the victorious French. One of de Gourgues' boats capable of carrying eighty men, was j^ushed across under fire, and, burning with hatred for the Spaniard, the Indian allies of the French, each holding his bow and arrows above his head, dashed into the water and swam to the south bank. The sight was too mucli for the Spaniards ; they forsook the fort, and attempted to reach the forest, forgetting in their jjanic that the French had already landed. De Gourgues met them with his arquebusiers and pikemen, and, before they could rally for an organized onset, the Indians swarmed across the sands and attacked with such fury that the French could only rescue fifteen to be resented for a more deliberate A'eugeancc. The next day was Sunday — the Sunday after Easter — and the Lutherans kept it by making scaling-ladders for the as- sault on Fort San Mateo. The Indians held the woods back of the fort so effectually that no Si^aniard could venture out- side the works. Nevertheless, a spy in Indian disguise was sent forth by night, but was instantly detected by Olotoraca. This man reported that there were 260 men in the garrison, and de Gourgues made i^reimrations to attack on Tuesday morning. The Indians were placed in ambush on both sides of the fort, while the French men-at-arms advanced after daybreak along the river side, taking to cover when the Spanish culverins opened upon them. With singular want of prudence the Spaniards sent out a strong reconnoitring l^arty, which Avas cleverly entrajiped by the French and killed to a man. Conscience must have had something to do with the action of the rest of the garrison, for many of them had participated in the butchery of the Lutherans on this very spot three years before. At all events, they gave way to panic and fled to the woods on the side away from the French. Here they were instantly surrounded by whooji- ing savages, and the French coming upon them from the rear, their extermination was soon complete. Sjianish au- thorities claim, however, that some few made good their es- cape. It will be remembered how Menendez was said to have hanged his prisoners, and placed over their bodies the inscrip- 12() JACKSONVILLK tion : -'Not as to Frenclimeii, but as to Lutherans/' It was the Frenchman's turn now. De Gourgues had with diffi- culty saved the lives of a number of his late antagonists. He causetl them now to be brought before him. "Did you tliink," he said, according to his own account, " that so vile a treachery, so detestable a cruelty, against a king so potent and a nation so generous, would go unpunished? I, one of the humblest of gentlemen among my king's subjects, have charged myself with avenging it. Even if the Most Chris- tian and Most Catholic ' Kings had been enemies at deadly war, such perfidy and extreme cruelty would have been un- pardonable. Now that they are friends and close allies, there is no name vile enough to brand your deeds, no pun- ishment sharp enough to requite them. But since you cannot suffer such punishment as you deserve, you shall receive all that an enemy can honorably inflict, to the end that others may learn to preseiTe the peace and alliance that you so treacherously and maliciously violated. Having said this," the narrator writes, "they were hanged on the same trees where they had hanged the Frenchmen," and above them was nailed this inscription, bui'ued with a hot iron on a jnne board : " I do this, not as to Simniards, nor as to 'Marannes,' but as to traitors, robbers, and murderers." (Marannes was a semi-contemptuous term then applied to SiJaniards.) Thus was the ill-fated Huguenot colony avenged. De Gourgues and his Indian allies destroyed the forts, re- turned in triumjah to his ships and sailed for France, where he received a pojiular ovation, biit, will it be believed, was coldly received by the King and Court, who were under the spell and terror of Spain. He was even obliged for a time to remain in concealment to escape Spanish vengeance, but finally his services were recognized as a defender of French honor ; he was restored to royal favor, and when he died was eulogized as one of the bravest soldiers of his time. ' For several centuries the Kings of France and Spain were known respec- tively by these titles. FERNANDIXA. 127 20. Femaudiiia. Nassau Co. (C. H.). Pop., 4,000.— Lat. SO" 49' N.— Long. 81° 26' W.— Mean rise and fall of tifle. 6 feet. See county map, pase 6G. The Kgmont Hotel, S2 upward, special rates for permanent guests, open at all seasons. Railroads, Steamers, etc. — The Florida Central & Peninsula Railroad affords direct communication with Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Cedar Key, Orlando, Plant C!ty, etc. isee p. 6Ti, and consult local time-tables. The steamers of the MaUory line make weekly tripe to and from New York, leaving New York on Fridays. Time, 4S hours. Cabin passage, including room iind table, $23. Coastw.'se steamers ply daily through Cumberland Sound to and from the Gieorgia ports. History. The harbor of Feruaiulina, the finest on the coast south of Chesapeake Bay, was known to the early explorers, and was jsrobably used by them as a safe anchorage. De Gourgues made it his base of oj^erations against the Sjjan- iards in 1568, when it was the head-quarters of an Indian tribe able to muster some three thousand warriors. It was not until 1808 that a permanent settlement was established by the Spaniards. During the period of the embargo under Jeflferson's administration it assumed considerable imijortauce as a sea-port. In 1818, just after the second war with Eng- land, a movement known as the Patriot War was inaugurated, with the secret connivance of the United States Government, and its first act was the capture of Fernandina, the Spanish garrison offering uo resistance worth mentioning. The leader of this movement was one McGregor, a Scotchman, who forthwith inaugurated a period of prosperity for Fer- nandina by making it a head-quarters for the freebooters who still infested the Spanish main. McGregor was before long forced to abdicate, and the collapse of the " Patriot army " soon followed. Fernandina grew slowly to be a place of some importance. The railroad was opened in 1861, and at the outbreak of the Civil War the inhabitants numbered about two thousand. Long before this the town was well fortified against an attack by sea. Fort Clinch, the most important of the defen- sive works, was completed prior to the Civil War, and, being without a garrison, was promptly seized by the Confederates 128 FERNANDINA. in 1861. It is a pentagonal structure of brick and concrete, with bastions and detached scarps, loopholed for musketry. Tlie armament at that time included two large rifled guns, and twenty-seven 32-pounders. The i^ermanent works were flanked with water batteries, and strengthened with sand embankments under the super- vision of competent military engineers. A battery of four guns was erected on Cumberland Island. Approach by sea was imi^racticable in the face of these guns, and in view of the tortuous channel. The harbor, however, was imjoortant to both parties, as it afforded a haven for blockade-runners considerably nearer than any other to the neutral i)orts at Bermuda and on the Bahamas. The Confederate garrison was aboiit two thousand strong, under command of General J. H. Trapier. On the morning of August G, 1861, the inhabitants of the city were called to arms and to witness a race between the United States Ship Vincennes and the Alvarado, a prize of the Confederate privateer Jeff Davis. The latter was making for the bar under all sail, but was forced ashore, abandoned by her crew, and afterward fired by boat crews from the Vincennes, it being obviously impossible to set her afloat again. In February, 1862, an expedition was organized at Port Eioyal by Commodore Dupont, U. S. N , and sailed on the last day of that month for the capture of Fernaudina. The fleet consisted of nineteen vessels, mainly gunboats of light draught. On reaching the upper end of the sound Commodore Du- pont anchored to wait for the tide, and there learned from an escaped negro slave that the garrison at Fernandina was already abandoning the town and fortifications. The light- est and fleetest gunboats were immediately despatched down the Sound under Commander Percival Drayton to prevent destruction of property if jjossible, while the rest of the fleet took the outside passage. Cumberland Sound proved too shallow, however, and only the Ottawa could get through. Drayton went aboard of her and pushed on. As he passed Fort Clinch, a boat's crew was sent to hoist the American flag as a signal to the fleet. A white flag was displayed at FERNANDINA. 129 Fernandina, but shots were fired at the Ottawa, and a rail- way train drawn by two engines was discovered just moving off. It was naturally supposed to contain trooj^s, and an ex- citing chase ensued, as the track was for some four miles within range of the river. The Ottawa endeavored to dis- able the engines with her large rifled gun, but the train had the advantage of si:)eed, and eventually left the gunboat be- hind, escaping across the bridge. A steamer, the Darling- ton, crowded with refugees, was less fortunate, being captured by the Ottawa's boats. It is significant of the then existing conditions of warfare that Commander Drayton was a native of South Carolina, while John Brock, captain of the captured steamboat, was a Vermonter. It subsequently apjaeared that the Confederate authorities had attempted to remove all the inhabitants under the mis- taken idea that they were in danger of brutal treatment from the captors. Of the United States forts seized by the Confederates, Fort Clinch was one of the first to be regained by Government forces. The occupation of Fernandina restored to Federal control the whole of the sea-coast of Georgia, and afforded a convenient base of operations against Jacksonville and St. Augustine. After the capture of the Darlington, the Ottawa steamed up the St. Mary's River as far as King's Ferry, fifty-two miles, to reconnoitre, and while returning was fired upon by infantry, said to have been the Twenty-ninth Mississippi Regiment, in ambush on shore. The fire was instantly returned at short range with grape-shot, and with such deadly effect that no further opposition was experiencedo Several men were wounded on board the Ottawa. 130 FERNANDINA. 21. Amelia Island, on wliicli Fernandina stands, is tliiiteeu milea long, and from one to two and one-half miles wide. It is low and fiat, or only gently undulating, with marshes along the inland shore, but heavily wooded to seaward. Outside of the woods is a belt of sand-hills and scrub, and beyond these a fine beach of hard white sand on which it is a luxury to walk, ride, or drive. A pleasant walk may be taken by following either the ocean beach or one of the roads leading north from the hotel. The village of Old Fernandina, where the first settlement was made, is about a mile and a half from the present city. A mile farther is Amelia Island Lighthouse, with the keeper's dwelling pleasantly situated among trees on a bluff about fifty feet higher than the sea level. The light was originally established in 1836. The present tower was built in 1880. It is 58 feet high, and the lantern is 112 feet above the sea level. It shows a white flash-light at in- tervals of 90 seconds, vi-sible at sea 16* nautical miles. From the lighthouse to the extreme northern point of the island is two miles, an easy and jjleasant walk along the ocean beach, save at high tide, when the hard belt of beach is under water. (See maps, pp. 24: and 26.) 22. Amelia River enters Cumberland Sound just inside the northern end of Amelia Island. It is an arm of the sea separating the island from Tiger Island and the mainland of Florida. This por- tion of the strait is North Amelia River. It connects with South Amelia River through Kiugsley's Creek, a narrow passage with only two feet of water at the " divide " where the tides meet at the southern end of the creek. Shar- pies and small boats can j^ass at any time. Six feet draught can be taken through from sound to sound at high water. The South Amelia is narrow and crooked, bordered by ex- tensive marshes. It receives two navigable tributaries, Lanceford Creek and Bill's River, the latter running north- ward into the St. Mary's through Jolly River after a tortuous course of seven and one-half miles. (See maps, pp. 2J: and 26.) FERNANDINA. 181 23. Nassau Sound is formed by Amelia and Little Talbot Islandsj the inlet between tliem being one mile and a half wide. The sound itself is three-quarters of a mile wide for about two miles, and then divides, forming South Amelia River on the north and Nassau River on the south. The enti-ance is obstructed by shifting sands, which make out to sea one mile and a quarter, and are marked by a can buoy in twenty-four feet of water. There is good anchorage under the south point of Amelia Island. (See maps, pp, 24 and 26.) 24. Cumberland Sound. The entrance to this sound is almost exactly a mile wide between Cumberland Island on the north and Amelia Island on the south. The sound itself, with an average width of about a mile, is nine miles long, and affords an inside pas- sage between the mainland of Georgia and Cumberland Island, to St. Andrew's Sound and the Cumberland River. Six feet draught can be carried through at low water, but the passage is variable, owing to shifting sand, and a pilot is necessary for all vessels of more than two feet draught. Viewed from the offing, Cumberland Island appears to be divided, but both parts are in reality joined by a stretch of low land, which becomes visible on nearer approach. Near the southern end of the island formerly stood Dun- geuess House, the home of General Nathaniel Greene, of the Continental army. In recognition of his conspicuous services in the Revolutionary War, the State of Georgia gave him this fine estate, which was for many years occupied by him and afterward by his heirs. During the Civil War both sides respected this historic mansion. When Fernaudina was oc- cupied by United States Troops, a safeguard was placed on the property, and the following order posted at the entrance : Th^s property, belonging orlgiuallj' to General Nathaniel Greene, a Revolu- tionary hero and a native of Rhode Island, is now the property of his grandson Mr. Nightingale. It is hereby ordered and enjoined upon all who may visit this 132 PERNANDINA. place to hold eve:-j-th;ng about the place sacred, and in no case diBturb or take away any article without a special order from Flag Officer Dupont or General Wright. Tlius protected, the old mansion survived the dangers of the time, only to be accidentally burned some years after- ward. Subsequently the property was purchased by its pres- ent owner, who removed the ruin and erected a modern structure in its place. Cumberland Sound is almost wholly surrounded by marshes through which numerous tributaries find their way. The most important of these is St. Mary's Eiver, on which is the town of St. Mary's, Ga., about three and one-half miles from the mouth. A work of improvement by means of jetties was begun in 1881 by United States Army engineers, intended to establish a deijth of twenty-one feet at mean low water. The jetties are only partially comi^leted, and a large portion of them are still submerged. The outer ends are about three thousand feet apart, and the outer portions of the jetties are jiavallel. The St. Mary's River has its source far back in the interior, and for a long distance it forms the boundary between Florida and Georgia. It is easily navi- gable for sea-going vessels for ninety-three miles, but high Avoods shut off the wind, so that it is difficult for sailing craft. Jolly River is a navigable arm some six miles long, and nearly jjarallel to the lower reach of the St. Mary's. Reed's Bluflf is a conspicuous hill of white sand, seven miles above St. Mary's. Twenty-seven miles above St. Mary's is a cut-off, practicable for small boats at high water, which lessens the distance by several miles. There are no special points of interest on the river, but there are several lumber mills and logging stations, rarely visited by tourists. These, after leaving Reed's Bluff, are Port Henry, Wild's Landing, Brick- yard, Germantown, Woodstock, King's Ferry, Orange Bluff, Camp Pinckney, Calico Hill, and Trader's Hill, which is at the head of navigation. Pleasant excursions up the river may be made in launches from Fernandina, and fairly good shooting may be had for water-fowl in the season. At King's Ferry are stores where ordinary supplies may be ob- tained. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 133 30. Saint Augustine. St. John's County. Population, 10,000.— Lat. 29" 53' 7" N.— Long. 81" 17' 12" W.— Mean rise and fall of tide, 4 feet. Hotels.— (Rates are given by the day unless otherwise stated.) Alcazar, rooms $2 upward ; restaurant d la carte. — Carletoii House, $3. — Cordova, $4 up- ward. — Florida House, $3.50 to $4. — Hernandez, $2 to $3. — Magnolia, $3 to $4. — Plaza Hotel, Rooms 50c. to $2. — Ponce de Leon, $5 upward. — San Marco, |4. Special rates usually made for permanent guests, or by the week. There are many good boarding-houses, at $8 to $15 a week. Railways.— The lines to Jacksonville (p. 85), Palatka (p. 84), and Tocoi, all of the J., T. & K. W. system, and the North Beach Railway, converge at the Union Station, Malaga Street. The St. Augustine . 123). This success "was followed by the surrender and execution of most of tlie shipwrecked French- men at Matauzas Inlet (see p. 178). On Sejitember 28, 1565, St. Augustine set the example that has since been followed by neaily every town in the State — it had a great fire. The quarters occupied by the garrison were consumed, with large quantities of stores and jjrovisions. Incendiarism was suspected, but never proved. Work was begun immediately on a regular fortification, the Sjianiards having before them a wholesome fear of French vengeance for the recently perpetrated massacres. More- over, it was learned presently that about two hundred French- men still survived, and had fortified themselves at Canaveral — probably north of the present Caj^e of that name. Against this fort Menendez presently moved, and one hundred and fifty of the garrison surrendered, and for some inexplicable reason were courteously treated as prisoners of war. The winter that followed was a most trying one to the garrison, increased as it was by the accession of the French l^risoners. The Indians, friendly at first, had been estranged, as usual, by cruel treatment from the Spaniards. No one could go outside the fort to hunt or fish without danger from an ever-vigilant and pretematurally crafty foe. It is credibly stated that more than one hundred and twenty of the gar- rison were thus killed, including several ofiicers. At this crisis, while provisions were growing scarce, Menendez went to Cuba for relief. During his absence the garrison mutinied, and not even his return sufficed wholly to restore discipline. Altogether some five hundred men re- turned to Cuba, Mexico, and Spain, and for the first time in history Florida was denounced to intending settlers as barren, swampy, and unproductive. The fort was completed before sjiring, but by June pro- visions again ran short, and but for the timely arrival from Spain of a fleet of seventeen vessels with 1,500 men and ample supplies the attempt to colonize Florida must have been abandoned. Juan de Avila was admiral of this fleet, and with him he brought to Menendez a welcome letter from his royal master, Philip II., wherein the " retribution you 138 SAINT AUGUSTINE. have visited upon the Lutheran pirates " was warmly com- mended. In the meantime, operating from St. Augustine, as head-quarters, several colonies were planted, and, leaving affairs in a seemingly prosperous condition, Menendez caused to be built a 20-ton '-frigate," of veiy light construction, in which he sailed for Sjiain, making the run to the Azores, more than three thousand miles, in the remarkably short time of seventeen days. He was received with high honors by Philip II , but in the meantime vengeance was brewing in France, and before Menendez could return to St. Augus- tine, the soldier of fortune, Domenique de Gourgues, had captured the Sisanish forts on the St. John's, and avenged the massacre of the Huguenot colony (see p. 120). Shortly after this Menendez returned from Spain to find the garrison at St. Augustine again on the point of starva- tion and mutiny. It seems incredible that, in such a pro- lific land as Florida has since proved to be, no serious efforts were made to cultivate the soil, but it is certain that starva- tion more than once threatened the garrison at St. Augustine during the nine years that intervened before Menendez's death. In the Church of San Nicolas, at A\'iles, is a handsome monument bearing the following inscription, which is here translated to show the distinguished titles and honors held by the founder of " San Augnstin : " " Here lies buried the illustrious Cavalier Pedro Menen- dez de Aviles, a native of this city, Adelantado of the Prov- inces of Florida, Knight Commander of Santa Cruz of the order of Santiago, and Captain General of the Oceanic Seas, and of the Armada which his Royal Highness collected at Santander in the year 1574, where he died in the 55th year of his age." After its founder's death the colony at St. Augustine was left mainly to its own resources, and soon began to learu how to take care of itself. It passed through the usual trials of a frontier town during the twelve years that fol- lowed, slowly growing, however, in strength and resources. On May 28 (O. S.), 1586, the English freebooter. Sir Francis Drake, was sailing up the coast and discovered a lookout on SAINT AUGUSTINE. 139 Anastasia Island. "None amongst us had any knowledge of it at all," says Drake in bis narrative. So an armed party was sent ashore, who discovered the fort and town, and re- jjorted accordingly. Upon this Drake landed a cannon near the head of the island and opened fire just as night fell. The first shot " strake through the Ensigne," and the second struck the wall of the fort. Darkness prevented further op- erations, but during the night Christopher Carleil, the lieu- tenant-general, made a reconnoissanee in " a little rowing Skiife," and was fired at from the fort. Morning dawned, and, continues Drake in his narrative, "forthwith came a Frenchman, being a Phijjher, in a little boat, playing on his Phiph the tune of the Prince of Orange his Song." The deserter proved to be one Nicolas de Bur- goyne, who had been spared by Menendez at the time of the Huguenot massacre. He reported the evacuation of the fort. The English immediately manned their boats without waiting for full daylight, and found the French fifer's report true, the garrison of 150 men having fled in such haste that the treasure-chest, containing £2,000, fell into Drake's hands. An advance was then made upon the town, which lay some three-quarters of a mile to the southward, but, after a feeble show of resistance, both soldiers and inhabitants fled, and Drake pillaged and burned the place, which had by this time attained quite a respectable size, with a "Hall of Justice," a parish church, a monastery, and twelve squares of dwellings and other buildings, each with its garden on the west side. The fort (St. John of the Pines) was a rude octagonal af- fair of pine logs, set palisadewise, was without ditches, and is described as quite incapable of resisting such an attack as Drake could have delivered. The narrative says, in fact, "So as to say the truth they had no reason to keepe it, being subject both to fire, and easie of assault." The English soon dejjarted, and the Spanish governor, a nephew and namesake of the original founder, led back his colony and began the work of reconstruction. In 1592 twelve Franciscan missionaries amved and began systematically to work for the conversion of the Indians. 140 SAINT AUGUSTINli;. The governor had encouraged Indian settlements, and two villages liad been established, known as Talomato and Tapoqui, the first being in or near the northwest i)art of the town, and the second a little to the northward of the fort, where was an Indian church consecrated to '* Our Lady of the Milk." In 1598 the native converts began to tire of ec- clesiastical restraint, and under the leadership of a young chief broke into the chapel at Talomato, which stood near the present Roman Catholic Cemetery, and killed Father Corpa while at his evening devotion. Thence they went to Tapoqui and sei-ved Father Roderiguez in like manner, permitting him, however, at his own request, to put on his vestments and say mass. He was killed before the altar, which it is said was spattered with his blood. The fierce young chief then led his band against the several other missions that bad been established up and down the coast and in the in- terior and very nearly exterminated the Franciscan brother- hood in Florida. Of course, summary vengeance was taken by the Spaniards, who burned villages and granaries, when they could not catch the marauders themselves. The fate of the martyred priests served only to stimulate the missionary spirit among the Franciscans, and in a few years there were twenty prosperous missions in as many of the principal Indian towns with their headquarters at St. Augustine. In 1638 the Apalachian Indians rose against the Spaniards, and many prisoners were brought to St. Augustine and set to work on the fortifications. By 1647 there were 300 house- holders, resident in the city, and 50 Franciscans occupied the monastery. There was a parish church with a full staff of ecclesiastics, and the fort was rebuilt on a more secure plan. Menendez the Second had been killed by Indians, and his son-in-law, Hernando de Alas, succeeded him — the last of the Menendez line. Diego de Eebellado was Captain-General from 1655 till 1675 and during his term of office (1665)Cai)tain John Davis, an English freebooter like his predecessor Drake, came up from Jamaica with a fleet of seven small vessels, landed somewhere south of the town and marched directly upon it with a force probably greatly superior to that of the garrison. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 141 At all events, the town was sacked, the garrison, two hundred in number, apparently remaining in the fort, not being strong enough to make resistance or afford protection. At this time the fort was square, with bastions, and capable of a good de- fence. The English, at any rate, seem to have deemed it pru- dent to take themselves oflf with their plunder without at- tacking the fort. Don Juan Marquez de Cabrera was appointed Governor in 1681, and took in hand energetically the work of comjjleting the castle (see p. 158). At this time incipient hostilities began between the Spaniards in Florida and the English and Scotch in Georgia and the Carolinas, each side finding just cause for complaint in the encroachments of the other. In 1675, and again in 1685, the Governor of St. Augustine sent armed expeditions against Port Royal. The second one was successful, the Spaniards breaking up Lord Oardross' colony and plundering plantations along the Edisto River. In 1687 Captain Juan de Aila brought from Spain the first negro slave imported to the colony, an event that was bailed with joy by the inhabitants. Menendez, it will be re- membered was authorized to import five hundred slaves, but he never did it, and though the Spaniards did not hesitate to enslave Indians whenever convenient, they did not prove so tractable as negroes. Under Don Diego de Quiroga y Losada, in 1690, the con- struction of a sea-wall was undertaken as a public work, and in the following year substantial aid was received from the home government. This old wall apparently extended from the castle to the present Plaza. Portions of it were visible along the middle of Bay Street until about 1860, and exca- vation, were it desirable, would no doubt reveal a consider- able i^ortion of the old structure, which the progress of mod- ern improvement has covered up (see p. 156). The year 1702 saw war formally declared between Great Britain and Spain, and James Moore, then Governor of South Carolina, a man of energetic and warlike instincts, organized an expedition against St. Augustine. The castle was now in shape to stand a siege, and preparations were made accord- ingly. The inhabitants removed their valuables within the 142 SAINT AUGUSTINE. walls. Moore's attack was i)lanned T)y land and sea, but the land forces under Colonel Daniel arrived first, and occui:)ied the town without opposition. Shortly afterward the fleet of transports appeared in the offing and the castle was com- pletely invested. The walls were found to be too strong for the light ord- nance brought by Governor Moore and two different mes- sengers were sent to Jamaica for heavier guns. The first messenger proved inefficient, but the second, Colonel Daniel, procured the guns and returned with great expedition. In the meantime, however, two Spanish frigates appeared in the offing and Moore, thinking that Colonel Daniel could not now accomplish his mission, raised the siege and marched home, abandoning or burning his ships and firing the town as he departed. When Colonel Daniel returned with his ord- nance and stores he narrowly escaped capture, not know- ing that his colleagues had withdrawn. The Carolinians carried home a considerable quantity of rich booty, includ- ing vestments and plate from the churches, and thus was St. Augustine again forced to begin her career over again. There is but small doubt that had Moore awaited Daniel's return, the castle would have fallen, for the Spanish frigates had but two hundred men, who could not have afforded substan- tial aid. The siege had lasted nearly three months, and the beleaguered garrison was glad to have it end at any cost. This narrow escaj^e had the eifect of inducing a more lib- eral policy on the part of the home government. Money and men were sent to complete and strengthen the fortifications, but in 1712 there was nearly a famine, for the provision ships failed to arrive and the Spanish colonists for some reason had not learned to make a living by peaceful means. The year 1725 found the city with an enemy again at her gates, this time Colonel Palmer, of South Carolina. He was merely on a raid, however, and as the city was walled by this time, he could only destroy everything outside the gates. Seven years jiassed. Another martial governor had ajj- peared in the north, to wit, James Edward Oglethorpe, of Georgia. War still existed between Great Britain and Spain, and Oglethorpe, under instructions from the English Crown, SAINT AUGUSTINE. 143 made a descent upon St. Augustine. The expedition was orgauized •with a view to ending the partisan warfare that had so long subsisted between English and Spanish colo- nists. Oglethorpe held the king's commission as a general officer; a regiment of the line was sent from England to join the expedition, and several hundred volunteers were en- rolled among the colonists. Four 20-gun ships and two sloops formed the naval force. The Governor of Florida at this time was Don Manuel de Monteano, an energetic and able commander, who made every effort to strengthen his jDosition. The population of St. Augustine was about two thousand. The garrison num- bered about seven hundred and forty men, horse, foot, and artillery. There were fifty pieces of cannon in the castle — 12- to 48-pounders. Don Antonio de An-edondo, an able of- ficer of engineers, strengthened the works, and threw up in- trenchments around the town, the remains of some of which are still visible. Oglethorpe's forces rendezvoused at the mouth of the St. John's, May 24, 1739. Two Si^anish forts on the river, at Picolata, had already been captured. About two miles north of the Castle of St. Marks was an outwork called "Negro Fort," or "Fort Moosa," having at that time water commimication with the castle through a tidal creek. It was originally intended as a shelter for plan- tation hands against the Indians, whence its name, but was subsequently garrisoned by the Spaniards. The English found it deserted, and decided to destroy it. Probably this was the resiilt of some misunderstanding, for hardly was the work begun, when it was countermanded, and Colonel Palmer was sent with 133 men to hold the position. On June 6th, Colonel Vanderdusen arrived with the North Carolina Regiment, having marched down the beach from the St. John's, but it was not until June 20th that the fleet took position and St. Augustine was faiily invested. On Anastasia Island, directly opposite the castle was a battery of four 18-pounders, and one 9-pounder. Two more 18- l^ounders were mounted on higher land. On San Matteo, or North Eiver Point were seven more pieces, and, according 144: SAINT AUGUSTINE. to Spanish accounts, there were thirty-four mortars in posi- tion. Tlie remains of the principal battery on Anastasia Island can still be traced. The town was at once rendered untenable by the English guns, and the inhabitants sought shelter in the fort. On the night of June 25th a sortie in force was made from the castle, and the insufficient garrison at Fort Moosa was over- powered after a sharp fight. Colonel Palmer, the nominal commandant, had from the first protested against being left with so few men in an exjDosed position out of reach of suc- cor, and, moreover. Captain Mcintosh, commanding a High- lander detachment that formed part of the garrison, was dis- posed to be insubordinate — facts which, taken in connection with the partial destruction of the fort, sufficiently account for its capture. Nevertheless, a stubborn resistance was made, and two assaults were repulsed. A third was more successful, and the S^janiards gained the interior of the work, where their superior numbers soon compelled submission. A few of the garrison cut their way out and escaped to the English lines, but Colonel Palmer was killed, fighting to the last. Captain Mcintosh, with about twenty of his men, was captured and taken to Spain. After this hostilities consisted mainly of an artillery duel between the castle and the batteries, resulting in small damage to either side. The walls of the old fort still bear marks of shot and shell, but the range was too great for the ordnance of that period ; the missiles merely imbedded themselves harmlessly in the coquina ramparts. Oglethorpe, indeed, counted upon starvation to compel sur- render, and his hopes might probably have been realized, but for the unaccountable omission to guard Mosquito and Matanzas Inlets, thus leaving the authorities at Havana free to send supplies in resjionse to Monteano's apjieals for aid. There is some doubt as to whether the siege was raised be- fore or after the wants of the garrison were relieved. Be that as it may, Oglethorpe and his officers believed that sup- plies had been received, and were satisfied early in July that it was useless to protract the siege with the means at hand. On the lOtli of that month, therefore, the little army crossed SAINT AUGUSTINE. 145 the river, and paraded — drums beating and colors flying — "within sight of the castle, in the vain hope that the Span- iards would come out and fight in the open. Monteano very properly and prudently declined this challenge, and so, after a month of siege, " La siempre Jiel Ciiidad de San Augustln " was once more left to her balmy sea-breezes, with the flag of Sixain floating above her ramparts. Great credit is due to the courage, fortitude, and ready re- source displayed by Governor Monteano during this siege. Early in the .siDring of 1742 St. Augustine was the centre of vigorous preparations for a retaliatory exi^edition. A fleet of thirty vessels gathered in the harbor and outside the bar, and, about July 1st, sailed with Monteano in command to carry the war into Oglethorpe's own territory. Barring some temporary successes the expedition was a failure. In March, 171.3, Oglethorpe was again before the city gates, and so swiftly did he come that his Indian scouts overtook and slew a number of Spanish soldiers (forty ac- cording to Oglethorpe's report) under the very walls of the castle. Oglethorpe was merely engaged in a foray, however, and after seeking in vain to induce the garrison to come out and fight, he returned as quickly as he came. Don Alonzo Fernandez de Herrara was appointed Gover- nor in 1755. Under his administration the castle was com- pleted as it now stands, all save the water battery, which is of modern construction. After a tacit suspension of hostilities a treaty was ratified whereby Florida passed into the hands of Great Britain, and in 176.3 the Cross of St. George at last took the place of the Spanish lion on the flagstaff of the castle. With English rule came an abrupt change of ijolicy. The population of the city had, until now been semi-military, largely under pay from the crown, and correspondingly idle and worthless. Nothing whatever had been done to dis- cover or develop the resources of the country. No sooner, however, had the English taken possession than they began to encourage immigration by publishing accounts of the soil and climate which were quite as trustworthy as some of 146 SAINT AUGUSTINE. more recent date and finer typography. Stork's map of the city (1752) is very minute, showing every lot and alleyway in detail. Under the English flag the Castle of St. Mark be- came St. John's Fort. To the Spanish residents the change of flags was unendur- able, and nearly all of them emigrated at short notice, not- withstanding civil and religious liberty was guaranteed by the terms of the treaty. Such was their malicious temper that the commandant of the post. Major Ogilvie, had much ado to keep them from destroying their houses. Even the outgoing Governor uprooted and destroyed the fine garden of the official residence. During the night of January 2, 1766, the mercury fell to 20^ and, for the first time on record, lime, citron, and ba- nana trees were killed in St. Augustine. In the manuscript of John Gerard Williams de Brahm, in the collection of Harvard University, it appears that the number of inhabitants of St. Augustine and vicinity was 288 householders (144 of them married), and upward of 900 ne- groes. The coquina lighthouse, constructed by the Span- iards on Anastasia Island, was surmounted in 1769 by a wooden superstructure, sixty feet high, from which a system of signals was displayed for the benefit of mariners. The first English Governor was Lieutenant-Colonel James Grant, of the Fortieth foot. He was appointed in 1760, and in- augurated many wise measures for the improvement of the town and colony. One of his most noteworthy undertakings was the construction of public highways leading north and south from St. Augustine. In spite of the neglect of suc- ceeding generations these roads are still among the best in the country. During his governorship he led two consider- able expeditions, the first against rebellious North Carolin- ians, and the second against the Cherokee Indians. Siibse- quently he was promoted general for services in the Koyal Army during the war for American Independence. Governor Grant retired iu 1771 and was succeeded by Governor Moultrie, a brother of him who was afterward a leader in the Kevolutionary War. His administration of aftairs was somewhat stormy, and in 1774 he was succeeded SAINT AUGUSTINE. 147 by Governor Tonyn, who came out from England for the pur- pose. In the meantime the northern colonies had revolted, and one of the first acts of the new Governor was to issue a proclamation inviting the loyalists of Georgia and the Carolinas to Florida, assuring them protection and immunity from rebel raids. As a result the poj)ulation of St. Augus- tine and vicinity was largely increased. The sentiment of the town was intensely loyalist, and when news of the Declaration of Independence was received, Adams and Hancock were burned in eflfigy in the Plaza where the monument now stands. In August, 1775, there were several British cruisers at anchor inside the bar and a considerable garrison in the fort, for St. Augustine was a convenient station for military and naval ojierations. A powder-laden vessel from London, named the Betsy, lay off the bar waiting a favorable tide to run in. She was discovered by an enterprising American privateer from Carolina and captured under the very eyes of fleet and gaiiison. To one who knows this coast such an oc- currence is easily explained. An easterly wind in connection with a heavy swell on the bar or a flood tide would render a rescue out of the question, by anything save a fleet of steam launches — i^erhaps not even by them. The impotent wrath of the local royalists may be imagined. In 1778, the British garrison being small, much anxiety was caused in the royalist city by the organization of an American expedition for its capture. The plan was aban- doned for some reason, and St. Augustine saw nothing of the " rebels." A successful British expedition against Sa- vannah, Ga., was organized under General Prevost at St. Augustine in 1778, making the town gay for a time with scarlet uniforms on shore and a fleet of transports in the harbor. After the capture of Charleston, S. C, by the British in 1780, sixty-one prominent citizens of the place were seized for their rebellious sentiments and brought to St. Augustine as prisoners of war and hostages. The nominally full list as published in Fairbanks' " History " is as follows, and is reproduced here as of interest from the 148 SAINT AUGUSTINE. many prominent family names that it contains. The number it will be be noticed falls four short of the alleged total : John J. Budd. Edward Blake. Joseph Bee. Richard Beresford. John Berwick. D. Bordeaux. Robert Cochrane. Benjamin Oudworth. H. V. Crouch. I. S. Cripps. Edward Darrell. Daniel Dessaussure. John Edwards. George Flagg. Thomas Ferguson. General A. C. Gadsden. William Hazel Gibbs. Thomas Grinball. William Hall. George A. Hall. Isaac Holmes. Thomas Heyward, jr. Richard Hutson. Colonel Isaacs. Noble Wimberly Jones. William Johnstone. William Lee. Richard Lushington. Morton William Logan. Rev. John Lewis. William Massey. Alexander Moultrie. Arthur Middleton. Edward McCready. John Mouatt. Edward North. John Neufville. Joseph Parker. Christoiiher Peters. Benjamin Postell. Samuel Prioleau. John Earnest Poyas. General Rutherford. Edward Rutledge. Hugh Rutledge. John Sansom. Thomas Savage. Josiah Smith. Thomas Singleton. James Hampden Thompson. John Todd. Peter Timothy. Anthony Toomer. Edward Weyman. James Wakefield. Benjamin Waller. Wilkinson. The Governor, Patrick Tonyn, as shown by an oflScial letter to Lord St. Germain, sought " to have them treated with great contempt, and to have any friendly intercourse with them is considered as a mark of disresjiect to his Majesty and displeasing to me." Nevertheless, these jjesti- lent rebels appear to have made friends, and increased the SAINT AUGUSTINE. 149 number of the disaflfected even in St. Augustine itself. They were in custody for nearly a year, and were then sent to Philadelphia to be exchanged. About this time, 1780, the policy of evacuating East Flor- ida altogether began to be agitated, and an order to this ef- fect was actually issued by Sir Guy Carleton, but subse- quently revoked. The province had, in fact, grown wonder- fully under British rule. The exports of East Florida (that is, of St. Augustine) amounted in 1768 to £14,078, in 1778 to £48,236. In 1781, owing largely to the Eevolutionary War, they fell to £30,715. St. Augustine had been a considerable port of entry for coastwise and foreign traffic, and every- thing pointed to a prosperous future, when, after the Inde- pendence of the United States was recognized, the British Government, on September 3, 1783, re-ceded Florida to Spain, with the very unsatisfactory stijDulation that the English inhabitants might have eighteen months of grace wherein to sell out their property, or move their effects. Al- most to a man the English settlers decided to emigi-ate, but they did so under great hardship and loss, having been in- duced to settle in Florida by liberal grants of land. During the British occupation St. Augustine became the centre of a rather select society. Among the residents, of- ficial and otherwise, were Sir Charles Burdett, Chief Justice Drayton, the Rev. John Forbes, General James Grant, Lieutenant-Governor Moultrie, William Stark, the historian, the Rev. N. Frazer, Dr. Andrew TurnbuU, Bernard Romans, Esq., civil engineer, James Moultrie, Esq., and William Bartram, Esq., the Quaker naturalist and author. Bar- racks capable of containing five regiments were erected south of the present town, and the old city within its gray coquina walls must have been a very pleasant place of resi- dence. The wonderful productiveness of "Florida sand" had been promptly discovered by English gardeners, and to this day evidences of their thrift and energy are aj^parent, not only in the city itself but wherever the land was exception- ally good within a reasonable distance from the coast. In June, 1784, the new Spanish governor, Zespedez by 150 SAINT AUGUSTINE. name, took possession, and again after twenty years' absence the banner of Spain floated over the castle walls. This transfer inaugurated what was perhaps the most idyllic ye- riod of the city's history. The world went on fighting as usual, but St. Augustine had ceased to be a bone of conten- tion. The young republic to the northward was some- what aggressive, it is true, but the new order of things did not for a generation intimately affect the old city. Under the wise and temperate government of Don Enrique White a somewhat unique Spanish community appears to have developed. Music, dancing, civil and ecclesiastical feasts, and all the light amusements dear to the Latin heart, were celebrated during the genial winter months and the city was a veritable bower of tropical vegetation, with naiTow, paved' streets lined with cool gray coquiiia- walled houses. Within the gates no hoof of horse ever sounded. Those who could afford to ride rode in palanquins. In 1792 the city suffered an irreparable loss in the biirn- ing of the British barracks — five large brick buildings that stood to the southward of the town. In a most entertaining volume, entitled " A Voyage to the Spanish Main" (London, 1819), "An English Gentleman," whose name has never come to light, gives a charming pic- ture of the city and its manners and customs at the time of his visit (1817), albeit that was almost the beginning of the end. The second war between the United States and Great Britain (1812-1814) indicated unmistakably the manifest destiny of Florida. The young republic had acquired by purchase from France all the surrounding territory. An American, or " patriot " party was growing in strength, even under Spanish rule, and marauders, too often aided and abetted by United States officials, rendered life and property insecure. Negotiations followed between the governments at Wash- ington and Madrid, and as the result of a treaty ratified in February, 1821, the Spanish flag was lowered on July 10th of that year and the stars and strii^es rose in its place. European residents in St. Augustine had already spread SAINT AUGUSTINE. 151 the fame of her climate, and no sooner was the State fairly in the Union than invalids began to flock thither during the winter months. The facilities for travel were, however, so inferior in those days that, until the establishment of coastwise steamboat routes, about 1827, no one foresaw the coming importance of the modern winter resort. For fifteen years St. Augus- tine enjoyed peace and prosperity, but in 1835 the Seminole War broke out, and she was again an important centre of mil- itary preparations. During this period great prosperity prevailed, stimulated, of course, by the fictitious values in- duced by Government contracts. War parties of Indians prowled under the veiy walls, and many massacres occurred in the vicinity. In Februaiw, 1835, the mercury fell to 7° F. , a jioint that has never been touched since. Even the wild orange-trees were killed to the ground. Hostilities continued, with more or less danger to the in- habitants of the city, until 1842, when the Indians were finally subjugated in this vicinity or driven far to the southward among the everglades. From this time may be dated St. Augustine's prosperity as a resort for invalids and tourists, a prosperity that was not seriously interrupted until the winter of 1860, when the indications of coming civil war be- tween the States became so marked that Northern invalids dared not risk their usual flight to the South. Secession found Fort Marion in charge of Ordnance Ser- geant Douglas, U. S. A., and, like many another of his fel- lows about this time, he was confronted on January 7, 1861, by a company of volunteers under orders from the Gov- ernor of the State, demanding a surrender of his chai-ge. He Jiad no choice bui to comply, although he required a re- ceipt for all property from the Governor's aide. By this prompt action, prior by three days, indeed, to the passage of the Ordnance of Secession, the State, and subsequently the Confederacy, secured 6 field batteries of four guns each, 20 sea-coast and garrison cannon, 31 foreign guns of various calibres, and a quantity of small arms and ammunition. The United States ensign was pulled down, not without 152 .SAINT AUGUSTINE. some unspoken misgivings on the part of the more thought- ful spectators, and for more than a year tlie '■ stars and bars " floated at the flagstaff. On March 11, 1862, the United States gunboat Huron, Commander C. P. E. Rogers, appeared in the offing, crossed the bar with some difficulty, and approached the city under a flag of truce, as had been directed by Commodore Duijont. A white flag was soon hoisted on Fort Marion. Uj^on this Commander Rogers went ashore with an unarmed crew and was received by the Mayor and City Council, who informed him that the small Confederate garrison of two companies had evacuated the fort during the night. The guns of the foi't were not spiked, and on recommendation of Commander Rogers the Mayor had the national ensign hoisted on the fort. The whole affair was conducted with courtesy on both sides, and an adequate garrison of United States troops was soon landed to take permanent possession. About one thousand five hundred of the inhabitants remained in the city, some five hundred having fled when it became evident that no defence would be made. On the evening before the arrival of the gunboats a number of women cut down the flagstaff in front of the United States barracks, in order to delay the hoisting of the national colors. This appears to have been the only overt act of hostility that was jiermitted bv he cooler headed of the inhabitants, who well knew the futility of resistance under the circumstances. Shortly after the Federal garrison had taken possession, a detail of the Tenth Connecticut Regiment was attacked by a squadron of Confederate cavalry, while acting as guards for a party of wood-cutters. The attacking party made a dash for the teams of the wood-cutters, but were driven off after a shaip skirmish. Three of the Connecticut men were killed and their commanding officer, Lieutenant Brown, was fatally wounded. During the remaining years of the Civil "VTar St. Augustine was merely a quiet gaii-ison town under martial law, with the avenues of approach duly guarded and gunboats often at anchor inside the bar. The soldiers of the garrison, like the Spaniards and the English who preceded them in former SAINT AUGUSTINE. 153 wars, enjoyed such excellent health that the sick list proved a telling advertisement for the healthfulness of the climate. No sooner were hostilities over than inquiries began to arrive from the North as to hotel accommodations for the coming winter, and very soon the sound of preparation was heard. New hotels were built, largely with Northern capital, new and unfamiliar Paris fashions appeared with early winter along the sea-wall, and the old Spanish city en- tered upon a career of prosperity which soon surpassed her wildest dreams. Description. The city of St. Augustine stands near the southern extrem- ity of a peninsula formed by the Matanzas and San Se- bastian Rivers. The land is in the main level, low in some places, and where not cultivated is covered with the beach scrub common to this vicinity. The land approaches to St. Augustine are by no means inviting, as all three of the railroad lines thread miles of fiat woods and cross other miles of prairie before the towers and sj^ires of the city can be seen. Carriages and hotel stages are always in waiting at the station, and the drive to the city, about three-quarters of a mile, is over a delightfully smooth asphalt pavement. A wide range of choice is offered in the matter of hotels and boarding-houses. Tlte Plaza de la Constitucion and its surroundings form the nucleus of the city. This public square was established when the town was originally laid out. Its dimensions are very modest, though the narrowness of the adjacent streets lend it, by contrast, some apparent extent. Standing on the sea-wall and facing eastward, one looks across Matanzas Eiver, three-qiiarters of a mile, to Anastasia Island with its spiral striped lighthouse, its wharf and miniature railroad train, scrab-palmetto and bushes. To the left the land drops away to a beach, where Sir Francis Drake posted a gun one evening in 3586 and pounded away, as the sun went down, at the grim old fortress opposite. Beyond the i:)oint is St. Augustine Inlet, La Riviere des Dauphines as the ST. AUGUSTINE— MAP OF HARBOR AND BEACHES. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 155 French Huguenot Laudonniere named it before the Span- iards set foot on its shores. Beyond this again is North Beach and the Toloniato Eiver. To the right Matanzas Eiver and the shores of Anastasia Island disappear in the distance. Turning westward toward the Plaza we face the pretty stretch of greensward with its shade trees. Almost opposite, in the foreground, is the "Old Slave Market," popularly so called, though in reality the original structure was a provis- ion market, built in 1840, and used as such until the city outgrew its accommodations. The roof and woodwork were burned in 1887, but the structure was subsequently rebuilt and serves mainly as a lounging-place. Originally the square was probably designed as a parade-ground, and as such it was certainly used by the British and by the United States troops during the Civil War. The white coquina monument surmounted by a cannon- ball commemorates the adoption by the Spanish Cortez in 1812 of a new constitution, whence the Plaza takes its of- ficial name. The monument was erected in 1813. The in- scription translated reads as follows : " Plaza of the Constitution jDromulgated in the city of St. Augustine, in East Florida, on the 17th day of October, in the year 1812; the Brigadier Don Sebastian Kindalem, Knight of the Order of Santiago, being Governor. For eter- nal remembrance the Constitutional City Council erected this monument, under the superintendence of Don Fernando de la Maza Arredondo, the young municipal officer, oldest member of the corporation, and Don Francisco Robira, At- torney and Eecorder. In the year 1813." In 1814 Ferdinand VII. was recalled to the Spanish throne, and straightway repudiating his pledge to support the new " constitucion " ordered all the commemorative mon- uments that had been erected to be torn down. Alone, it is believed, the far-away province of Florida neglected to obey the royal behest. The tablets were removed as a salve to loyal consciences, but in 1818 they were replaced and so the monument fortunately survives as a curious memento of the past. 156 SAINT AUGUSTINE. The other monument tinder the trees on the north side of the Plaza commemorates the Confederate dead of St. Augu.s- tine. One face bears tliis inscription : " Our Dead. Erected by the Ladies' Memorial Association of St. Augustine, Fla., A.D. 1872." The second : "In Memoriam. Our loved ones who gave their lives in the service of the Confederate States." On the third face : " They died far from the Lome that gave them birth." And the fourth : " They have crossed the river and rest under the shade of the trees." The shaft is of co- quiua. The Plaza has always been, and is still the scene of public meetings. Here the men-at-arms gathered when the alarm gnn was fired in the old days of the French, English, and American Wars. Here in 1776 the royalists burned Adams and Hancock in effigy, when the news, a fortnight or more old, came from distant Philadelphia that the Declaration of Indejjendence had been signed. Here the Florida Vol- unteers fell in on a January morning of 1861 and marched to take possession of Fort Marion, and thence subsequently they marched away to four years of fratricidal war and final defeat. And here, finally, after peace was restored, the Dec- laration of Independence was read before a mass meeting of approving citizens. On the right, or north side of the Plaza is St. Joseph's Cathedral, built under Spanish rule and finished in 1701. It was burned in 1887, and immediately rebuilt, enlarged, and most tastefully improved by Messrs. Carriere & Hastings, architects. Thus the cathedral could not, even had it escaped the flames, have claimed a remote antiquity, even in the American acceptation of the term. Its predecessor, however, dated back to 1682 or thereabout, one of the old bells, still preserved, bearing that date and the legen d Sancte — Joseph — Ora — Pro — Nobis. On the left is the modest spire of Trinity Church, episco- palian, and beyond are the post-office, and the towers of the great Ponce de Leon and Cordova hotels. To the north and south at either hand stretches the sea-wall, terminated at the south by the United States Barracks and at the north by Fort Marion. The Sea- Wall. Some protection against the inroads of the sTIKE. . San Marco Hotel . Warden's. . Cemetery. , Fori Marion. . Gateway. . Museum. , Methodist Church. , Magnolia Hotel. , Opera House. , Hernandez Hotel . Florida House. , Bath House. , Court House. . Yacht Club. . Bank. . Cathedral. Bishop Moore's. Studios. Hotel Ponce de Leon. Alcazar. Hotel Cordova. Post Office. Old Market. Plaza. Plaza Basin. Plaza Hotel School. Episcopal Church. Lyon Block. Villa Zorayda. Presbyterian Church. Barracks Basin. Parade. Barracks. Military Cemetery. Water Park. New Presbyterian Church. HAP OF ST. AUGUSTIME. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 157 ocean became necessary as soon as St. Augnstine began to consider itself a permanent place of abode. Easterly storms with their accompanying high tides often drove the water up into the streets, and even now the spray at times flies over the stone coping. The first wall was begun in 1690, under the administration of Diego de Quiroza y Dosada, who was Governor at the time. It extended from the Fort to the Plaza and its remains are not far beneath the present sur- face of the street. Its location and extent are shown on a map of the town made during British occupancy. It is of record that the Spanish , soldiers voluntarily contributed labor and money to aid in its construction. The present wall was begun in 1835 by the United States Government, and was finished in 1842. It is three-quarters of a mile long, built of coquiua, with a coping of granite three feet wide. Tlie wall itself is ten feet above low-w'ater mark. The cost was about .$100,000. There are two breaks in the wall, af- fording access to the water's edge, one opposite the Plaza, and the other near the barracks. These breaks are protected by out-walls and the basins are used for loading and un- loading fish, fruit, and the other products of sea and shore. The Minorcans. In the early part of the present century the population of the city was largely made u^j of natives of the Balearic Isles, Minorca and Majorca, lying in the western Mediterranean, ofi" the coast of Spain. These jseople were brought over by Dr. Andrew TurnbuU (see Route 63), in 1790, with a view to establishing a colony at New Smyrna, but they revolted against the rule of his agents, and most of them came to St. Augustine, where, for a generation they formed a distinct class of the population. A few of their descend- ants remain, distinguished by dark ej-es, hair, and com- j^lexion, but for the most jDart they have intermarried with Americans, and race characteristics have been largely modi- fied, or have disappeared altogether. Fort Marion. Any of the streets running north — parallel to the sea-wall, that is — lead to this ancient fortress, the most important and interesting of the Spanish relics. On or near this site Menendez constructed a wooden fort 168 SAINT AUGUSTINE. in 1565, and named it St. John of the Pines (San Jnan de Pinos). It was, according to the most trustworthy accounts, octagonal in form, and mounted fourteen brass cannon. It was this fort that Sir Francis Drake destroyed in 1586, the garrison having fled with but a faint show of resistance. By this time the Spaniards had discovered the valuable properties of coquina for building pui-jooses, and their sub- sequent works were of the more durable and less combustible material. Little is known of the structure that was threat- ened by Davis, the English buccaneer, in 1665, but its walls were at that time well advanced, having been pushed forward by the labor of Indian captives and convicts from Spain and Mexico. We have the testimony of Jonathan Dickinson, a Philadelphia Quaker, who was here in 1695, that the walls were thirty feet high at that time. Seven years later (1702) they were certainly far enough completed to defy Governor Moore, of South Carolina, and in 1740 Governor Oglethorpe, of Georgia, hammered away at them for more than a month without producing any j^erceptible impression. The Spaniards named the fort San Marco, the English changed the name to St. John, and on retrocession to Sjiain in 1783, San Marco was once more recognized. On the ac- cession of the United States the saints were laid aside, and the name of the patriot soldier of South Carolina was adopted by the War Department. The fort is planned in accordance with the Vaubau system of fortification, which, x\p to the beginning of the present century was considered the best. A plan of the work, with its outlying defences and the modern water batteries, is ap- pended. Approaching from the direction of the town the visitor as- cends a path leading up what was formerly the exterior slope of the glacis. The mass of masonry on the left, pierced for cannon and musketry, is the barbican, an outwork intended for the protection of the weakest point in the main work, namely, the entrance. An extension of the moat in- cludes the barbican, and both moats are now crossed by rough plank platforms, where once were regi;lar drawbridges. On the left, after passing the angle of the barbican, is a niche MOAT PLAN OF FORT MARION. 1. Bridge from glacis to barbican. 2. Stairway to barbican parapet. 3. Bridge. 4. Sally-port. 5. Arched passage. 6. Bakery. 7, 8. Store-rooms. 9, 10. Store-rooms. 11. Bomb-proof. 12. Chapel. 13. Store-room. 14. Treas- ure room. 15. Casemate from which Coacoochee and Osceola escaped. 16, 17. Dark vaults. 18. Guard-room. 19. Incliue to parapet. B, B, B, B. Bast- ions, each with a protected watch-tower, W, in the salient angle. The spaces left blank are ventilated casemates designed for quarters and ±e like. 1()0 SAINT AUGUSTINE. opening into a .stairway, and containing, carved in stone, the royal arms of Spain, which, in a sadly dilapidated con- dition, barely survive the rough handling to which they have been subjected by the elements all the time, and by witless vandals at intervals, until protected by an iron grating. Turning to the right, another rude structure of planks crosses tlie wide moat and leads to the entrance. Above this again are the arms of Spain with an almost obliterated in- scrii^tion which, restored and translated, reads as follows : EEYNANDO EN ESP ANA EL 8EN^ DON FERNANDO SEXTO Y SIENDO GOV"'' Y CAP^ DE ES^ C S^" AUG^ DE LA FLORIDA Y SUS PROV^ EL MARESCAL DE CAMPO D ALONZO FERN^° HEREDIA ASI CONCLUIO ESTE CASTLLO EL AN. OD 1756 DIRIGIENDO LAS OBR. CAP INGN'^"^ DN PEDRO DE BROZAS Y GAEAY. "Don Ferdinand YI., being King of Spain, and tlie Field Marshal Don Alonzo Fernando Hereda, being Governor and Captain-General of this i3lace, St. Augustine, of Florida, and its jirovince. This fort was finished in the year 1756. The works were directed by the Captain-Engineer Don Pedro de Brazos of Garay." This door is provided with a heavy portculHs, which still remains in jjosition, though hardly in working order. The door or sally-port is barely wide enough for four men to march abreast, Within is a wide arched passage leading to the open parade inside the walls. On either side of the passage are doors leading to the vaulted chambers or case- mates that surround the parade on all sides, and served in their time as quarters for the garrison, as cells for jsrisoners, including American rebels during the revolution, and Indian captives in more recent times. The sergeant in charge of the fort conducts visitors through the casemates. As this is not part of his regular duty, a fee (25c. for each person, or one dollar for a party of several) is ctistomarv. SAIXT AUGUSTINE. 161 On the left of the entrance passage is the guavd-room and on the right is the bakery, through which access is had to two dark vaults, used, no doubt, for storage. The terrepleiu, or parade, is 103 by 109 feet, and a broad stairway, formerly an inclined plane for the easier handling of gun-carriages and the like, leads to the parapet. Directly opposite the entrance is the chapel, -without which no Span- ish fort of that period was complete ; in it are still visible the stations of shrine and altar, and other evidences of the decoration customary in such places. It was used for re- ligious services as late as 1860 or thereabout, and was turned into a schoolroom for the Western Indians who were con- fined here in 1875-78. The portico of the chapel was orig- inally quite an elaborate bit of decorative architecture, but it has long since disappeared. In 1882 a party of French astronomers had the use of the fort as a station to observe the transit of Venus, and a tablet near the chapel-door commemorates their visit. It bears this inscription : " Plaque commemorative du passage de Venus, observe au Fort Marion le 9 Decembre 1882, par MM. le Colonel Perrier, le Commandant Bassat, le Capitaine Deffoges de I'armee Francaise." The casemates are in the main alike, dark vaults, some of them lofty, others divided into two stories, some dimly lighted through narrow slits high up near the ceiling, others totally dark save for the entrance-doors. That captives, red and white, pagan and Christian, have pined away their lives in more than one of these dungeons is extremely probable when it is remembered that not so very long ago the rack and the stake were instruments of nomi- nally Christian offices, but no records remain, and the imagi- nation may have full play as regards most of the casemates. Two of them, however, have authentic histories. In the one marked 15, near the southwest bastion, Coacoochee and Osceola, two of the most celebrated Seminole chiefs, were confined during the war that lasted from 1835 till 1842. After the final subjugation of the tribe Coacoochee gave the following account of their escape : " We had been growing sickly from day to day and so re- 162 SAINT AUGU8T1NE. solved to make our escape or die in the attempt. We were in a room eighteen or twenty feet square. All the light ad- mitted was through a hole about eighteen feet from the floor. Through this we must effect our escape, or remain and die with sickness. A sentinel was constantly posted at the door. As we looked at it from our beds, we thought it small, but believed tliat, could we get our heads through we should have no further nor serious difficulty. To reacli the hole was the first object. In order to effect this we from time to time cut up the forage-bags allowed us to sleep on, and made them into ropes. The hole I could not reach when upon the shoulder of my companion ; but while stand- ing upon his shoulder, I worked a knife into a crevice of the stonework, as far up as I could reach, and upon this I raised myself to the opening, when I found that, with some reduction of person, I could get through. In order to re- duce ourselves as much as possible we took medicine five days. Under the pretext of being very sick, we were per- mitted to obtain the roots we required. For some weeks we watched the moon, in order that the night of our attempt it should be as dark as possible. At the proper time we com- menced the medicine, calculating on the entire disappear- ance of the moon. The keeper of this prison, on the night determined upon to make the effort, annoyed us by fre- quently coming into the room, and talking and singing. At first we thought of tying him and putting his liead in a bag, so that, should he call for assistance, he could not be heard. We first, however, tried the experiment of pretending to be asleej), and when he returned to pay no regard to him. This accomplished our object. He came in, and went immedi- ately out ; and we could hear him snore in the immediate vicinity of the door. I then took the rope, which we had secreted under our bed, and mounting ujjon the shoulder of my comrade, raised myself by the knife worked into the crevices of the stone, and succeeded in reaching the embras- ure. Here I made fast the rope that my friend might fol- low me. I then passed through the hole a sufficient length of it to reacli the ground upon the outside (about twenty- five feet) in the ditch. I had calculated the distance when SAINT AUGUSTINE. 163 going for roots. "With much diificulty I siacceeded iu get- ting my head through ; for the sharp stones took the skin off my breast and back. Putting my head through first I was obliged to go down head foremost, until my feet were througli, fearing every moment the rope would break. At last, safely on the ground, I awaited with anxiety the arrival of my comrade. I had passed another rope through the hole, which, in the event of discovery, Talmus Hadjo (Osceola), was to pull, as a signal to me from the outside, that he was discovered, and could not come. As soon as I struck the ground, I took hold of the signal for intelligence from my friend. The niglit was very dark. Two men passed near me, talking earnestly, and I could see them dis- tinctly. Soon I heard the struggle of my companion far above me. He had succeeded in getting his head through, but his body would come no farther. In the lowest tone of voice, I urged him to throw out his breath, and then try ; soon after he came tumbling down the whole distance. For a few moments I thought him dead. I dragged him to some water close by, which restored him, but his leg was so lame he was unable to walk. I took him upon my shoulder to a scrub, near the town. Daylight was just breaking, it was evident we must move rapidly. I caught a mule in the ad- joining field, and making a bridle out of my sash, mounted my comj^anion, and started for the St. John's River. The mule was used one day, but fearing the whites would track us, we felt more secure on foot in the hammock, though moving very slow. Thus we continued our journey five days, subsisting on roots and berries, when I joined my band, then assembled on the headwaters of the Tomoka Eiver, near the Atlantic coast." Osceola was subsequently recaptured and sent to Fort Moultrie, Charleston, S. C, where he died. During the years 1875-78 the fort was again used as a prison for Indians brought from the far West. Their cap- tivity was nominal during good behavior, and some attempts were made to educate them. AVithin the northeastern bastion is a chamber known as " the dungeon," though there is good reason for believing 1(;4 SAINT AU(;U.ST1NE. that it was originally intended as a magazine. In 1839 the masonry in one of the adjacent vaults caved in, and, while repairs were in progress, it was discovered that there was still another innermost chamber, whose existence had not before been suspected. The wall was broken through, and, among other refuse, some bones were found so far gone in decomposition that the post surgeon could not determine whether they were human or not. The mmor spread, how- ever, that an entire skeleton had been found chained to the wall, and that implements were scattered about suggestive of the " Holy Inquisition " and a chamber of hoiTors. The tale grew by repetition and for many years it was generally be- lieved that the dungeon had once been the scene of a tragedy. The author of the "Standard Guide to St. Augustine," how- ever, cites the statement of an old resident of the city, who w-as employed at the fort when a boy, and remembers the old disused magazine in the northeast bastion. According to this account, during the later days of Spanish occupancy the mag- azine fell out of repair, and became a receptacle for refuse of all sorts, until finally it was walled up, being regarded as a menace to health. There are still those who insist that the tragic accounts of the " dungeon " are the true ones, but the weight of evidence seems to be in favor of the more pro- saic version. Ascending to the parapet, the commanding position of the fort is apparent, and the outlook in all directions is very in- teresting. With the aid of the map on page 159 all the noteworthy points of interest can be traced, and many of the historic localities identified. In the salient angle of each bastion is a sentry-box of stone, where a man-at-arms might be tolerably secure against Indian arrows, or even against the firearms of the last century ; on the northeastern bastion, the most exposed of the four, the sentiy-box has a supplementary story or watch- tower, whence a still wider outlook may be obtained. To the non-military visitor, who knows not the uses of bas- tions, their purpose will at once become e%-ident on looking over the parapet. Soldiers posted in these projecting angles can, it is easily seen, deliver a direct fire sweeping the entire SAINT AUGUSTINE. 165 moat to autl bevoud the salient of the opposite bastion. Bastioued works reached their complete development under the system of Vauban, one of whose disciples, Captain Pedro de Brozas y Garay, was the engineer in charge of the construction of the fort. It is not likely that, even in case of a foreign war, guns will ever again be mounted en barbette on Fort Marion. Even if the coquina masonry could sustain the weight of modern ordnance, it could not long withstand the impact of modern projectiles. For this reason the water-battery along the sea- face was built in 1842, but the gun-platforms were never finished, and the whole work is long out of date. The guns that lie rusting along the glacis mostly antedate the Civil War, and are worthless save as old iron. The floor of the moat was originally of cement, but it is covered deep with sand and soil. When the old fort was in fighting trim this moat could be flooded at high tide. A stairway near the barbican permits easy descent into the moat for those who do not choose to jump or climb down from the crest of the counterscarp. From this level a better idea of the height of the walls is obtained, and one can readily understand how Osceola was eflfecfcually disabled by his fall from the narrow opening through which he and Coacoochee squeezed themselves in the western face of the fort. Along the eastern or sea front numerous scars and in- dentations may be seen in the masonry, some of which were made by British guns during Oglethorpe's siege iu 1740. These respectable old wounds will readily be distinguished from the ones that have been inflicted by modern riflemen, who have at times used the moat as a shooting-gallery. The use of all firearms within the fort is now very properly pro- hibited. The small brick building in the eastern moat is a furnace to heat shot for the water battery. It was built iu 1844. St. Francis Barracks are named from the old Franciscan convent, whose site they occupy. They stand at the south- ern end of Bay Street. In front, facing the water, are the officers' quarters, with barracks for enlisted men in the rear. 166 SAINT AUGUSTINE. Usually two compauios of regulars are in garrison at this post. The jiarado in front of the barracks is flanked on the south by the adjutant's offices and ordnance sheds, and the open space is used as a drill-ground and for the usual routine jjarades and insijections of the small garrison. The old convent was abandoned for i-eligious purposes when the British took possession in 1763, and was used as bairacks when the Spaniards returned twenty years after- ward. Although the buildings have been largely remodelled and rebuilt, some of the old coquina convent walls are still standing, and are believed to be among the oldest structures in the city. It is singular that the memory of St. Fi-ancis should be perpetuated at one end of the city, while that of St. Mark was obliterated at the other end when the United States took possession, but such are the inconsistencies of history. The convent in its time was the headquarters of missionary life in Florida. Thence the devoted priests went out and built their little chaj^els from the everglades to the Suwan- nee, and thither, if at all, they returned, often broken down with the labors and perils of their voluntary exile. A few steps beyond the officers' quarters is the military cemetery, kept in beautiful order by the garrison, and worthy of a visit for its associations. Here, under three low pyra- mids of masonry, lie many of the soldiers who perished in the Seminole War. Near by is a shaft to the memory of Major Dade and his command, almost the first victims of the long and bloody war that followed. The inscription reads : " Sacred to the memory of the Of- ficers and Soldiers killed in battle and died on service dur- ing the Florida War. This monument has been erected in token of respectful and affectionate remembrance by their comrades of all grades, and is committed to the care and preservation of the garrison of St. Augustine." Museums. CJiKpin's Musentn, near Fort Marion, contains the most considerable collection of relics, Spanish and In- dian arms, armor and implements, and natural curiosities in the State. The preserved specimens of birds, beasts, fishes, and reptiles are numerous. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 167 Vender's Museum, on Bay Street, a short distance north of the Plaza, adds to a miscellaneous collection of cnrios many living birds, animals, and reptiles. The snake-room is es- pecially worthy of a visit, and the building in which the collection is kept is part of the old Spanish prison, and some of the time-worn interior fittings are still visible. The St. August ine Institute of Natural Science has its col- lection in No. 33 Alcazar Court ; hours 2 to 5 p.m. ; admis- sion free. The Villa Zorayda. This building faces the Alameda near the great hotels. It was the first specimen of mono- lithic architecture in the city, and was in this sense the pioneer of modern St. Augustine. The credit is due to Mr. Franklin W. Smith, of Boston, who made the first experi- ments, forming a concrete with fine shells, Portland cement, and sand. "While in a semi-liquid condition, the mixture is poured into moulds made of boards, where it quickly hardens. By setting up the moulds where the walls of the intended building are to stand, the whole structure can be solidly built up by pouring in successive layers of concrete. When finished in its natural tint, the wall presents a slightly rough surface, cool gray in color, and of a substance that has thus far ijerfectly endured the test of exposure. While in the semi-liquid state the cement readily takes any desired color, and may thus be adajoted to nearly all the requirements of decorative architecture. The Villa Zorayda was also the first modern building to be erected after the Moorish order. Over the entrance is an Arabic inscription, signifying "There is no Conqueror but God " — the motto of Mohammed Aben Alahmas, founder of the Alhambra. The interior has the traditional open court with double galleries, and all is decorated in the Moorish style, many of the motives having been derived from the Alhambra itself, and from other famous buildings of similar design. The Alameda Hotels. It is not the province of a general guide-book to make distinctions in the matter of hotels, but the Alameda grouj^ is so remarkable that it seems no more than right that an exception should be made. The Alameda 168 SAIXT AUGUSTINK. itself is an open Plaza with asphalt drives, footways, foun- tains, and parterres of tropical plants. On the north side is the Ponce de Leon, on the south the Alcazar, on the east the Cordova, and on the west the Villa Zorayda. The present appearance of this Plaza is due to the foresight of Mr. Henry M. Flagler and to his choice of architects, Messrs. Carrere & Hastings, of New York — neither could have achieved the present result without the other. The architecture of the Ponce de Leon is Spanish — not Moorish, as is sometimes erroneously said. It represents the best school of Spanish art, and instead of being a copy of any existing examples is the result of conscientious study of l^rinciples that have made famous the cathedrals, universi- ties, and palaces of classic Spain. The Ponce de Leon faces 380 feet on the Alameda, and 520 feet on Cordova and Seville Streets. The main building with its accessory portico surrounds a court 150 feet square, with a central fountain and carefully tended beds of flowers. On three sides of the court rise the arched galleries, quaint windows, and red-tiled roofs of the main building, while across the fourth side, that toward the Alameda, stretches a roofed portico, which is in fact a continuation of the main lower galleries. Above all this rises the central dome, and above this again lofty square towers with pointed tinial roofs, shaded balconies, and admirable decoi'ative devices in iron and terra cotta. To describe the vast establishment in detail is impracti- cable, but a few words are called for regarding the rotunda and the dining-hall. Just within the front or main door- way are the spacious vestibule and rotunda, opening a fine perspective of columns, caryatides and rich decoration, lead- ing by a short flight of steps into the diuing-hall beyond. The pavement of the rotunda and its adjacent corridors is a marble mosaic, small fiagments set in cement and arranged in tasteful patterns. The wainscot is of Numidiau marble. The central dome or rotunda rises in four interior galler- ies, with arcades agreeably varied in the successive stories. The whole is supported by four piers and eight columns of solid oak, carved in caryatid figures of remarkable grace and SAIN'T AUGUSTINE. 16'.' beauty. These are arranged in groups of fours, standing back to back, and admirably posed to convey at once an idea of strength and lightness. The decorative standing figures painted on the interspaces of the second story are typical of Adventure, Discovery, Con- quest, and Civilization. The seated figures represent Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Adventure wears an eagle-crested hel- met with a cuirass, and holds a drawn sword, while behind her a sheaf of arrows radiate to form a background. Dis- covery holds a globe in her right hand and rests her left upon a tiller, her sea-blue robe contrasting with sails and cordage. Conquest is in full panoply of mail with helmet and red draperies, and the gleam of poniards in the back- ground. Civilization is clad in white, with an open book and the symbols of Christianity as accessories. Of the seat- ed figures Earth is in a russet robe with fruits and flowers and peacocks of gorgeous jDlumage, while, by way of con- trast, Air holds two eagles in leash and with translucent draperies of pale blue seems the incarnation of airiness and light. Fire, auburn-haired and clothed in red, stands amid tongues of flame grasping a blazing torch, with fire-endur- ing salamanders in arabesques around her. Water stands uiaon a shell to which are harnessed sea-horses. Her robes are pale green and white, and all the accessories are sugges- tive of the sea and its mystery. The decoration of the upper stories is less conspicuous until the dome is reached, where Cuj^ids join hands around the lower rim, and the highest vault is beautifully modelled in delicate patterns of white and gold, with armor and sails, and eagles soaring above all. A massive yet graceful archway of red Verona marble, with spandrel patterns in variegated mosaics, leads to the great dining-hall, a room so well proportioned that its noble dimensions are at first hardly suspected, and so bold in de- sign and rich in decoration that, though finished in 1887, it is already famous among students of architectui-e. The ex- treme dimensions are 90 by 150 feet, with seats for 800 guests. The central section of the hall is .square, with an arched or semi-cylindrical ceiling — technically an elliptical barrel- 170 SAINT AUGUSTINK. vault. At the sides this arch is suiJi^orted by rows of oak columns, and beyond the columns are spacious alcoves, form- ing a jjart of the grand hall and yet sufficiently separated from it to prevent the sense of too great space, so often a characteristic of large dining-rooms. The ceilings of the alcoves are comparatively low, and each is bounded at tlie wings by great bay windows through which tlie daylight streams in subdued radiance, and which at night ]-eflect gleams of blue and gold from the electric globes overhead. The decorations of the central arch will command the at- tention of every appreciative visitor. In the spandrels of the side arclies are the four seasons, duplicated though not repeated. Spring on one side is sowing grain, on the other she holds early flowers and opening buds. Summer on the right is in the shade of trees, on the left the grain and sickle suggest industry. One Autunm personates the vintage, the other the harvest, and Winter appears in the double role of a woodcutter and a master of festivities. In the semicircular spaces over the musicians' galleries are Spanish ships in all the glory of gala attire, and in quaint letters on wall and ceiling are Spanish proverbs, suggestive mainly of good cheer (see below). On the ceilings of the alcoves the history of Florida is most ingeniously worked out in a series of what may perhaps be termed conventionalized Indian hieroglyphics. Here may be found the triumphant caravels of Ponce de Leon, the wrecked vessels of Narvaez, the fleur-de-lis of Huguenot France, the lion of Spain, the rude fort of the early settle- ment, the cross of St. George, the naval bombardments, the sieges, and finally the American national emblems closing the record with the year 1821. A happier conception than this picture-written history of Florida it were hard indeed to find, and the skill and in- genuity with which it has been realized are deserving of the highest praise. With the aid of the summaries given else- where almost every event of considerable importance may be found represented in the beautiful tracery of these alcoves. Inscriptions, Mottoes, Etc. — The various inscriptions in Latin and Spanish are interesting, and often perplexing to SAINT AUGUSTINE. 171 vfsitox's. Many of the shields bear simply the uames of cities and provinces of Spain, and need no translation. In the court-yard, near the west entrance, is a terra cotta shield with this inscription : Con lo que Sagno sang Do- 31INGO ADOLECE — What is one man's meat is another man's jjoison (literally, " What keeps Sagno well makes Domingo sick"). At the eastern entrance : Oveja qve b.vla bocado pierde — The sheep that bleats misses a bite. On the escutcheons at right and left of the entrance from court to rotunda : No se HACEN TORTILLAS SIN KOMPER HUEVos — You Can't make om- elettes without breaking eggs ; Qcien quando puede no QUIERE, QUANDO QUIERE NO PUEDE — He that will UOt wllCU he may, may not when he will. BiEN Venido — Welcome, is the legend that greets the visitor who enters from the drive-way. On the first landing of the steps leading from rotunda to dining-room is the concluding verse of William Shenstone's ode " Written at an Inn at Henley," probably about 1710 : Whoe'er has travelled life's dull round, Where'er his stages may have been, May sigh to think he still has found The warmest welcome at an inn. Over the main entrance to the dining-room is a shield in- scribed : Justicia hechobes contra Alava Mal — Alava dooms those who strive against liei'. In the dining-room on the west side of the central arch are four Si^anish proverbs : A>nGO viejo tocino y vino anejo — An old friend is both meat and drink ; Quien primero LLEGA esela calza — First come first served ; De la mano a la BOCA SE pierde LA soPA — There's many a slip 'twixt the ciijj and the lip (literally, " Between the hand and the mouth the soup is lost ") ; El buen \t;no no ha sienester pregonero — Good wine needs no bush. On the east side of the arch are these : Oveja que bala BOCADO pierde — The sheep that bleats misses a bite ; Re- MUDA DE PASTURAGE RACE BizzEROs C0RD03 — Change of feed 172 SAINT AUGUSTINE. makes fat cattle ; Quien mlcho abraza poco aprieta — He who gias^js much, keeps but little ; Quien mas sabe, mas CALLA — Who knows most says least. In the west alcove, over and above the arches, near the bay windows, are shields, inscribed for the most part with the arms, names, and mottoes of Spanish cities. Here and there are legends as : Cadiz — Hercules dominator fundator, in recognition of the Phoenician Hercules, as the fabled founder and ruler of the ancient town. Soria cabeza l>e ESSORiA PURA REMADURA, a punning motto of the town and l^rovince of Soria. On the semicircular ceiling of the west alcove are four signs of the zodiac — Scorpio, Saggitarius, Leo, Virgo, and many of the famous names identified with the early history of Florida. The corresponding spaces in the eastern alcove bear the four signs, Pisces, Aquarius, Taurus, Gemini, with historical names and dates ingeniously repeated in varied form, with names and arms of cities, including that of Huelva, a mari- time city in Spain, in Latin : Huelva, et terr^ custodia PORTUS maris — Huelva, entrance of the sea and guardian of the land. The frescoes and mural decorations are by Messrs. Thomas Hastings, George W. Maynard, and H. T. Schladermundt. The whole building is in keeping with the magnificence of which a brief and inadequate description has been at- tempted regarding two of the princij^al divisions, but no de- tailed general account can here be given. The visitor should not fail to visit the tower and roof terraces, and permits can be obtained at the office to inspect the kitchens, laundries, and other domestic departments. Facing the Ponce de Leon, on the opposite side of the Ala- meda, is the Alcazar, an adjunct of the main hotel, the work of the same architects, and like it in the Spanish renaissance style. The name is from the Al-Kasr (House of Cpesar), but the design is original and wholly unlike that of the famous Palace of Seville. The general plan embraces an interior court with a garden and fountains, surrounded by open ar- cades, sho^js, and offices, and a large restaurant. Bev'-:^^! SAINT AUGUSTINE. 173 are magnificent swimming-baths of water drawn from an ar- tesian well, aerated to free it from the odor of sulphur, and turned at once into the bath, where it falls in a sheet of beautifully clear greenish water, exactly at the right tem- perature for swimming. Beyond the bath are courts for tennis and croquet, where there are yearly matches and toui'naments of interest to all lovers of these games. The lodging-rooms in the Alcazar are all provided with private baths, and are charged at a fixed rate, on what is termed in America the " European plan." An excellent res- taurant is connected with the establishment, but guests are free to go where they please for meals. The Alcazar is open throughout the year. The Hotel Cordova (formerly known as the Casa Monica) was the first of the Alameda group. Like its neighbors, it is monolithic, but its style of architecture differs from theirs in that it is suggestive of the arts of war rather than of peace. Its architect is Mr. F. W. Smith, of Boston, to whom is due the credit of having made the first experiments in the composition of coquina concrete. The motives for the heavy battlemented walls and towers are found in the castles of Moorish Spain. The northern entrance is an adaptation of the Puerto del Sol of Toledo, and the balconies are after those said to have originated in Seville, and known as " kneeling balconies." They are said to have been designed by Michael Angelo, for the convenience of devotees, who desired to kneel during the passage of religious in-ocessions. The City Gates. All that remains of the ancient defences of St. Augustine stands at the head of St. George Street ; two solid, square posts — for they are not high enough to be termed towers — flanked by a few yards of coquina wall. The stone sentry-boxes still remain in the interior buttresses. According to tradition, a guardhouse once stood just within, and a drawbridge crossed the moat. Only a few yards of wall now remain flanking the gates, and it is not known how far, in its best estate, it extended. The most formidable of the fortifications defended the land approach, and substantial earthworks once reached from river to river, the exterior 174 SAINT AUGUSTINE. slojie of tlift parapnfc being covered Avitli a dense growth of Spanish bayonet, tlirongh which it is well-nigh impossible to force a passage. Old engravings of the city show it as a completely walled town, and the visitor may find on some of the ancient tombstones in the cemetery Latin inscriptions containing the word oppidiim, which was often used to dis- tinguish a walled town from one without such defences. The coquina dwellings of the present town are largely com- posed of material plundered from still older structures, and there is no way of determining how many roods of city wall were taken by builders who cared nothing for Spanish relics. The i^resent gateway was the princijDal entrance, was strongly guarded, and rejDeatedly saved the town from the sudden onslaught of savage or civilized foes. The Coast. Between the mouth of St. John's River and St. Augustine Inlet, the coast is an iinbroken sand beach nearly forty miles long, backed by scrub-covered sand hills and strewn with the wreckage of centuries. For walking, riding, driving, or wheeling no highway made by mortal hands can approach this superb beach during the hours when the tide is not at its highest. The coast is monotonous, to be sure, but the sea is ever beautiful in color, and there are always objects of interest for the lover of nature. Off shore the water deepens quickly, and mariners, when once they have cleared the shoals at either inlet, may confidently run down the beach within half a mile of the breakers. Four- teen miles south of St. John's Light are the sources of Guano Fiver, in Diego Plains, a short distance inland from the beach. This stream flows into Tolomato or North River, a tributary of St. Augustine Inlet. It follows the beach all the way at a distance of one-quarter of a mile until it joins the Tolomato, when the distance is one to two miles. Its headwaters may be approximately located from the beach or from a vessel by noting the greater distance of the woods from the coast. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 175 31. Saint Anastasia, familiarly called Anastasia Island, is the nakiral breakwater of St. Augustine. It is nearly fourteen miles long, and at the widest part, not far from the inlet, is nearly two miles across. Four miles farther south it narrows to a mere strip of scrub-covered beach. For the most part the island is covered with a dense growth, into which few explorers will wish to penetrate after five or ten minutes of faithful elfort. With the aid of good dogs or a good guide it is still possible to find deer on the island, but only in certain places known to the initiated. The Spaniards found it necessary at an early date to main- tain a lookout on the island. At that time nearly all navi- gators — friends and foes — approached from the southward, and from the town such sails could not be seen until close at hand. The first structures were of tall tree-trunks, with a " crow's-nest " or platform at top. Such an one betrayed the existence of the town to Sir Francis Drake, in 1586 (see p. 138). Subsequently a coquina tower was erected, but still with the original idea of a lookout, or perhaps a com- bined watch-tower and blockhouse, for the wily Seminole was not long in discovering lonely vedettes in exposed i^osi- tions. A gun was mounted there after a time, and flag sig- nals were made by an established code, whereby the city was notified of friend or foe. It was not until the United States came into possession that a regular lighthouse was estab- lished. The old Spanish tower was rebuilt and utilized for the purpose, and the lantern was first lighted in 1823. This tower stood a short distance northeast of the present light, rnd was originally half a mile from the beach. The sea ;';radually encroached, however, and in June, 1880, a violent gale undermined the walls, and the ruins still cover the rocky point south of the railroad station. Here visitors usually make their first acquaintance with coquina in its natural form. The present light tower, officially known as St. Augustine Light, stands in latitude 29° 53' 7" N., longitude 8V 17' 12" "W. The nearest light to the northward is at the mouth 176 SAINT AUGUSTINE. of St. John's liiver, 80 miles ; the nearest to the southward is at Mosquito Inlet, 60 miles. The light is of the first order, and shows a fixed white light, varied by a white fia.sh every three minutes. It is visible at sea 19 nautical miles. The base of the tower is 15 feet above the sea-level, and the centre of the lantern is 150 feet above the base. The tower is accessible to visitors at all times, except when some uniisual duty prevents the keepers from attending. The view from tlie gallery is the best that can be obtained of the iulet and the adjacent coasts. The peculiar painting of the tower in spiral bands is adopted so that it can be readily distinguished from any other landmark on the coast — an important feature in light- house construction, since a momentary sight is often all that can be obtained in thick weather. The seaward shore of the island is known as the South Beach. At the railroad station it is somewhat steeper than most Florida beaches, but beyond the site of the old light- house it becomes hard enough for riding and driving. Tlie coquina quarries are one mile and a half south- east from the lighthouse. They may be reached by a fairly good path (twenty-five minutes), either by following the beach to the rocky jDoint and then striking inland, or by a path from the lighthouse, or by a path from Quari-y Creek, which falls into Matanzas River three-quarters of a mile below the Plaza in St. Augustine. The last-mentioned tri]} makes a pleasant excursion from the city by boat, including a walk of about two miles going and returning. The quarries are interesting as showing the stratifications of the coquina (Spanish for shell-fish). The small shells are the accu- mulations of ages. Acted upon by water they become par- tially dissolved, and then, diying, are firmly cemented to- gether in a solid mass. The loose shells are found in vast quantities on some of the neighboring beache.5. The seaward coast of Anastasia Island offers no obstacles to navigation after clearing the shoals at either end. The three fathom curve is but half a mile from the beach, and shallow boats are in safe depth just outside the breakers. About three miles north of Matanzas Inlet, and two miles SAINT AUGUSTINE. 177 oflf shore, the manner is sometimes startled by the sight of l)reakers under his bow where no danger is indicated on the chart. One who is familiar with the phenomenon, however, may calmly steer directly over the apparent obstacle, for there arc twenty-one fathoms of water in the midst of the breakers, and nine fathoms all around it. The disturbance is caused by a boiling spring, such as occur frequently on the main- land of Florida. When directly over or to leeward of the breakers the odor of sulphuretted hydrogen may be per- ceived, suggesting the same source as the artesian wells common on the main land. The volume of water varies from time to time, and of course the disturbance at the surface of the sea is more apparent at low tide than at high tide. Sometimes it is not visible at all. The exact bearing of the spring from Matanzas Inlet is N. by E. i E., distant 3i miles. It may be readily found in calm weather with the aid of a pocket compass. St. Augustine Inlet is three-eighths of a mile wide. On the north is North Point, on the south is Black Point, the north- ern extremity of Anastasia Island. Outside the inlet, shift- ing shoals make out a mile and a half, and the bar is very variable. Generally ten feet may be carried through the South Channel, which is the deeper of the two. Sharpies of any size can pass in or out at any time of tide, the mean rise and fall of which is 3 ft. G in. to 4 ft. 9 in., greatly influenced, however, by the direction of the wind. The main channel runs close along the outer beach of Anastasia Island, with a swift current at the ebb and flow of tide. Inside, the inlet divides into Tolomato and Matanzas Rivers, the former finding its source, as has been stated, four- teen miles up the beach. Sail-boats may ascend the Tolo- mato about eight miles, and row-boats still farther. Bird Island. To the south of the inlet, half a mile oflf shore, is Bird Island, a sand bar of recent formation, which appears to be increasing in extent and height from year to year. It was formerly a great resort for wild-fowl, but the free use of modern breech-loading fire-arms has frightened mo.st of them to less frequented shores. Bird Island is often visited in fair weather for the sake of the sea-shells that are 178 SAINT AUGUSTINE. ilirown np iii great variety by every easterly blow. With a fair wind the run may be made in an hour from Ht. Augustine. North Beach. Opposite Anastasia Island is North Beach. The point of laud is two miles (half an hour) from the Plaza. Launches aud sail-boats make frequent trips, fare 25c. The outer beach is rich in sea-shells, strewn with wreckage, and offers a tempting surface for walking or riding as far as the eye can reach. The North Beach Railroad runs frequent trains from the Union Station, crossing Tolomato River on a bridge, and landing passengers within a few steps of the beach. 33. Matanzas River and Inlet, sejiarating Anastasia Island from the mainland, is thirteen miles long to Matanzas Inlet, and has an average width of one-eighth to one-quarter of a mile. There is only three feet of water at the "divide" at low tide, and six feet is about the limit of draught that can be taken through at av- erage high water. The rest of the channel is deep, though narrow. A pleasant excursion is down this stream to Matan- zas Inlet and return. It is practically an all-day trip, though, with a favoring wind or in a launch, the round trip may be made in five hours with time for a short stop at the inlet. One mile south of the Plaza is the movith of Quariy Creek (see p. 154). The portion of Anastasia Island south of this is known as Fish's Island, though really not separated from Anastasia. This tract is the old Fish estate. The original owner, Jesse Fish, came from Flatbush, N. Y., prior to 1763, during the first Spanish period, and his descendants still own the place. This estate includes the most valuable part of the island, and its orange groves were once among the finest in the State. Mr. Fish made many improvements, and his jjlantation was celebrated during the period of British supremacy. The old planter died and was buried on his own acres, and his tomb is shown almost hidden by sxir- rounding orange-trees. Four miles farther south, on the mainland, is Moultrie, the site of Buena Yista, another famous old plantation, the 8AINT AUGUSTINE. 170 property, in British times, of Lieutenant-Governor John Moultrie, who was an active loyalist, while his brother, Will- iam Moultrie, of Charleston, S. C, was so prominent a rebel that the British brought him to St. Augustine as a pris- oner. No doubt the brothers had memorable meetings during the i^eriod of confinement. Buena Vista was fortified in the early days, and later a regular fort was built, which was occupied as one of the outposts of St. Augustine. Here, in 1823, was executed the treaty of Fort Moultrie, be- tween the Government of the United States and the Semi- nole Indians. Alleged infractions of this treaty were among the causes of the Seminole War (1835-42). Near Matanzas Inlet, on an island, are the picturesque ruins of an old Spanish fort, of unknown date. Here the Spaniards first and the English afterward kept a small gar- rison to prevent the surprise of St. Augustine from this direction. On these shores, more than three centuries ago, was enacted one of the darkest tragedies of Floridian history. In 1564 a colony of French Huguenots under Bene de Laudonniere fortified themselves on the St. John's River. In August of the following year Pedro Menendez d'Aviles with a strong Spanish force established himself at St. Augus- tine (see p. 135), having orders from his king to make war against the French. Almost simultaneously reinforcements for Laudonuiere had arrived in a French fleet under Jean Ribaut (see p. 120), who at once assumed the offen.sive. On September 10th he appeared off St. Augustine with a powerful armament, but a protracted storm compelled him to put to sea and the whole squadron was wrecked in the neighborhood of Canaveral. Giving thanks to Heaven for this signal interposition, though he was at the time unaware of the completeness of the French disaster, Menendez marched to Fort Caroline, where he surprised and slew most of the garrison (see page 123). Returning at once to St. Augustine he soon heard of the shipwrecked Frenchmen on the coast to the southward. Marching to Matanzas Inlet ho bivouacked within sight of the French camp-fires and awaited the dawn. The ship- .180 SAINT AUGUSTINE. "wrecked Frenclimeu, ignorant of the fate of Fort Caroline, were cautiously making their way thither. Menendez had but about sixty men with him, while the French numbered from 140 to 200, authorities differ. A parley followet], and a party of French officers crossed over in a small boat and told jNIenendez their story of recent shipwreck and ijresent starvation, asking for treatment as prisoners of war. " Are you Catholics ? " asked Menendez. " We are Lutherans," was the reply, given doubtless with sinking hearts. "Gentlemen," said Menendez, "your fort is taken, and all in it are pxat to the sword." And no assurance of clemency would he give, save that, if the French surrendered, he would, to quote his own report, " do with them as the Lord should order." After further consultation, the French de- cided that surrender was their only hope, and, having de- livered up their arms, they were brought over in small parties. As they landed, each detachment was marched out of sight behind the sand dunes, where their hands were securely tied. It was late in the afternoon before the whole band, disarmed and helpless, stood before their relentless captor, ready for the march. At this point Mendoza, the l^riest, i^ut in a plea for the lives of Catholics, and twelve Breton sailors professing that faith were released, with foiir artisans of whom the Sjianiards were in great need. These were sent to St. Augustine by boat, while the rest, with gloomy i:)remonitions of their fate, and guarded by the Span- ish men-at-arms, followed Menendez, who, with a cane in his hand, walked in advance. As the sun sank he halted in a se- cluded sjaot among the sand dunes, and drew a line on the ground with his cane. Darkness was falling when the prisoners came up, and, again to cite the words of Menendez' Cciria, " I had their hands tied behind their backs, and themselves put to the sword. It appeared to me that, by thus chastising them, God our Lord and your Majesty were served ; whereby in future this evil sect will leave us more free to plant the gospel in these parts." The precise locality of this savage deed has never been known, and onlv bv accident can it be discovered. SAINT AUGtrfTIXE. 181 But Menendez had not yet finished liis work. He sus- pected that other ships had beeu wrecked farther down the coast, and wliile their crews were at large he could not feel secure, since his own forces were scattered, some at sea, some at Fort Caroline, and only about one hundred and fifty men at hand for service. The next day Indians brought news of another detachment of Frenchmen at Matanzas, and midnight found the fierce Spaniards again awaiting their prey. At daybreak Eibaut and his men — for the commander-in- chief was with this detachment — were seen making prepara- tions to cross the river on a raft. On discovering the Span- iards the French drums beat and the trumpets sounded, but Menendez told his men to cook their breakfast uncon- cernedly. After some preliminaries Eibaut, with eight gentlemen, crossed over in a canoe and were courteously re- ceived by Menendez, who refreshed them with food and wine. Then he led the French commander to where the bodies of his late comrades lay among the sand hills. Nego- tiations followed, lasting until the next day, and Eibaut was led to believe that he had effected an arrangement whereby the lives of himself and his men should be spared. The French, however, some three hundred and fifty in number, were not all of a like mind, and in the end only one hundred and fifty surrendered. The remaining two hundred marched southward, preferring to face the wilderness rather than trust the Spaniard. In the morning Eibaut reported the result, and the canoe began its long task of ferrying over the prisoners. Before the first boat load arrived, however, Eibaut was led behind a sand hill and his hands were tied! The act re- vealed the intention of the Spaniard. At length all were brought over^70 says Menendez, 150 says Solis. Then came the cmcial question, " Are you Catholics or Lutherans ? and is there anyone among you who will go to confession ? " "I and all here are of the Eeformed Faith," answered Eibaut, and then he recited a Psalm. "We are of earth," he continued, according to the Spanish narrator (Solis)^ 182 SAINT AUGUSTINR "and to earth we must return ; twenty years more or less can matter little." Then turning to Menendez he said he Avas ready, and the scene of two days before was repeated on a larger scale. " I saved the lives," says Menendez in his Carta, " of two young gentlemen aboxxt eighteen years of age, as well as of three others, the fifer (see p. 139), the drammer, and the trum- peter, and I caused Jean Ribaut with all the rest to be put to the sword, judging this to be expedient for the service of God our Lord and of your Majesty." The foregoing account of these massacres is from the Spanish authorities, as cited by Parkman in his " Huguenots in Florida." The accounts of the few French survivors coincide in all essential particulars. For an account of the signal vengeance subsequently visited upon the Spaniards by Domenique de Gourgues, a French Huguenot, see p. 120. 3Iatanzas Inlet has only about six feet of water at high tide and in easterly weather the sea often breaks entirely across the entrance. It is, however, practicable for sail- boats and sharpies. Matanzas River extends eight or ten miles south of the Inlet, finding its source in Graham's Swamp. Fellicer's Creek joins it near the Inlet. Sportsmen sometime!? find good shooting along these streams, which may be ascended in canoes or very light boats far up toward their source. Care should be taken not to be left by the tide, as a night spent in the swamps is not an agreeable experience. 34. St. Augustine to Jacksonville (see p. 110). 35. St. Augustine to Palatka. By J., T. & K. W. Ry. Thirty miles (1 hoar 40 minutes). The general course of the route is southwest. Crossing the prairies to the west of Matanzas River the Tocoi branch di- verges to the right and enters a long stretch of piney woods, gradually rising and interspersed with occasional hammocks. Between Holy Branch and Merrifield we cross Deep Creek and shortly aftei'ward approach the richer lands bordering St. John's River. At East Palatka Junction change cars if bound for Halifax River, otherwise the train crosses St. SAINT AUGUSTINE. 183 John's Eiver to the i^rinciisal station near the steamboat whai'f in Palatka (p. 188). Consult local time table. About six hours can be spent in Palatka if it is desired to re- turn the same day to St. Augustine. Visit Hart's orange grove, drive through the suburbs north and south of Palatka. 38. Jacksonville to Palatka. By J., T. & K. W. Ky., 56 miles {2 hours 5 minutes'), for stations and dis- tances, see pages 17, 25". 82. By St. John's River steamboats, 75 miles (about 6 hours), for landings and distances, see page 186. Bi/ Bail to Palatka. The general course of the line is nearly north and south, following to some extent the curves of the St. John's Eiver, and never more than three or four miles from its western bank. The stream, however, is rarely in sight, owing to the almost continuous belt of pine fore.st (see map of Duval County, page 21:), Shortly after leaving the station at Jacksonville the line curves to the southward, passing through a level country, with occasional villages and orange groves. Three miles beyond Edgewood we cross HcGirt's Creek on a trestle, and if the day be warm and the traveller in luck he may here catch his first glimpse of the Florida alligator. Two miles south of Read's the train passes into Clay County (see page 14). Just beyond Black Creek Station is the stream from which it takes its name, navigable to Middleburg, six miles west, where it divides into two main bi'anches, and these again into nu- merous small ones, draining nearly the whole of Clay County, and affording access by small boats to a wild and beautiful lake region in the southwestern part of the county. For Green Cove Springs see page 187. At Melrose Crossing, just south of Green Cove Springs, is the Western Railroad of Florida to Belmore, fifteen miles southwest. Shortly after leaving West Tocoi, the line passes into Put- nam County (see page 80 for map, stations, and distances). The large stream crossed two miles beyond Teasdale is Rice's Creek, which rises among the lakes of the north- western part of the county. This stream is navigable for 184 .SAINT AUCiUSTINK. launches and small l):)a;s, and is one of the favorite excur- sions for visitois at Palatka. 39. Jacksonville to Palatka by River. This part of the St. John's River is in effect almost a con- tinuous lake, often several miles wide, and again narrowing to less than a mile. As a rule, the banks are somewhat monotonous, though there is always more or less of interest in the changing vegetation along the shores and in the var- ied forms of life almost always to be seen in air or water. Shooting is very properly prohibited on all passenger steam- ers. Formerly it was carried to such excess that the river trip was often a continuous fusillade. Several accidents, one of which resulted fatally, at last compelled a reform of the abuse. Just above the railroad drawbridge at Jacksonville the river bends abruptly to the southward, between Grassy Point on the east and Lancaster Point on the west. The cluster of three piles, painted red, marks the lower end of Middle Ground Shoal. To the eastward are the wooded bluffs of Villa Alexandria, one of the finest private estates in the neighborhood of Jacksonville. A triangular red beacon bearing a red light at night marks the upper end of the Middle Ground Shoal. On the east bank, two miles above Grassy Point, is Phillip's Point, with a steamboat landing. Nearly opposite, on the west bank, is the mouth of McGirt's Creek, and just above it Sadler's Point. Three and a half miles farther south is Piney Point, marked by tall pines showing above the surrounding trees. Just above Piney Point, on the same side of the river, is the set- tlement and landing of Black Point, and nearly opposite is the mouth of Goodsby's Creek. The next landing and set- tlement south of Black Point is Mulberry Grove, and across the river, nearly opposite, is Beauclerc Bluff, a conspicuous, heavily wooded jiromontory, off which stands a black beacon (No. 21). Two miles above this is Mandarin Point, and on the same side are the toYfU a^d lauding of Mandarin, formerly the SAINT AUGUSTINE. 185 residence of Mrs. Harriet Beeclier Stowe. A little above Mandarin a black and red buoy marks the wreck of the steamer Maple Leaf, and nearly opposite, just north of the entrance to Doctor's Lake is Orange Park, with a long wharf reaching out to the channel. The next reach in the river is from Mandarin on the east to Magnolia Point on the west bank (six and one-half miles) aver- aging one and one-half to two miles in Avidth. Julington and Cunningham's Creeks enter on the east bank. Four miles farther south on the same side is New Switzerland Point, heavily wooded and identified by a single tree standing out beyond the rest. Opposite, on the west bank, is Hibernia, above which, one mile and three-quarters, is the mouth of Black Creek (navigable to Middleburg, seme eight miles in the interior) and Magnolia Point a high bliift' bank with heavy woods. On the east bank, nearly opposite, is Popo Point, with Piemington Park and a steamboat landing. Turning Magnolia Point a reach of six miles opens south- east to Six Mile Point. On the west bank, two and three- quarter miles distant, are the hotels and many buildings of Green Cove Springs (see page 187). Above this landing, one mile and three-quarters, is red beacon No. 38, marking Old Field Point on the west and San Patricio Point on the east bank. South of the last named point a deep bight makes in, called Hogarth's Bay, into which empties Six Mile Creek. Beyond this the river narrows to a mile as far as Picolata Point, and the town of Picolata on the east bank. At this place, and at a point on the opposite side of the river, forts were maintained during the period of Spanish rule. They were successfully defended against the English under Oglethorpe in December, 1739, but were taken in January following as preliminary to the siege of St. Augus- tine (see page 142). The remains of the earthworks can still be traced, but they are not easily found by a stranger. From Picolata Point the river is nearly straight for ten miles to Federal Point on the east bank. It varies in width from three-quarters of a mile to two and one-half miles. Three miles south of Picolata are Orange Point, Tocoi Creek, and Tocoi, in the order named. The town is the terminus 186 SAINT AUfiUSTINE. of the St. John's Kaihvay, 18 miles to 8t. Augustine. Ka- cey's Point is three miles above Tocoi, on the same side of the river. Nearly opposite, entering from the westward, is Cedar Creek, and above this on the west bank is Nine Mile Point, off which stands red beacon No. 44. One mile far- ther south is Palmetto Bluff. Federal Point on the east bank may be identified by black buoy 35, which is placed a little to the north of the landing. From Federal Point to Dancy's Point, south by west three and one-half miles, the river is about a mile wide. Opposite the town of Orange Mills is an extensive flat island, or marsh, with a channel on either side. On the west bank are Bo- dine's Point and Whetstone Point, in the order named. Off the latter is a cluster of three piles, with a red light set at night. Another stretch of three and three-quarter miles west southwest brings us np with Forrester's Point on the east bank and the mouth of Rice's Creek opposite, where, with a sharp sweep to south by east, Palatka comes in sight with its railroad bridge three miles distant. (For Palatka and vicinity, see p. 188.) This point is considered the head of navigation for sailing vessels, as the river becomes so narrow and crooked in its upper reaches that only steamboats can navigate it to advan- tage. It is, however, the most interesting to tourists, owing to the nearness of the banks and the increasingly tropical character of the vegetation. Rive}- landings and distances between Jacksonville and Palatka are as follows ; those on the east bank are marked E, those on the west W : Miles. [ Mii.es. St. Nichoks, E 2 Orange Dale, E 34 Riverside, W 3 Hogarth's Landing, E 38 Black Point, W 10 Picolata, E 44 Mulberry Grove, W 12 Tocoi, E 46 Mandarin. E 15 Federal Point, E 58 Oransre Park, W 15 Oranse Mills. E 63 Fruit Cove, E 19 Cook's Landing, E 65 Hibernia, W 23 Daucv's Wharf, E 66 New Switzerland. E 23 Russell's Point, E 6T R-'mington Park, E 25 : Whetstone, W 68 Masruoiia, W 23 1 Russell's Landing, E 69 Green Cove Springs, W 30 1 Palatka, W 75 For landings, etc., above Palatka, see Route 51. GREEN COVE SPRINGS. 187 40. Grreeu Cove Springs, Clay County. Population, 1,200. Twenty-nine miles from Jacksonville, twenty-seven miles from Palatka. Hotels.— Clare, $3 to S4 a day.— Clarendmi, $i a day.— llorganza, $1.50 to $2 a day. — St. Clair, J3 to §4. — The Fines, S3 a day. Also several smaller hotels and boarding-houses. Railroads and Steamboats.— Several trains north and south daily by J., T. & K. W. Ky. All the St. John's River steamboats touch at this landing. This town has been for many years a place of considerable resort, owing to its tine sulphur springs, and the natural ad- vantages of its situation. Even as seen from the windows of a passing train its attractions are evident, for considerable labor has been expended in laying out streets, fencing oflf parks with massive pine logs, and removing evidences of recent clearings. A short walk or ride from the station brings the visitor to Magnolia Avenue, the business street of the place. A short distance farther is the great spring, which discharges three thousand gallons of water every minute, at a temperature of 78^ F., the year round. The wonderful purity of the water, its gi'een, mysterious depths, reflections and colors are a source of never-ending pleasure. The water is slightly impregnated with sulphur, but loses it by evaporation after a short ex- posure to the air. Excellent bathing arrangements have been provided, and comfortable rustic seats are found at almost every turn. Borden Park, including about five acres, lies along the river on high ground with its native growth of magnolia, live oak, and palmetto, the rubbish only having been cleared away. It is private property, but open to the public, though a quaint inscription posted at the entrance may proiDeiiy prove discouraging to vandals. Much ingenu- ity has been displayed in the adaptation of natural tree- trunks for fences, gate-posts, tree-seats, and the like. On the river bank, and jDrojecting out over the w'ater, is a tree said to have been used as a lookout by the Seminoles during their wars, for this was one of their permanent camps. Be- yond the park a fascinating foot-path extends far along the river side and across Governor's Creek to Magnolia, one of the pleasantest resorts on the St. John's. Green Cove Springs contains many charming winter resi- 188 (iHEEN COVE SPRIN(;S— PALATKA. deuces, some of them snironnded with carefully tended gar- dens full of horticultural rarities, and most attractive to vis- itors from a colder climate. The town itself contains churches of all the leading de- nominations, schools, stores, livery stables, tramways. Ex- cursions may be made by boat up the river as far as Palatka, or down as far as Jacksonville, returning by boat or rail the same day, and on both sides of the river there are many points of interest easily within reach. 50. Palatka, Putnam County (C.H.). Population, 6,000.— Lat. 29° 38' N.— Long;. 81° 38' W. Hotels. — Arlington, $2. — Canova, $1.30. — Wtnthrop, $3. — Kean Building, Rooms 50c. — Putnam House, $4. — Saratoga, |3. — West End House, f 2 ; $8 to $10 by week. Railroads, Steamboats, etc.— The J., T. & K. W. system (to Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona, Gainesville, Tampa, Pnnta Gorda, etc. ). Stations for points north and south, 1 mile west from river ; station for points on sea- coast, etc., near steamboat wharf and railroad bridge. Through cars are run around the city, making connections without change'(see local time tables). Steatiihoats. — All the St. John's River steamboats land at the wharf near the railroad bridge. Ocklawaha steamboats land at the same wharf. Carriage fare from railways and steamboats, 2.5c. to any part of the city ; luggage, '25c. per piece. . Jjiver;/.— Saddle-horses, $1.50 a day if reasonably used. Double teams, $2 an hour, $5 a day. Roicboats, 25c. an hour, $1.50 to $2 a day. Sail-boats 50c. an hour, $3 a day. Steam launches can be chartered for |l5 to $25 a day, according to size of party and length of intended trip. Guidi'.s for hunting or fishing miy be engaged at the hotels or boat landings at $2.50 to $3 a day. TrarrL-cars at 10 minute intervals run between the railroad stations, fare 5c. History. Palatka was settled in 1821, by James Marver and two companions named Hine and Woodruff. They secured a Spanish grant and established a trading post for traffic with the Indians. Marver's store stood near the foot of Main Street, and no doubt the large live oaks on the bluff close at hand witnessed many a sharp bargain that brought gold into the white man's pocket. He was, however, a great favorite with his savage patrons, and had no difficulties with them during his stay. At some date not precisely fixed Dr. N. Bnish, of New York, purchased Marver's lands and interests and continued PALATKA. 189 the business, bis two nephews, Thomas and William Brush, being his agents. The post was sacked and burned promptly on the outbreak of the Seminole War in 1835, and the young men barely escaped with their lives. A military post was soon afterward established here, and in 1840 it was constituted a regular ordnance depot, with the barracks and shops necessary for a considerable garrison and for the repair of their arms and equipments. Eight large log block-houses were constructed along the line of Water Street, one of them with a watch-tower eighty feet high. The commanding officer's head-quarters were where the late Colonel Devall's house now stands. Cavalry stables for four hundred horses occupied the site of the Putnam House and a large hospital was erected on the Hart property. Among the officers quartered here were Scott, Taylor, Worth, and Gaines, who won distinction and rank in the sec- ond M'ar with Great Britain and in the early Indian war. Still younger were lieutenants W. T. Sherman, and Silas Casey, who saw their first field service in Florida and rose to the highest rank during the Civil War. After the subjugation of the Indians and the discontinuance of the military post, Palatka became the shipping point for the produce of the neighboring country. Prior to the com- pletion of the railroad in 1886 it was the most southerly lauding of any importance on the river, and soon became a favorite resort for invalids who sought a warmer climate and dreaded the cold easterly winds of the coast. By 1850 it was a delightful place of residence, with many handsome houses, some of which are still the finest in town. It was fairly embosomed in orange trees, and, being an outpost of civilization on the borders of an almost unbroken wilderness, offered great attractions to sportsmen. Its commercial pros- perity did not begin until after the Civil War, when it be- came the distribiiting centre for a wide tract of rich countiy, and with the advent of the railroad in 1886 became the busy and prosperous place that now exists. It suffered the fate of nearly all Florida towns, and was nearly destroyed by fire. Like its sisters, however, it rallied pluckih' from the disaster and was rebuilt on a more substantial basis. It may 190 PALATKA. now be reached in thirty-six hours from New York and will, no doubt, long maintain its position as the most impor- tant town on the river above Jacksonville. The visitor will find pleasant walks in either direction, north or south, along the river bank. The roads in the vi- cinity are rather sandy for driving, but equestrians may ride in almost any direction with the certainty of a pleasant ex- perience. The rivers and the neighboring lakes afford a great variety of delightful trips. (See Boutes 42 to 54.) HarCs Orange Grove, one of the oldest and most famous groves in the State, is on the opposite side of the river, about three miles from the wharves. It is easily reached by boat from the foot of Main Street. This grove was budded on wild stock about 1832, was badly damaged by the severe frost of 1835, and began bearing about 1845. It covers some 70 acres of land, contains about 500 trees, and yields about 12,000 boxes of oranges annually. 51. Lake George. This fine lake, about sixteen miles long and»eight miles wide, lies at the junction of four of the most fertile and prosperous counties of Florida, namely, Putnam, Lake, Vo- lusia, and Marion. Its outlet is about thirty-eight miles south of Palatka, and it may be reached either by boat or rail, the excursion affording a pleasant all day trij). The regular St. John's River steamboats may be taken to any of the Lake George landings, or the trip may be extended to Volusia, ^vhere the St. John's & Lake Eustis Railway touches the river, and train may be taken for Eustis, Leesburg, and the Lake region. The time to Volusia by boat is about four hours. Steam launches may be hired at Palatka, with which the round of the lake may be comfortably made in a day at an exi^euse of .S15 to §25. The trip may be varied by stop- ping at Seville Landing, about half way up the lake. Con- veyances may be secured by telegraphing to the hotel at Seville. Tlie distance from the landing to the railroad is about four miles. PALATKA. 191 52. The Fruitland Peninsula. This name is given to a tract of fine land lying between the St. John's Eiver and Lake George on the west, and Crescent Lake and its outlet, Dunn's Creek, on the east. It is about twenty miles long and from six to ten miles wide from lake to river. This territory was a favorite with the Ind- ian tribes of prehistoric times, whose agricultural instincts led them to select the best lands for their field crops. One of the oldest settlements on tlie St. John's River was formed under English rule at Mount Royal, in the latter part of the last century. Considerable progress was made in Eu- ropean methods of cultivation, but all lands were abandoned with the return of the Spaniards, and it was not until after the Seminole War that permanent white settlements were resumed. Now the whole peninsula is thickly dotted with farms and orange groves, and is one of the most thriving communities of Middle Florida. The peninsula consists of high pine land, interspersed with hammock, and admirably adapted for all kinds of agriculture. The large lakes to the eastward and westward, with the smaller bodies of water scattered through the interior, equalize the temperature to an unusual degree. Throughout the peninsula there are pleasant rides and drives, and conveyances or saddle-horses may be engaged at almost any of the principal river or lake landings. 53. Crescent Lake. Dunn's Creek, the outlet of Crescent Lake, falls into the St. John's about six miles south of Palatka. It is a deep, crooked, picturesque stream, eight miles long, and traversed daily by steamboats. The trip may be varied by passing through Murphy's Creek, a branch of the main outlet. The lake is sixteen miles long and three miles wide, fed at its upper end by Haw Creek, which forms the boundary be- tween St. John's and Volusia Counties, and sends its various 102 i'ALATKA— SEVILLE. branches well over toward the sea-coast near the head of Halifax Eiver. Crescent City, the principal town on the lake, is hand- somely laid out on the western shore, on high land, and with Lake Stella immediately to the westward of the town. The level of this lake is said to be forty feet higher than that of Crescent Lake. There is a road and regular conveyance from Crescent City to the railroad, but the lake steamers from Palatka afford tlie easier and pleasanter means of access. 54. Seville, Volusia County. Population, 400. Hotels. — The Seville, $3.50 a day ; special rates by week or month. — The Grand Vleuc. Seville, with its tasteful and characteristic log- built .sta- tion, and its jjalm- and orange-lined main street, at once at- tracts the eye of the Northern traveller, if only by a casual glance from tlie car window. The town is, in fact, one of the most attractive in Florida, owing to judicious and liberal outlay of money in providing a complete system of sewerage, and a water-supply drawn from a neighboring lake. The sewage is received in tanks, where the solids are precipitated by chemical action, and the liquids are carried off through subsoil pipes to the neighboring fields. The works were planned by Mr. J. J. Powers, late Sanitary Engineer of Brook- lyn, N. Y., and are identical in plan of construction with those that solved the very i^erplexing problem of sewerage at Coney Island, N. Y. The town site is at the southern end of the Fruitland Peninsula, in the midst of the high pine orange belt. Four miles west of the railroad station and hotels is Lake George, well known to hunters and fish- ermen. The town fronts on Lakes Louise and Beatrice, two sheltered lakes of pure water, whose shores afford most attractive sites for cottages and permanent residences. In the vicinity are nearly all the characteristic varieties of Flor- ida land. The hammock bordering the lake is very rich, and has for many years been known as especially favorable to the SEVILLE. 193 growth of the wild or Seville orange, the theory being that ail the wild orange-trees of Florida are seedlings from fruit imported by the Sjjaniards. The name Seville Grove was originally given to a considei'able section of this region com- prised in the old Storrs grant, and purchased by William Kemble Lente, one of the earliest Northern settlers in this region. The wild trees were topped and budded, and came into bearing in a surprisingly short time. It has since been equalled and surpassed by many groves in the vicinity, but is still justly regarded as a type of what can be done with wild orange- trees in this part of the State. Saddle-horses and carriages can be engaged at the hotel for drives about this very interesting, prosperous, and well- cultivated region. 55. Palatka to Sanford by Rail. J., T. & K. W. Ry., sixty-nine miles (2 hours 50 minutes). For stations and distances see pp. 82, 9T. The general direction of the railway line is a little east of south. Leaving Palatka the train traverses the level sub- urbs and, after a few minutes, crosses the St. John's Eiver on a long trestle and drawbridge. Here occurs a good op- portunity to observe the tangled growth of the low ham- mock bordering the river. A range of blufls, remarkably bold and high for this region, will be noticed at this point, their sides often covered with orange gi'oves. For twenty miles after crossing the river the railroad traverses the central ridge of the Fruitland Peninsula (see p. 191). At times the route seems lined with orange groves for miles on both sides, and in the season of fruit and blossoms the pano- rama is one not to be forgotten. Many pretty lakes break the monotony of grove and forest, most of them deep and full of water at all seasons of the year. Between Denver and Hammond the boundary line of Putnam and Volusia Counties is crossed (see jDp. 80, 94). At Seville notice the station, a genuine log-cabin adapted to the taste and requirements of civilization, the bark and 194 SEVILLE. knots smoothed away, the logs finished in oil, and all the rudeness of the frontier skilfully eliminated. (See, also, account of Seville, p. 192.) On both sides of the track are al- most continuous orange groves, the trees thriving on soil that to all appearance is nothing better than sand. Those who are interested in such matters will do well to stop in this neighborhood and inspect methods of orange culture, and, if it be the proper season, of harvesting, packing, and the like. At De Land Junction is the crossing of a branch road to the St. John's Eiver on the west and to De Land, the county seat, on the east (see Route 53). At Orange G'ttij Junction is the crossing of the Atlantic & Western Railroad, extending to the St. John's River on the west, and to New Smyrna on the east (see Route 63). At Enterprise Junction the train divides, part going eastward to Indian River (see Rotate 70), and jjart continuing to the southward and presently crossing the St. John's River just below the outlet of Lake Monroe. At this point is Monroe, the junction of the Orange Belt Railway (see p. 49). The line now curves to the east, and soon stops in the handsome station at San ford. 56. Palatka to Sanford by River. One hundred and twenty mOes (about 8 hours by daylight, 12 hours by night). Above the drawbridge at Palatka lies the most interesting part of the St. John's River. Here the stream loses its lacustrine character and becomes comparatively narrow and swift, and so crooked that the distance to Sanford is nearly double that by rail. Local time-tables should be con- sulted so as to secure a trip one way or the other by day- light. The night trip, however, is by no means devoid of interest, for the boats carry brilliant headlights which pro- duce striking and novel effects along the densely wooded shores. A good view of Hart's Orange Grove is obtained in passing (see p. 190). The vicinity of Rollestou was early SEVILLE. 195 settled by English i^ioneers, but was abantloned wlieu the Spaniards resumed control in 1784:. A little above Westouia is the mouth of Dunns Creek, the navigable outlet of Crescent Lake (see p. 191), and at Buffalo Bluff is the railroad drawbridge. Nearly opposite Beecher is the mouth of the Ocklawaha River. Beyond Fort Gates, a military post during the Indian wars, is the outlet of Lake George. The small island to the westward is Hog Island ; the larger one is Drayton Island, containing 1,870 acres of remarkabh* productive soil, under- laid with beds of carbonate and phosphate marl. The island was settled by E. W. Towle, in 1875, and now has a well-to- do poi^ulation of about one hundred and fifty. Orange cult- ure is very successful on the island, owing to the protection afiforded by the surrounding waters, and the inhabitants say that even the severe frost of 1886 passed over the island without doing any harm. On the west shore is the outlet of Lake Kerr, a beautiful, irregular body of water, with two towns on its shores. Lake George, eighteen miles long, affords an agreeable change from the narrow, winding stream, but in a short time the southern inlet is reached, and shortly afterward Volusia, the site of one of the early Spanish Missions. From De Land Landing is a short branch railroad to the county town (see p. 198). Bine Siwing Landing takes its name from a fine spring that boils up from iinknowu depths a few rods from the river bank. To visit the spring it is necessary to pass through private grounds, for which permission should be asked. From this landing the Atlantic °, falling to 50° or 60° under the influence of "northers." In its modern aspect Lake Worth dates back only to 1875, but the rich hammocks along the shores were evidently un- der civilized cultivation centuries ago. No record is known to exist of a European settlement, but the existence of canals and ruins points unmistakably to a forgotten period, prob- ably of Spanish occuj^ancy. The favored garden region of the lake is along its eastern shore, with the heavily wooded peninsula to serve as protec- tion from ocean gales, and a marvelloiisly jiroductive soil to foster the growth of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. All kinds of sea-fish abound in the lake ; bluefish, sea- trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, tarpon, and the multitudinous mullet are caught, or *' grained," accord- ing to their size and habits. Government surveys have been jnished only about twelve miles to the westward. The wilderness, speedily merging into the everglades, begins al- most with the lake shore. Beyond the ridge that bounds the view to the westward is a chain of fresh-water lakes, some twelve feet higher than the sea level ; then comes the pine forest, and then the "glades." Large game is to be found throughout this region. Guides are almost indispensable for successful hunting. In January, 1879, the misfortune of the Spanish bark Providencia proved a god-send to Lake Worth. She was cast away on the coast, and her cargo of 20,000 cocoanuts distributed itself impartially for miles up and down the beach. Many thousands of the nuts were gathered and planted (laid on the ground, that is) in rows, in circles, singly, and in groups, with the result that now the cocoa palm lifts its graceful fronds above every roof, lines walks and avenues, and lends a tropical aspect to the whole settle- ment. 224 LAKE WORTH. A natui'al sea-wall is formed along the sliore hj the under- lying coralline rock, and some of the more wealthy residents, not satisfied with this, have added an artificial wall. No fences interrui^t the pedestrian along this charming water- side. A smooth walk, shaded and, for the most part, well- kept, tempts to extended excursions, and leads at intervals through i^rivate grounds that are marvels of beauty. Olean- ders and jioncianas here are trees twenty or thirty feet high, gigantic cacti stand like sentinels on the lawns ; the hibis- cus, red, white, and yellow, lavishes its blossoms in every garden, and mangoes, guavas, limes, lemons, oranges, figs, dates, bananas, and pineapples grow wherever they are per- mitted to take root. The west shore is best adapted for pineajiples, and already the shipments amount to a consid- erable item in the annual returns. From nearly every house a walk or trail leads across the peninsula to the ocean beach, where a magnificent surf comes rushing in warm from the Gulf Stream, and laden with shells and marine curiosities that tempt collectors to wander for miles along the sands in search of sea-fans, fragments of coral, Portuguese-men-of-war, sponges, sea-beans, echinse, and countless other waifs that one may often he at a loss to name. South-bound steamers keep close along the beach to avoid the current that rushes northward at the rate of ionv or five miles an hour a little farther oflf shore. Rarely a day passes that several of these fine vessels are not seen, while out in the stream northward-bound craft are speeding in the opjDO- site direction with wind and tide in their favor. After an easterly gale the beach is sure to be particularly interesting, since the accumulation of curiosities and general wreckage is largely increased. The highest point on the peninsula is sixty-five feet above the sea level. The land rises somewhat near the lake, and again into a wide ridge near the ocean ; between these is a low and naturally marshy tract, which has been lai'gely drained and utilized for the cultivation of vegetables. Strangers should not shoot alligators near the cultivated tracts, as some of them are half tame, and are preserved by LAKE WORTH. 225 the owners of the land. Elsewhere shooting is allowable. Deer are still found on the peninsula ; rabbits and various game birds abound, and there is a chance for a wildcat in the denser cover. There are five principal landings and nu- merous i^rivate landings, where the small steamers that ply on the lake stop on signal. At Juno, the terminus of the railroad, passengers board one of the steamers which presently starts down the lake. About one mile south, beyond a low point, is the haulover or carry, where canoes may be hauled across one-half mile to a small pond, the source of Lake Worth Creek, navigable for small boats to Jupiter. Pelican Island is passed on the right. Formerly this was the resort of countless birds; "a roost," as it was locally called. Now it is a most attractive place, with fine live oaks, a handsome house, and well-cared-for grounds. It is, in fact, an exceptionally rich tract, guano deposits of former years adding greatly to its fertility. Oak Lawn (P.O.), six miles from Juno, with its hotel, is on the west side of the lake, a fine bluff crowned with trees rising from the waterside. It is nearly opi)osite the inlet, and the fishing here is probably as good as anywhere on the lake, while fine shooting is to be found within easy walking distance in any direction along shore, or among the savan- nahs and woods to the westward. Lake Worth (P.O.), eight miles from Juno, is pleasantly situated about one mile south of the inlet. Here begins the continuous line of houses that stretches along the eastern shore. Prominent among these are the residences of Charles I. Cragin, of Philadelphia, Mrs. F. Lane, of New York, and E. K. McCormick, of Denver, all of which are remarkable for the beauty of their surroundings. In general the pro- prietors are glad to have visitors enjoy their gi-ounds, but permission should of course be asked if it is desired to in- spect the immediate vicinity of the houses. Palm Beach (P.O.), eight and one-half miles from Juno, is fairly embowered in cocoa palms. The hotel especially has around it a large number of fine specimens, with a large 226 LAKE WORTH. royal i^ionceana, "whistling trees," hung full of curious pods, and numerous other curiosities in plant life. There is a good country store a short distance north of the hotel, and charming walks, either to the Ijeach, where there is a bath- house (key at the hotel), or along the lake shore in either direction. Figulus (P.O.), eleven miles from Juno, is on the east shore of the lake, and Hypoluxo (P.O.), sixteen miles from Juno, occupies an island, the southern end of which extends to within about one mile of the foot of the lake, where there is a "haulover" to the ocean beach, the small creek that reaches a short distance to the southward being imjiractica- ble even for canoes. 101. The Sea-coast South of Lake Worth. From Lake Worth Inlet south for thirty miles to Hillsboro Inlet the beach is unbroken. About half-way, however, is the Orange Grove house of refuge, where shelter, food, and water may be olitained. Five miles south of this the headwaters of Hillsboro River unite a few hundred yards from the beach, forming a little lake about three feet deep. One-half mile farther south is Lake Wyman, four to five feet deep, and with a connecting channel navigable for small boats to Lake Boca Eat one and the Hillsboro River. At the inlet is a branch stream from the southward that closely follows the beach for three miles, ending in a shallow lake. Eight miles south of Hillsboro Inlet is the Fort Lauderdale house of refuge, to the westward of which ^ about one-half mile, the headwaters of New River and its tributaries offer inland passage for small boats. New River Inlet is fifteen miles south of Hillsboro Inlet, the river so-called being a narrow lagoon, about five miles long, separated from the sea by a low ridge of sand and divid- ing at the head into an infinite number of tributaries and lakes with a depth of water varying from three to ten feet in the channels. The upper reaches of the river are very LAKE WORTH. 227 wild and beautiful. At this writing (1890) there are no per- manent settlers, save Indians whose cainps can hardly be considered permanent. Two miles south of the house of refuge is a conspicuous group of cocoa palms on the beach. Eight miles south of New Eiver Inlet is a " haulover," where a lake known as Dumfounding Bay approaches within one-quarter of a mile of the beach. Thence to the head- waters of Biscayne Bay, about two miles, navigation is com- paratively easy for small boats, though the channel is very crooked. Biscayne Bay house of refuge is about sixteen miles south of New Eiver Inlet and eight miles north of Norris Cut the most northerly entrance to Biscayne Bay. From Lake Worth to Norris Cut the beach offers but unsatisfactory foothold for man or beast. For near fifty miles it is uninhabited, drinkable water is very scarce, and there is little to attract the explorer except the perpetual beauty of the ocean and the navigable inland waters con- nected with Hillsboro and New River Inlets. A company of speculators a few years since planted an en- ormous number of cocoanuts along this beach with a view to the sale of building lots. The trees have been left to caro for themselves, but many of them have grown, and it is quite possible that in a few years they will materially change the aspect of the coast. For Biscayne Bay, the Florida Eeef, etc., see p. 310. The Gulf Coast. From St. Mark's on the noitli to Cape Sable, the southern extremity of the i)eninsiila, is a stretch of more than four hundred miles. At Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and San Carlos Bay, the outlying reefs and shallows open in deep channels, affording entrance for large sea-going craft ; else- where the underlying rock of the peninsula slopes so gradu- ally gulf ward that the " ten-fathom curve," as laid down on the charts, is often out of sight of land. Although almost everywhere there are scattered lines of keys and reefs close along shore, there is nothing that resembles the great la- goons of the east coast. Small vessels of shallow draft can pass inside the keys and find a haven at the mouths of many of the rivers, but even these must give a wide berth to count- less oyster bars and rocky reefs known only to the native pilots. Between Tarpon Springs and Punta Rassa, a distance of about one hundred and twenty-five miles, the coast is com- paratively high, wooded bluffs rising from the water's edge. Elsewhere, with few exceptions, the bluffs and high ham- mocks are several miles inland, and the coast mainly con- sists of mangrove islands. From St. Mark's to Cedar Key there is hardly a settlement within ten miles of the sea, and from Cedar Key southward again there are other long reaches of uninhabited coast. To the cruiser who is provided with a suitable craft this region offers endless opportunities for sport on land and water, both of which yield abundant supplies for his larder, while his fresh-water tanks can be replenished at any time by ascend- ing one of the numerous rivers that here find an outlet. Some of these streams afford access to hammocks where the game has not yet been thinned out by Northern gunners. In climate the Gulf coast is somewhat more equable than that of the Atlantic. Raw easterly winds are unknown, and westerly winds, blowing across the very fountain-head of the Gulf Stream, are necessarily tempered by its i^erennial warmth. THE GULP COAST— CEDAR KEY. 229 Owing to the character of the shore, long coastwise lines of railway are impracticable. The great railway systems stop when they reach tide-water, the sole exception being the Orange Belt, which follows the coast for a few miles south of Tarpon Springs. Small steamers, generally well adapted for the work that is required of them, jily between all points where there are comfortable accommodations for tourists. Observations of the United States Signal Service since November, 1879, give the following as the average mean temjierature at Cedar Key: Spring, 70.3° ; summer, 81.7°; autumn, 72.24° ; winter, 60.1°. The average number of fair days during the winter and early spring months is as follows : November, 24.2; December, 25.1; January, 23.8; Febru- ary, 23.2 ; March, 27 ; April, 26, The mean relative humid- ity for the same months averages for November, 77.9 per cent.; December, 81.2 jier cent.; January, 81.4 per cent.; February, 75.1 per cent.; March, 70.7 per cent.; April, 69.4 per cent. The earliest "killing frosts" of which the Service has record were December 22, 1880, December 17, 1882, De- cember 16, 1883, November 25, 1884. 110. Fernandina to Cedar Key. By Florida Central & Peninsula Railroad, 157 miles (9 hours 50 min.). The line crosses Nassau, Duval, Bradford, Alachua, and Levy Counties in a south- westerly direction. For maps see list of counties and consult table of contents. In the context will be found tables of stations, distances, etc., within the respec- tive counties. The best hotels on the route are at Gainesville. See Route 173, 111. Cedar Key, Levy County. Population, 2,000.— Lat. 29° 12' N. ; Long. 83° W. Hotels. —Suwannee Hotel, Bettelini House, Magnolia Hniise, $1.50 to $2.50 a day. Railroad.- F. C. & P., Cedar Key Division. Suwannee River steamboats. Good general stores. Episcopal and Methodist churches. The town of Cedar Key stands on Way Key, one of a group of is4ands about four miles off the coast. It is a U. S. port of entry with a good harbor for vessels drawing not more than 12 feet. As the Gulf terminus of the railroad "230 CEDAR KEY. Avliich was finislied to this point in 18G1, and then known as the Floridd Transit Railway, it at once became a i^lace of some importance. Dnring the civil war, owing to its ex- jwsed situation, it was at the mercy of the Federal gunboats, and, since it bade fair to be a convenient harbor for blockade runners, it early paid the penalty for a short- lived prosperity. A descent was made upon it January 16, 1862, when, as the Federals doubtless knew, there were seven vessels in the harbor loaded with cotton and turpentine, waiting for favor- able weather to run the blockade. These were burned with their cargoes, as were also the wharves and rolling stock of the railroad. At the time the place was guarded by a lieu- tenant and 22 men of the Fourth Florida Regiment, but some of the resident citizens begged that no resistance be made, as it was obviously hopeless. The guard therefore attempted to escape to the mainland, but most of them were captured by the man-of-war's boats. After this, occasional visits by U. S. cruisers sufficed to prevent the place from assuming any importance. Shortly after the close of hostilities, the terminal facilities of the railroad were reconstructed, and very soon a consid- erable trade develoijed in fish, oysters, and turtle. Tlie abundance of red cedar in the vicinity led to the establish- ment of pencil factories by Northern firms, which now em- ploy a large number of hands. The coast to the southward has occasional harbors, practicable for light-draft boats. (S3e maps, j^p. 54, 13, 34, also descriptions in context.) The Suwannee River enters the Gulf 15 miles north of Ce- dar Key. It rises in Georgia, west of the great Okeefenokee Swamp, about 120 miles from the coast. Its total length is about 170 miles. After entering Florida it receives succes- sively the Allaj^aha and Little River from the north, and the Sante Fe from the east. The main stream is navigable for large vessels as far as the mouth of the Santa Fe, and for vessels drawing not more than six feet as far as Little River. Of minor tributaries, the Suwannee has a score or more, draining a water-shed a hundred miles wide, and all nav- igable for canoes, at the ordinary height of water. The bar at the mouth of the river has naturally only five feet of CEDAR KEY. 23J water, but has been somewhat improved by dredging. The Suwannee has a rocky bed ahnost throughout its course, having cut a channel for itself through the soft underlying limestone. At its mouth the stream divides, two main chan- nels inclosing Bradford's Island. Throughout the most of its course the river passes throiagh a wild and beautiful semi-tropical region, with excellent camping ground almost auYwliere, fish and game in plenty, and fresii water always at hand. Many fine springs are found along the banks ; some of them hardly surpassed by the more famous ones described elsewhere. The popular song, commonly known by the name of this beautiful stream, but whose proper title is " The Old Folks at Home," was written by Stephen Col- lins Foster, author of " O Susanna " and many similar melo- dies that have gained world-wide popularity. Mr. Foster was born in Pittsburg in 1826, and died in New York in 1864. A small Confederate steamer groimded at the mouth of the Suwannee River and was captured by a boat from the U. S. blockading schooner Fox, on December 20, 1863. Four days afterward the British schooner Edwin attempted to run the blockade with a cargo of lead and salt, and was also taken by the Fox after some show of resistance, during which the captain was wounded. The Wakassassd River rises in Alachua County, and runs southeasterly through a fine grazing country, feeding and draining a succession of small lakes and ponds. Near the mouth of the stream are evidences of Indian settlement and cultivation. The stream is navigable for small steamers to about fifteen miles from the Gulf, but the bar is shallow and impassable save for light-draft boats. It enters the Gulf 12 miles west of Cedar Key. Its numerous branches flow through, Gulf Hammock, a wild region full of game, and easily accessible either from Otter Creek station on the rail- road, or by boat from Cedar Key. (Hotel at Gulf Hammock. ) The Withlacoochee is the only river on the Gulf coast of Flor- ida that, like the larger St. John's on the opposite side of the peninsula, takes a northerly course. Itrises nearly in the same latitude with the St. Johns, and after running a little east of it 232 CEDAR KEY. for GO miles, turns to the westward and falls into tiie Gulf 20 miles S.E. of Cedar Key. It is a swift stream with rocky bottom, high wooded, picturesque banks, and navigable to Pemberton Ferry, where the J. T. & K. W. Ey. system crosses it. About 18 miles from the mouth it receives Blue Spring Eiver, navigable for launches to its source, and well worth a visit. Route 183. 120. Jacksonville to Homosassa. By Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf Railroad, 176 miles ; (9 hours) ; Jacksonville to Palatka. See Koute 40. The main line of the Florida Southern Railway runs west- ward from Palatka through a rolling country, often diversi- fied with lakes and frequently passing, as at Interlaken and McMeekin, within sight of beautiful residences and fine plan- tations and orange groves. There is choice between two routes to Ocala, namely at Hawthorne and Rochelle. At the first-named junction a branch of the F. C. & P. railway nins southward to Silver Spring and Ocala, crossing Orange Lake on a long trestle, and passing at Citra through some of the most remarkable orange-groves in the State. (See Route 111.) The other coiirse is to follow the main line to Ro- chelle, where a branch of the Florida Southern Railway diverges southward to Ocala, passing through a beautiful country devoid of the almost universal undergrowth of pal- metto scrub, and covered with a fine open forest of hard woods through which one may ride, walk, or drive at will in any direction. Changing to the Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf Railroad at Ocala, the direction is southwesterly through a region remarkable for its rich j^hosphatc beds and beautiful springs to the Gulf terminus at Homosassa. At Palatka and Ocala, there are excellent hotels if the traveller wishes to make the trip by short stages. The journey may be varied by leaving the train at Palatka and ascending the Ocklawaha River (Route 181) to Silver Springs, which is but a few min- utes ride from Ocala. The journey by rail crosses Duval, Clay, Putnam, Marion, and Citrus Counties, maps of which, with descriptive context, stations, distances, etc., may be found in alphabetical order, pp. 1 to 102 of this handbook. HOMOSASSA. 233 121. Homosassa, Citrus County. Lat. 28° 48' N., Long. 82° 40' W. Hotel.— r/ie Homosassa Inn, $2.50 a day. Board, $1 to $1.50 a day. Railroad. — Silver Springs, Ocala A Gulf Railroad. Steamboats to the vVithlacoochee River and Gulf coast. Rowboats, 50c. to 75c. a day ; with oarsmen, |1 to $1.50 a day. Hunters and guides, $2 a day. "River of Fishes" is the modern translation of Homo- sassa, though some of the early authorities on Florida say- that it means "PejDper Eidge." It was certainly a favorite resort of the native tribes in prehistoric times, as is abund- antly proven by evidences of ancient cultivation, and by great shell mounds along the water-side. The land is low and level along the coast, very rich and fer- tile, and largely underlaid with disintegrated limestone-rock. It is covered with a remarkably dense hammock growth of palms, wild orange, live oak, magnolia, and the ordinary hard woods, in unusual profusion and luxuriance. The river, fed by numerous fiue springs, is an arm of the sea rather than a fresh-water stream, and is justly famed for its fine fishing, while the adjacent islands and the mainland are amoiig the best hunting grounds in Florida. Large tracts of land have been acquired in this vicinity by a company of capitalists, surveys have been made, avenues cut tlirough the hammock, and every effort made to attract permanent settlers as well as transient visitors. Probably there is no better or richer soil in the State for most of the semi-tropical crops. Before the civil war (1861 to 18C5) large sugar plantations were under cultivation along the river, notably the one on Tiger Tail Island, the property at that time of United States Senator D. L. Yulee, who, with a wide knowledge of Florida, selected this region as the best suited for the resid- ence of a Southern gentleman. He was in active sympathy with the secession movement in 1860-1861, and Homosassa as well as Bayport, fifteen miles south, became harbors of refuge for blockade runners of light draft after Cedar Key had fallen into the hands of the Federals. The author is in- debted to Captain C. T. Jenkins, of pomosassa, now (in 1890) nearly eighty years old, for the following account of the events of the time, which, unimportant as comjoared 234 HOMOSASSA. with the great militai v ojierations elsewhere, are now of in- terest. Crystal River, Homosassa, and Bayiiort were ganisoned by small detachments of Confederates under Captain John Chambers. At Bayport there were 25 men with one piece of artillery. Only five families remained in the place, that of Captain Jenkins being among them. In April, 18G3, an expedition consisting of seven boats with howitzers came down from Cedar Key and shelled the place, the little garri- son responding so manfully that no permanent landing was effected. In June Caj^tain Jenkins was captured and held prisoner, for political as well as for military reasons, until the conclusion of jjeace. In July, 1863, Bayport was again shelled, and a large warehouse burned. Thence the expedi- tion went to Homosassa, but Mr. Yulee and family had gone to Ocala and only the house servants were left in charge. The plantations on Tiger Tail Island were pillaged, and a warehouse was burned at Chafie Landing, the greater part of the damage being done by deserters and runaway negroes, after the United States troops had withdrawn. Bayport was again visited by a naval force in July, 1864, and again the de- serters and runaway negroes followed, plundering after the regular forces had left, and burning all unoccupied houses. Captain Jenkins is particular to say that the navy had no hand in the wholesale destruction of property, though they doubtless committed excesses when not under the eye of their officers. The fine, large sugar-house at Homosassa, be- longing to Mr. Yulee, was burned through the carelessness of cattlemen in June, 1869 — not, as has often been alleged by United States troops. The old slave quarters are still stand- ing in a good state of preservation, and are always an object of curiosity to visitors. Eixursions. — Within a few miles of the hotel, are many pleasant walks over good roads and foot-paths. Some of these lead through the hammock, as to Oltei- Creek; and the Natural Bridge. The walk through the hammock is always interesting. The creek is a sluggish, shallow stream, practic- able even for row-boats only at high water. There are some curious horizontally growing palms along the bank. HOMOSASSA. 235 Arcadian Spring is easily reached by row-boat from the hotel, and like the other wonderful springs of this region, always presents some new and surprising feature under chang- ing aspects of sky or season. This spring is about sixty feet deep with a strong boiling action of the water that causes the boat to slide shoreward, unless kept iu the middle of the pool by constant rowing. Other similar springs exist in the neighborhood, all of which should be visited by the lover of the beautiful in nature, for each has something new for an appreciative observer. ^ Crystal River with its springs is six miles north of Homo- sassa ; it may be reached by land, the railroad passing near the spring head, or by water through Salt River, a shallow channel full of oyster bars, connecting with the Homosassa three miles below the hotel. This excursion may well be extended down Crystal River, skirting the Gulf within St. Martin's Keys, into the Homosassa, and so back to the hotel. The lower part of the river is most interesting, with, fine shell mounds and islands, picturesque rock formations, some of them worn, by the action of the sea and river, into strange caverns and columns. Almost everywhere the rock forms a natural sea-wall where vessels may make fast to the trees as safely as to artificial wharf -posts. '■23C> THE PINELLAS PENINSULA. 130. The Pinellas Peninsula, Hillsborough County. Between Lat. 27" 35' and 28" 10' N., and on the meridian of 82° 40' W. ' Jacksonville to Pinellas Penin&ula. All Rail Routes. (1) By J., T. & K. W. Ry. to Sanfurd (125 miles), thence by Orange Be.t Ky. to Tarpon Springs, 1203iellas — Many mounds, large and small, exist in the immediate vicinity of the Point. One of these is sur- rounded with an irregular embankment 10 or 12 feet high. The main work itself is 20 feet high, of sand and shell. At last advices it was practically unexplored. Some of the Pi- nellas shell mounds are 25 feet high, while some of the sand, or presumably domiciliary mounds, are at present only 5 or 6 feet high, but surrounded with quite deep ditches save where crossed by causeways. The largest of these sup- posed domiciliary mounds is 250 feet in diameter. On this mound stands the public school-house of Pinellas. Skele- tons have been found in some of these mounds. De Soto. — Six miles east of Clearwater by port route. Also accessible by steamer from Tampa three times a week. There is no hotel, but lodgings can be procured in private houses. Guides and hunters are always available at moder- ate rates. Papifs Bayou is tributary to Old Tampa Bay, about 5 miles from St. Petersburg, and almost directly opposite Port Tampa. A perplexing network of bayous behind the point renders it difficult for a stranger to find his way. There is a fine Indian mound on the north side in Pillan's Hammock. It is unique in shape, oval, with a central trench on the major diameter, evidently not a modern excavation, but part of the original design. At one end two wings or extensions are carried out, prolonging the mound to 150 feet in length. There are also marks of a roadway leading to the mound through the hammock. The mound is largely composed of human bones, partly incinerated and buried as in the mound at Tarpon Springs (see Route 131). Some three hundred yards west of this is another mound of the usual oval type. Bayview. — A village near the head of Old Tamj^a Bay, 9f miles by port route from Clearwater Harbor. The steam- boat from Tampa touches here three times a week. The land of the town site is good height above the water. There is a fine hard beach, with sulphur sj^rings at frequent inter- vals, excellent fishing, and plenty of fine oysters. A mile 248 ST. PETERSBUIU;. north of Bayview post-office, on the south side of Alligator Creek, Old Tampa Bay, is a small mound which Mr. Walker found very rich in bones and relics. The mound was only 46 feet in diameter and but 3 feet high, and situated in so dense a growth of scrub jjine that it was very difficult to find. The mode of burial was similar to that at Tarpon Springs, and the whole mound was a mass of human bones disposed in three layers. In the upper layers were found large numbers of glass beads, a pair of scissors, and a bit of looking-glass. These trinkets fixed the date of in- terment at a comparatively recent period, evidently sub- sequent to the Spanish invasion. Philippi's Point, eight miles north, is, according to local tradition, the place where De Soto landed in 1539, and his ships anchored in Safety Harbor, at the head of the bay, while the expedition landed. Philippics Point. — Here is one of the largest mounds on Tampa Bay, but owing to conflicting claims of local owners, permission to excavate could not be obtained at last ad- vices. To all appearance it is a domiciliary mound, though bones have occasionally been washed out by the action of the sea. Here it is supposed that in 1539 Hernando de Soto was received by Hirrihigues, a powerful Indian cacique, whose dwelling stood, according to the Spanish accounts, upon a large artificial mound. Here was found one Juan Ortiz, a survivor of Narvaez's ill-fated expedition, who had been held captive by the Indians since 1528. The Spaniards jsresently inaugurated their cruel policy of ac- cepting the chief's hospitality while it suited their conven- ience, and then seizing him as a hostage in order to extort a ransom from his people. From this point, aided by Ortiz as interpreter, began that remarkable march which ended with the discovery of the Mississippi and the death of Soto, after nearly all his followers had perished. TAMPA. 249 140. Tampa, Hillsborough County (C. H.). Populatiou, T.OOO.— Lat. 2T" 57' N.— Long. 82" 27' W. Mean rise and fall of tide, 2 feet 2 inches. Hotels.— The Tampa Bay Hotel.— City Hotel, $3 a. 6a,y.— The Plant, $3 a day. — Collins House. — HilUborough House. Railroads. — The South Florida Railroad : west to Port Tampa ; east and north to Sanford, Palatka, Jacksonville, etc. Connects at Port Tampa with ocean steamers from Key West, Havana, Jamaica, New Orleans, and Mobile, and coastwise steamers for Bay ports and Pinellas Peninsula. The Florida Central & Peninsula Railroad ; north to Jacksonville, Fernandina, etc. Livery.— Double teams, $2 an hour ; $8 to $10 a day. Saddle-horses, $3 a day. The city of Tampa, commercially the most important on the Gulf coast of the Peiiin.sula, is at the mouth of Hills- borough River, and at the head of the eastern arm of Tampa Bay (see map, p. 37). The town is regularly laid out upon the point of land to the westward of the river, near the site of old Fort Brooke, a United States military post established in 1821, immediately after the acquisition of Florida by the United States. It was an important base of .supplies during the Seminole war, and was maintained as a garrisoned jjost until after the Indians were subjugated. The site of the old fort, ten minutes walk from the main street in a southerly direction, is still the most attractive spot within the limits of the town. It is now a public park, having been given to the city by the United States after the close of the Civil War. Within its limits are the remains of several mounds, the largest of which is about 100 feet in diameter and 7 to 9 feet high. Partially incinerated bones and one complete hu- man skeleton were found by Lieutenant A. W. Vodges, of the Fifth Artillery, when the locality was first occupied by United States troops. Some specimens of rude pottery were found, also sjjlit and charred human bones, suggestive of cannibal- ism on the part of the mound-builders. The mounds have been considerably reduced in size, and in some cases almost obliterated. Until after the Indian war Tampa was almost the only place on the Gulf coast where a white man could live in security, and safety here was only secured by the Ijresence of a strong garrison. A settlement naturally grew up under the guns of the fort. From this point the old military roads led north and east to the interior posts, and over them all supi^lies had to be haitled under 250 TAMPA. military escort. From Fort Brooke Major Datle aiul his commauci marched into the fatal amlniscade in the Walioo swamp. And here were organized most of the expeditions that wasted away in conflicts with a fierce and vigilant foe, who was rarely to be found except when he could fight to good advantage. On November 3, 1862, Tampa was shelled by United States gun-boats to dislodge the small Confederate garrison that held possession. Not much show of resistance was made, and during the rest of the Civil War an occasional visit from a gun-boat sufficed to jjrevent its being made a harbor for blockade runners. To the westward of the river, in the midst of a i:)ark 150 acres in extent, is the Tampa Bay Hotel, one of the larg- est and most magnificent in the country. It was erected at a cost of about one million dollars, through the enterprise of Mr. H. B. Plant, and opened to the public in 1890. The architecture is Moorish and the material brick and concrete, Avith terra cotta ornamentation and fire-proof construction, throughout. The building is more than 500 feet long, with luxurious furnishing and decorations, rooms single and en suite, and everything that ingenuity can devise for the com- fort of visitors. Tamjia has large commercial interests in trade witli the West Indies and as a shipping point for home products, ex- tensive cigar factories, excellent stores of all kinds, several newspapers, and large fishing and packing industries. The streets are well lighted, with good sidewalks, and lines of tramways to the suburbs. Excursions, — Port Tampa, 9 miles by rail, has good hotels and bathing facilities, excellent fishing, and is a favorite place of resort at all seasons of the year (see Route 141). Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bai/, with a wide extent of admirable cruising, and fishing grounds, offer a great varie- ty of camping and hunting fields for parties making their headquarters at Tampa, where sail-boats and launches, and guides may be hired on reasonable terms. Alafia Hirer falls into the bay about 10 miles southeast of Tampa, and a little south of it, at the moi;th of Bullfrog TAMPA— PORT TAMPA. 251 Creek, is a fine mound, 30 feet liigli and 200 feet in diam- eter. Hillsborough River, tributary to the bay of the same name, is navigable to "the falls," about twenty miles from the mouth. At Indian Hill, some twenty miles southeast of Tampa, are enormous shell heaps some 800 feet long and 20 or 30 feet high, the most conspicuous elevations being visible several miles at sea. Human remains are rarely found in true shell heaps, but here, in a detached mound, they were found in abundance, and under such conditions as to afford strong support to the cannibalistic theory. 141. Port Tampa, Hillsborough County. Hotel.— rA« Inn, $4 a clay. Railroads. — The South Florida Railroad (to Tampa. Sanford, Palatka, Jacksonville, etc.). The Orange Belt Railway (Clearwater Harbor, Tarpon Springs, etc.). Reached by steam ferry to St. Petersbui-g, 9 miles. Port Tampa is on a loeninsula separating Old Tampa and Hillsborough Bays (see map, p. 37). It is the terminus of the South Florida Railroad and the landing place for sev- eral important lines of ocean steamers, as specified above, lu order to reach deep water the railroad track has to be carried out seven-eighths of a mile from shore, on a trestle ■work to the edge of the channel, where a depth of twenty- four feet is found. Vessels drawing eighteen feet of water can cross the outer bar. At the end of this long wharf is a cluster of veritable lacustrine dwellings with all modern im- provements, a railway station, freight houses, the various appliances for railroad and steamboat shipments, and — of chief interest to the tourist — The Inn, an hostelry standing on jiiles, surrounded by wide galleries, and so near deeji water that one may catch channel bass, Spanish mackerel, and sea- trout literally from the windows. This establishment is the only one of its kind on the coast, and offers unique attrac- tions to lovers of water sports. Picnic Island, a short distance south of the railroad wharf, is a favorite resort for visitors to Tampa. The island is covered with a low hammock growth, bordered with a level 252 PORT TAMPA— THE MANATEE lUVEH. beach of fine white sand, sloping gradually out to dee}) water. On the island are commodious buildings for the accommo- dation of transient visitors. 142. The Manatee River. Daily mail steamer from Tampa touching at all river ports. The Manatee Country (see map, p. 59), lying jnst with- in the main entrance to Tampa Bay, is a naturally rich and attractive region embracing the northwestern sections of Manatee County. It is most easily accessible by steam- boat from Tampa. Manatee Kiver, or bay, is 15 miles long and has an average width of one mile or more. It is navigable for small steamers to Rye, about eighteen miles from the coast. Manatee River rises in De Soto County, 50 miles from the coast. Rich hammocks border the stream and the bay, and there are evidences that the whole region was well iJopulated prior to the advent of Europeans. Traces of civilized occupation are found along the coast, but no records of their history are known to exist. Manatee River and the adjacent waters of Sarasota Bay, and Tamjia Bay, are among the most attractive to sportsmen. Naviga- tion is safe and easy southward to Charlotte Harbor, and northward to all points on Tampa and Hillsborough Bays, and to Tarpon Springs, still farther north. Palma Sola, so called from a lone palm that stands on an outlying key, is the most considerable settlement near the coast. The Palma Sola Hotel (3^3 a day) is pleasantly situ- ated, with a fine outlook to seaward. The harbor affords safe anchorage for large vessels. Thei'e is a good store where ordinary supplies can be obtained, and boats suitable for hunters and fishermen can be hired at reasonable rates. A post-road leads to Cortez, G miles southwest, at the head of Sarasota Bay. The road continiies eastward to Manatee, 2 miles, whence it diverges southward along the coast to Sarasota, Osprey, and Venice, and southeastward, crossing the county diagonally to Pine Level. Indian Mounds. — Very large shell heaps extend along the THE MANATEE RIVER. 253 Bbores of Shaw's Point, near the mouth of the river, for five hundred and sixty-four feet, with a height of fifteen to twenty feet at the highest point. The sea has so washed away the mounds that an inspection of their structure has been possible, and it seems certain that they are the natural accumulation of waste material unavoidable in the vicinity of an Indian camp. The apparent process was as follows : A fire was built on the ground, and around this the savages sat cooking, eating, and throwing shells and bones over their shoulders. In the course of a few weeks a circu- lar bank of shells would be formed around the fire, and at length the central sjiace would be so narrowed that the fire would be moved to the top of the bank, and the process re- jieated. In point of fact, the successive fires in such mounds have been located, and found to correspond with this theory. Of course the resultant mound is often irregular, but the theory is reasonable, and anyone who has camped for a few days near a Florida oyster-bed must have noticed the jihe- nomenal rapidity with which the jjiles of oyster-shells grow. That the Indians, who lived mainly by fishing and hunting, should have constructed these huge mounds, is only in the natural order of things. 254 CHARLOTTE HAUBOll. 150. Charlotte Harbor. (See general map of Florida, and maps of Do Soto and Lee Counties.) Jacksonville to Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor. By J., T. .fe K. W., and Florida Southern Railway system via Palatka, San- ford, Kissiuiee, etc., 324 miles (13!^ hours runninfr time). Sleeping cars on all through trains. See Maps of Duval, Clay, Vohwia, Oran;^e, Osceola, I'olk. and De Soto Counties, with tables of stations and distances m context. Jackson- ville to Sanford, see Routes 40 and 50. To Lakeland, eiglity-tliree miles, tlie course is the same as in Eoute 130. Thence the general direction is south, follow- ing Peace Eiver {Flumen Pads of the early map makers). Bartow, the county town (Polk County) is the most imijor- tant place on the route. Fort Meade was established as a United States military pest December 19, 1849, and main- tained until September 20, 1857. It is now a thriving town of 400 inhabitants. Near Bowling Green is the line between Polk and De Soto Counties (see map, p. 22). A short dis- tance south is the site of Fort Choconitka, established Octo- ber 26, 1849, and abandoned July 18, 1850. Zolfo Springs is so called from the number of sulphur springs that exist in the vicinity, the prefix being presum- ably a local phonetic abbreviation of the longer word. Charley Apopka always attracts attention from its extraor- dinary name, which is, in fact, an unpardonable corruption from the Seminole Tsalopopkohatchee, meaning "catfish- eating creek." The terminal hatches (river or creek) was first dropped, and Tsalo-popka was finally Americanized into its present form.' The name Apopka, properly Ahapopka, is found elsewhere in the State, often in combination with other Seminole terms. Arcadia became the seat of government of Polk County in November, 1889. It has a population of about two hundred, a new county court-house, a weekly newspaper, and a phos- phate company. " For this explanation the editor is indebted to Mr. E. A. Richards, of Or- lando. CHARLOTTE HARBOR. 255 When and by ■whom this fine bav was discovered is a mat- ter of some doubt. It is not unlikely that Hernandez de Cordova is entitled to the honor. Certain it is that in 1.517, Avhen on a slave-hunting expedition, he lauded on the Gulf coast at a place whose description answers very well to this, and was so warmly received by the natives that he and his men were glad to escape with their lives. The earliest maps that definitely show the two great and curiously similar bays on the Gulf coast, known to us as Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, name the southernmost after Ponce de Leon ; but there is some uncertainty whether this or a bay south of Cajie Romano was intended. Its present name, in the opinion of Dr. Brinton, the well-known archajologist, is a European corruption of Carloosa or Caloosa, the native tribe that in- habited this region at the time of the Spanish discovery. The southern part is now known as San Carlos Bay. It seems probable that the two were originally considered as one and named accordingly. The extreme length of Char- lotte Harbor is about 30 miles, lying between 26" 30' and the 27th parallel of north latitude. It is separated from the Gulf by a long line of partially wooded keys, filled with in- numerable islands, and offers unsurpassed attractions to the lover of outdoor life. Two large streams, the Myakka and Peace Rivers, enter the head of the harbor from the north, and near its southern j^asses it receives the Caloosahatchee, from Lake Okechobee and the Everglades. The main en- trance is practicable for vessels drawing 25 feet, and large vessels can find entrance through San Carlos Pass from the southward. Lines of ocean steamers run regularly to Ha- vana, Key West, and Baltimore. The discovery of exceedingly rich phosphates in the bed of Peace River has greatly stimulated commercial interests of all kinds in this vicinity. The deposit occurs in a semi-fluid state, so that it can be pumped from the river bottom and de- livered for transportation almost wholly without the em- liloyment of manual labor. The crude product is dried and packed in cars for transportation to Charlotte Harbor, the nearest seaport, or by rail to the north. The discoveries of the phosphate deposits were made in the summer of 1889, 250 CHARLOTTE HAUBOR— rUNTA (;ORDA. and during the following winter a line of ocean steamers be- gan making regular trips to Baltimore. At this writing scarcely any change has been made in the level of the river- bed, although powerful pumping machinery has been at work for several mouths. The semi-liqiiid fertilizer seems to flow toward the pumps from all directions, and apparently in almost undiminished volume. 151. Puiita Gorda, De Soto County. Lat. 36" 55' N.— Long. 82" 3' W. Hotel. — Punta Gorda. $4 a day. Railroad. — North to Bartow, Sanford, Leesbtirsr, etc. Ocean steamers to Key West, Havana, and New Orleans. Coastwise eteam- ers to San Carlos Bay, Caloosahatchee River, Naples, and intermediate land- ings. Steam launches, $12 to 115 a day. Sail-boats, $1 an hour, $4 to $5 "a day. Guides and hiiate.'s, $1.50 to $3 a day. Punta Gorda is the most southerly railroad terminus on the Gulf coast ; a favorite stojipiug-jilace for sportsmen, tourists, and invalids, within easy reach of the most famous tarpon fishing-grounds on the coast. The station near the hotel is Trabiie, named after one of the pioneers of this re- gion, and Punta Gorda is properly the railroad wharf and actual terminus, a mile farther south. Pojiularly, the latter name is applied to both places. The hotel is of wood, more than 400 feet long, with a wide veranda and 150 rooms, all commanding an outlook across the bay. In front is a spac- ious lawn of Bermuda grass, and from the water's edge a wharf extends 1,000 feet to the edge of navigable water. From this wharf sea-trout, bluetish, Spanish mackerel, and all the common fish of Florida waters may be taken with rod and line. From the hotel veranda one looks across the north- eastern arm of the bay to Live Oak Point and Oak Bluffs (1^ mile). This ai-m of the bay is in reality the mouth of Peace River. Beyond the point is the western ami of the bay, into which falls Myakka Piiver (see p. 270). On the j)oint itself is Charlotte Harbor town, with a number of stores and dwellings, including a hotel and several boarding- houses. It is the shipping point for a large cattle-grazing PUNTA GORDA. 257 country to the northward, and several wharves extend from the shore to the edge of the channel. A good sand-beach, with occasional shell-mounds, offers attractions to camping and picnic parties. Midway of the harbor is a detached landing and store- houses, over piles, for the accommodation of deep-draught vessels. To the southward is the railroad wharf, nearly one mile long, where the ocean steamers make their land- ings, and beyond it Charlotte Harbor proper opens tov,'ard the Gulf. Almost eveiywhere the water is shallow for a long distance from shore, and frequent oyster-reefs are troublesome to steersmen unfamiliar with the channels. With boats of shallow draft, however, one may go almost anywhere by tho exercise of discretion and seamanship. Excursions. — Alligator Eiver, a picturesque stream flowing for the \ipper part of its course through heavily wooded bluffs with occasional clearings, falls into the bay seven miles south of the hotel. The distance by land is five miles. Boats can be hired at a house near the river, or the whole trip can be made by launch or small boat, as the stream is navigable several miles from its. mouth. Numerous creeks and inlets along shore are favorite retreats for ducks, and quails abound in the open woods and savannas a few hundred yards inland. The stream rises in a wild region, extending for many miles to the south and east, where, with the aid of hunters familiar with the country, large game may be found. Myakka River. — Five miles west of hotel. This is a con- siderable stream, rising near the eastern border of Manatee County, thirty miles north. It may be ascended to Lake Myakka and beyond in small boats, but the current is swift, at times breaking into rapids. Ten miles from Charlotte Harbor it widens, and for the last eight miles is nearly one mile wide. It is navigable for launches to where the stream narrows ; a pleasant excursion of five hours from the hotel. A military post was maintained near Lake Myakka during the winter of 1849-50, to restrain the unsubdued remnant of the Seminoles after the war was over. Peace River. — By some authorities this sti'eam is called "Peas" Eiver, and others hold that it takes its name from 17 258 PUNTA GOUDA. & treaty made with the Indians in comparatively modern times. It was charted, however, as "Fiumen Pacis" by Le Moyne in 15G0, and was doubtless so named by the Spanish discoverers. The railroad follows the left bank of the stream • — not often within sight, however — almost throughout its course. It receives three considerable streams as tributaries, the Chilocohatchee from the west, and Joshua's Creek and Prairie Creek from the east. All these may be ascended in small boats to good hunting grounds. A favorite excursion by steam-launch is up Peace Eiver to Lettuce Lake and Fort Ogden (12 miles). The lake is a small body of water, so called from the abundance of water-lettuce that grows in its shallows. Any point on the river may be easily reached by rail, and the return trip made down stream by row-boat. In this case, of course, arrangements should be made to have a boat on hand at the desired point, as a local supply cannot always be counted upon. In its lower reaches Peace Piver is bordered with marshes and mangrove islands, intersected with a labyrinth of creeks where there is good wild-fowl shooting. Punta Gorda nearly marks the northern limit on the Gulf coast of the Koonti plant or Indian bread-fruit, a graceful, palm-like plant growing in the open woods, or among the l^almetto scrub. Farther south it is found in great abun- dance, and is a staple article of food among the Indians of the Everglades. The root, which is large and thick, is ground and washed, the product being a fine white flour, used for the table much as corn-starch is used, and equally palatable. On Biscayno Bay this flour is largely manufac- tured by the white residents, both for home consumption and for shipment to Key West, where it is extensively used as an article of food. The soluble ingredients of the Koonti root which are washed out in the jjrocess of manufacture, are poisonous, as is the root itself in its raw state, but it is an excellent fertilizer for all kinds of vegetables, and a flour- ishing garden is the inevitable adjunct of a well-conducted Koonti mill. The plant, when it reaches maturity, pushes up a large cone of orange-red seeds among its palm-like fronds, and these are such a favorite article of food with PUNTA GORDA— SAINT-JAMES-ON-THE-GULF. 259 crows and other birds, that they are scattered far and wide over the country, insuring an abundant croj) without trouble to the planter. Attempts to cultivate the Koonti root arti- ficially have not thus far proved successful. More extended excursions may be made to Pine Island (Route 152), Punta Eassa (Route 153), and Myers, on the Caloosahatchee River (Route 154). The latter is a regular steamboat route with tri-weekly boats, and weekly boats to Naples, thirty miles farther down the coast. The southern part of the peninsula separating Charlotte Harbor from the Gulf is an attractive region for sportsmen, with high bluifs and numeroiis small lakes in the interior. The Gulf coast for thirty miles to the northward is studded with mangrove islands and outlying keys, affording sheltered navigation for the whole distance. 152. Saint- James-on-the-Giilf, Lee County. Lat. 26° 32' N.— Long. 82" 54' W. Hotel. — Tie San Carlos Hotel, $3 a day. Steamboats three times a week to Punta Gorda and Fort Myers ; once a week to Naples, Sarasota Bay, and Tampa. Big Pine Island is the largest in Charlotte Harbor, con- taining nearly 25,000 acres, mainly in woodland. It is 14 miles long, and from two to four miles wide. Beaches of white sand skirt its shores, except where the mangroves have gained a foothold, or occasional inlets bordered with saw-grass make their way inland. Mattlacha Pass, to the eastward of the i.sland, is very shallow, and practicable only for small boats. To the westward is Pine Island Sound, navigable for small steamboats and vessels of moderate draught. Several thousand acres at the southern end of the island are owned by the San Carlos Hotel, and have been partially cleared and laid out with a view to inducing tourists and residents to purchase and build. There is a good wharf accessible through San Carlos Pass for sea-going vessels, and the most famous tarpon-fishing gi'ounds on the Florida coast are within easy reach. The locality and its surroundings are certainly most attrac- tive. The great bay and its sounds are studded with islands 260 SAINT-J AMES-ON-THE-.G ULF. covered ■with semi-tropical vegetation. Between them wind intricate channels, through which the hunter may paddle his canoe or row his skiff for days without seeing a human habitation, ard with a certainty of finding plenty of game, on foot and on the wing. Along the outer beaches, the Gulf rollers break ceaselessly and renew the supply of curious and beautiful shells, with here and there a marine nonde- script that may well puzzle even those who are wise in such matters. It will be noticed that all important buildings, includ- ing the light-keeper's house on Sanibel Island, are raised on piles. This is to guard against possible damage from hurricanes, which occur in this latitude during the sum- mer months, rarely earlier than May or later than October. When one of these occurs in conjunction with a high tide, the water rises far above its usual level. The hotel stands well above the highest point to which hurricanes have ever driven the waves. Sanibel Island lies directly in front of the hotel, two miles distant across San Carlos Bay, curving crescent-wise to the westward. It is 13 miles long, and 3 miles in extreme width. The inland shore is low, overgrown with mangroves, and jsenetrated by shallow bays and inlets. The seaward front has a fine unbroken beach, strewn with exqiii-site shells. The interior of the island rises often into blnflfs, generally well woodel, and offering endless attractions to the sports- man-naturalist. Point Ybel is the eastern extremity of the island. Near it is the black iron light-tower, with the neat keeper's houses near at hand. The tower stands in lat. 26° 27' II" N., long. 82° 53" W. It was established in 1884. The light is 98 feet high, and shows white, varied by a white flash every two minutes ; visible 15f nautical miles at sea. Between Point Ybel and Bowditch Point is San Carlos Pass, three miles wide, with the ship channel into San Carlos Bay. Near Bowditch Point Matauzas Pass opens into a series of shallow lagoons. On the north Blind Pass separates Sanibel from Captiva Island. Captiva and Ln Coata Islands, with siindiy small reefs and keys, complete the barrier that divides Pine Island Sound SAINT-JAMES-ON-THE-GULF— PUNTA RASSA. 201 from the Gulf. The first is nine miles long, and ranges from ahnost nothing to three-quarters of a mile wide. lia Costa IS 7i miles long and one mile wide. The two are sejiarated by Captiva Pass, practicable for small boats. Pioita RciRna, 4 miles bv water (see below). 3Iyers, 18 miles by water (see Route 155). 153. Puuta Rassa, Lee County. Lat. 26" 30' N.— Long. 82" W W. Hotel. — The Tarpon Hotel, $2 a day, $12 a week, $45 a month. Steamboats, same as St. .lames-ou-the-Gulf, p. 122. Row-boats. 82a day (|4 to $5 with guide;. Sail-boats, $12 a day, with skipper and two skiffs. Punta Eassa (Barren Point) forms the eastern chop of San Carlos i^ass ; an exi^anse of scrub-grown white sand with beautiful beaches and a deep channel, through which ocean currents set strongly close along shore. It is a great resort for sportsmen and cattlemen, being the principal shipping point of live stock for the Cuban markets. The accommoda- tions and fare are not such as will prove attractive to the luxuriously inclined tourist and his family, but for the true fisherman it is a recognized headquarters. The house is a large unjiainted wooden sti-ucture, rough and picturesque, and with equally picturesque surroundings, including exten- sive cattle-yards. Sharks of the largest size are caught from the wharf that almost serves as a front porch for the hotel ; the best tarpon-fishing grounds are within easy rowing dis- tance ; the huge and dangerous devil-fish may be harpooned just outside the pass, and the waters of the bay are at times literally alive with all the game fish of the Gulf. To the south and east is the wilderness merging into the Big Cy- press swamp and the Everglades, almost as nature made it, save that hunters have well-nigh exterminated birds of brilliant i^lumage. Game birds and all kinds of four-footed game are still abundant. 262 PUNTA RASSA. The Tarpon. Ifc is only since 1885 that the tarpon (Megnlops ikrifisoides or atlanticus) has been recognized as a game-fish. He had been known to take bait prior to tliat time, but had been landed onl}^ by accident. Otherwise he had been harpooned and occasionally taken in a seine, but his great size, strength, and agility enabled him to defy most devices for his capture. In the winter of 1880-81, Mr. S. H. Jones, of Philadelphia,' killed a 170-lb. tarpon with bass tackle at Indian Eiver Inlet. Mr. W. H. Wood, of New York, was the first, however, to reduce the sport to a science by patiently studying the habits of the fish. The familiar home of the tarpon is the Gulf of Mexico, and he is essentially a trojaical fish. Nevertheless stray speci- mens have been found, in summer, as far north as Cape Cod, and they are certainly abundant in Biscayne Bay and, prob- ably, farther up the east coast of Florida. Tarpon may now be accei^ted as the common name of the fish, though hereto- fore it has often been spelled "tarpum," and is known along the remote coasts as " silver king," "silver fish," " grande 6caille " among French-speaking Creoles, and " savanilla " on the coast of Texas. Adult sj^ecimens often exceed six feet in length, and weigh nearly or quite two hundred pounds. The tarijon is herring-like in general shape and appearance, has an enormous mouth, with shear-like sides to his jaws, large, fierce eyes, and is withal gifted with an exceptional degree of muscular energy. When alive, this great fish shades off" from dark oxidized silver along the back to the most brilliant of metallic silver with gleams of gold along the sides and head. Even in death the big scales retain much of their beauty. The tarpon is only fairly good as a table fish. The coast residents, however, dry the flesh in the open air, and keep it as an article of food. Tarpon fishing is not all fun, since he does not readily take the bait. Persevering, but unlucky, fishermen have been known to sit in their boats several hours daily for weeks, and PUNTA RASSA. 263 finally give up in despair, without having secured so miich as a nibble. Special tackle is now made for this sport, to wit, rods of sjilit-bamboo, seven to nine feet long, large multiplying click reels that will hold two hundred yards of (15 to 21 thread) linen line. The reel should be used with a thumb- stall or equivalent device, and a favorite hook is the 10/0 Dublin-bend Limerick, forged and ringed. How best to rig the snell is still in doubt. It must be twenty-four to twenty- eight inches long, because it will not hold unless gorged by the fish. No hook will hold in the armor-j^lated mouth. Wire and small chains are objectionable because sharks fre- quently take the bait, and it is desirable to have them bite the snell in two, and carry off the hook alone instead of more or less line. A solid snell is often cut by the shear-like action of the tarpon's jaw-plates. Such a snell passed through a small rubber tube has its advocates, but many of the most successful fishermen have settled upon a snell made of rather loosely laid cotton cod-line, dyed some dark color, so as to be nearly invisible when wet. It is difficult for the fish to cut this with their shears, nor is he so apt to feel it be- fore fully swallowing the bait. A good tarjson rod may cost from ??12 to §22 ; a reel from ^5 to §35 ; two hundred yards braided linen line, say §3 ; snells, if shop-made, §3 to $5 a dozen ; gaff, §4 to §10. Complete outfit, say§25 upward. The usual bait is mullet, half the fish being put upon the hook, thrown to a distance from the boat, and allowed to sink to the bottom. Then there is nothing to do but wait, and put on fresh bait every hour. The tarpon feeds in shoal water, and may often be seen prowling about and stirring np the muddy bottom. When he takes the bait he must be allowed to carry off a dozen yards or so of line before strik- ing. This amount of line is often unreeled and coiled on a thwart, so as to offer no resistance. When struck, the fish begins a series of leaps, striving to shake himself clear, and it is often two hours before he is so far exhausted that he can be brought alongside and gaffed. Experienced fishermen say that the protracted excitement of landing a tarpon far exceeds that afforded by the salmon, hitherto 264 PUNTA RASSA. considered the kiDpc of game fishes. Small tarpon, ranging not higher than 40 or 50 pounds, may be taken with any gaudy fly on the large South Florida rivers a few miles from the coast. The official tarjion record for 1889, as kept at Punta Rassa, is appended. 1889. Feb. 28 Mch. 2. " 4. " 7. " 8. " 9. " If). " 18. " 21. " 21. " 22. " 23. " 2«, " 27. " 29. " 30. April 3. " 4. " 5. " 8. " 9. " 9. " 10. " 11. " 12. " 15. " 17. " 17. " 17. " 19, " 20. ■' 20. " 21. " 22. C. A. Grymes W. W. Jacobus Thos. E. Tripler. . . Thos. J. Falls. Geo. A. Frost. 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 Thos. E. Tripler. . . 6 Geo. A. Frost fi Frank L. Anthony. 6 Thos. J. Falls 5 Thos. E. Tripler. . . 5 Thos. J. Falls 5 Geo. A. Frost 6 E. Prime 5 O. A. Mygatt '5 Thos. B. Astea jS Wni. Thorne 6 R. K. Mygatt 6 Win. E. Thorne... 6 ...'4 " ... 5 E. Prime 6 O. A. Mygatt 5 R. K. Mvg.itt 9 Wrn. E. Thorne... 6 Thos. B. Asten ... 5 Frank L. Anthony. 5 R. K. Mygatt 5 E. Prime 6 R. K. Mygatt. ... 6 Thos. B. Asten 6 Frank h. Anthony. '6 ^ J= ti 1889. M ^ 2 119 Apr. 23. 114 '• 23. 4 m " 23. 10 115i^ " 23. 9 lU5i " 24. 1 7fi " 24. 3 77 " 24. 11 132 May 2. 1 137 " 3. 2i 14H " 6 3 131 " 7. 11 125 " 8. (> 90 " 9. 8 99 '• 9. 127 " 10. 1 .78 " 11. 2 72 " 13. 1 70 " 14. 2 150 " 14. 1 144 " 14. 4 141 " 15. 11 69 '• 15. 2 85 " 15. llfi " 16. 8 93 " 16. 7 95 " 16. 4 147 " 16. 9 105 " 17. 8 95 " 17. 2 (il " 17. 4 134 " 17. 3 llti " 18. 1 130 " 18. 1 110 E. Prime Thos. B. Asten.... Frank L. Anthony . 6 fi 4 10 5 3 E. Prime Thos. B. Asten. E. Prime 5 142 2* 125 .55 77 4 SO 2 135 5 145 9 98 3 115 8 I 53 5 10^ 125J 6 2 139f 5 5 93i 5 10 109 5 ,11 108 IJ 3i 126 6 i 106 5 I 9i 94 6 2 105* 5 6i 92i 6 ! 1 119 5 lOi' 94 5 ilOiilOl 4 64 56 5 i 6 6 U 6 r 79 1341 12(1 J 14«i io.-i 133* 153 12(1| 98* The tarpon season begins in March and improves for sporting purposes as the weather grows warmer. Thus far, Charlotte Harbor, in the vicinity of Punta Rassa, has proved the best fishing-ground, but this is probably because the habits of the game in that vicinity have been more thor- oughly studied than elsewhere. Tarpon certainly abound PUNTA RASSA— THE CALOOSA RIVER. 265 all along the Gulf coast, and in a lesser degree on the At- lantic coast, as far up as the St. John's River. In February, 1S89, the upper reaches of Biscayne Bay were alive with them, and the residents thereabout were spearing them at will. Four skilled fishermen, however, failed to induce them to bite, probably because it was too early in the sea- son. Etiquette among tarpon fishers prescribes that when a fish is hooked, boats near at hand shall up anchor and keep out of the way. 154. The Caloosa River. Caloosa was the name of the native tribe dominant in this region at the time of the Spanish discovery; "hatchee" meant " river " in their tongue, and still survives in the Sem- inole dialect. The Caloosas were a powerful and warlike tribe, their province extending as far north as Tampa, and embracing some fifty villages. Fontanedo translates " Ca- loosa" as "village cruel," which, with a liberal interpreta- tion, is suggestive as regards the disposition of the j^opula- tiou. For about twenty-three miles from San Carlos Bay the river maintains a width of from one mile to two miles, with a depth of seven feet. The shores are, for the most part, low, with occasional hammock islands and broad savannas. From Punta Rassa on the south to Sword Point on the north, the mouth of the Caloosa is a trifle over three miles wide. The largest and most southerly of the three islands lying off the entrance is Fisherman's Key. There are count- less unnamed keys lying in every direction, some covered witli mangroves and others with palms and hammock. The channel is very tortuous, with barely seven feet at low tide, but it becomes deeper three miles above Punta Rassa, where, after first narrowing to half a mile, the stream widens to 1| mile. Four miles farther it again narrows, with Redfish Point on the north and Palmetto Point on the south, and a channel twenty-three feet deep. This is a favorite fish- ing-ground. East of Palmetto Point is a bay known as Big 266 THE CALOOSA RIVER. Slough, opening into a broad savanna. Two miles beyond is Niggerhead Point, and beyond this again the pretty town of Fort Myers (see Route 155). Six miles above Myers the character of the river changes abruptly. The banks rise to a height of fifteen to twenty feet, the stream narrows to sixty yards, with a deep, strong current, and the l)anks are covered with a dense hammock growth, an infallible sign of rich land. Human habitations are few and far between. The river receives constant accessions from springs and streams, usually of cool pure water. Twelve miles above Myers the telegraph line crosses the river at Parkinson's Ferry. A mile further is Olga, near the sites — now hardly to be discovered without careful search — of Fort Simmons on the north, and Fort Denaud on the south, bank. The first named was little more than a fortified picket post. The second was a station of some imi^ortance, established in the winter of 1837-.38 by Captain B. L. E. Bonneville, of the Seventh Infantry, and named after the owner of the land. The site of the fort was two miles from the landing that now bears its name. The fort was strongly garrisoned during the closing years of the Semi- nole war ; and from it Lieutenant J. T. McLaughlin, U.S.N., set out early in November, 1841, with a force of 150 seamen and marines, to explore the then unknown Everglades. They crossed the peninsula, reaching the Atlantic coast by way of Biscayne Bay. Fort Denaud was abandoned shortly after this, reoccui)ied in 1849, again abandoned, and once more occupied in 1855, and at length, in 1857, finally evacuated, the garrison moving to Fort Simmons on the north bank of the river (sometimes called New Fort Denaud). Here a garrison was maintained till 1858, when it was withdrawn to Fort Myers. Hollingsicortlt Ferry, 10 miles above Myers, is the jDriucipal crossing place for cattle bound to Punta Eassa. Aha, 20 miles above Myers, is a jiost-ofiice with quite a little settle- ment in its neighborhood. About thirty-five miles above Myers is Lale Flirt, named after a government schooner that was on duty in Florida waters at the time of McLaughlin's expedition. Swift water is encountei'ed before reaching the lake. This lake, so far as THE CALOOSA RIVER— FORT MYERS. 2G7 known, was first visited by white men in July, 1832, the ex- plorers being W. R. Hackley and P. B. Prior, representatives of a New York land company. Fort Thomjison, at the out- let of Lake Flirt, was a temporary post established to intimi- date the Seminoles. From this i^oint to Okeechobee Lake the river flows through the borders of the Everglades. Nat- urally its upper reaches were not navigable, but the opera- tions of the Okeechobee Drainage Company have opened a canal through Lake Hickpochee, practicable for boats draw- ing five feet. 155. Fort Myers, Lee County (C. H.). Popiili Hamlin's Old Store 12 Horse Landing 16 Satsuma 18 Kashua 19 Root's Wnarf 20 Three Sisters 22 VVelaka 25 Mouth of Ocklawaha i'>M Double S. S 28 Boyd's Creek 29 I Bear Island 31 I Davenport 32 Toney's Hole 33 Poo '"Man's Labor (Pinner's) 37 Narrows 39 Freeborn's Cut 39)^ Riverside 40 j Deep Creek 43 j Jac 'i Gates 44 \ Turkev Creek 45 ] Blu3, or Salt, Spring 43 j Cedar Landing 50 j Jam Log 52 j Agnew's Landing 53 Turkev Foot 54 i Fort Brooke 56 ' Jordan's Landing 5T Orange Creek (O. Spring Land- I ing) : 51^' Oranse Sprins Shoals 58 Needle's Eye " 59 . Enoch & Collins' Landing 60 (Here note the re-entrant bends. ) Gray's Cut . . 61 : McBride's Landing 61M Twin Palmettos (west bank) 62 I-oug Reach 63 lud.an Bluff 64 , Harper's Ferrv 65 ! Bii.' Eddv ...." 66 I Matchett's Shoals 67 I Tobacco Patch 67^ MILES Hart's Secession Camp 68 Payne's Landing 69 Douglas Landing 69)^ lola 70 Well's Landing 72 Forty-foot Biulf 74 Rough and Ready Cut 75 Chief's Sign 77 Log Landing 81 Eureka Cut-off 84 Eureka 85 Cypress Gate 85^^ Pine Island 87 Sunday Bluff 90 Twin Cypress (east bank) 91 Bear Tree 93 Star Island 93}^ Suudav Run 94 Fern Tree 94}is Hogau's Landing 95 Pin Hook 96 Hell's Half Acre (island) 97 Park's Landing 98 Dodger Island 99 Gore's Landing 100 Brush-heap 102 Straits of " Dardin Kenels " 103 Osceola's Old Field 103 Durisoe's Landing 106 Rogers'Cnt .108 Stua -t Creek 109 Chitty's Avenue 110 Palmetto Grove Ill Long's Landing 113 Mill View 114 Grahamville 115 Howard's Landing 116 Shmetavlor 120 McKro'ikl's Old Field 123 D.'lk's Bluff 125 Silver Sprinsr Run 123 White Oak Laiuliiit,' 127 HeMngton's Landing 129 Rogers' Grove 130 Marshall's Landing .131 Pasteur's Landinsr 132 Robinson's Liinding 134 Turpentine Still Landing 13414 Jacob's Wells 134>J' Silver Springs 135 SILVER SPRIN(i. 2*J0 182. Silver Spring;, Marion County. Hotel. — Silver Springs Hotel, $3 a day. Railroad.— The Florida Central and Peninsula, north to Jacksonville (129 miles), west to Ocala (3 miles). Tickets good in either direction are sold from St. Augustine or Palatka. Steamers. — To Palatka and Leesburg via the Ocklawaha. (See Route 153.) Silver Spring Run. — The cliauge from the dark brown water of the Ocklawaha to the crystal transparency of Sil- ver Sjiring Enn is almost startling. The run is 9 miles long, and clear as the water seems at the mouth it is still clearer at the source. There is some reason to believe that De Soto visited this wonderful spring on his march of dis- covery and conquest in 1539, and if he did so it is hardly to be wondered at if he thought he had discovered the verita- ble fountain of youth. It is the most famous spring in Florida, perhaps because it is the most accessible, for there are others that are not unworthy rivals, each having some charm peculiar to itself that leaves the visitor in doubt as to which is the more beautiful. At the ordinary height of water, according to careful measurements made by Dr. D. G. Brinton, the spring dis- charges daily over three hundred million gallons of water, more than three hundred times as much as is car- ried by the Croton Aqueduct of New York, and 750 times as much as is delivered by the new Liverpool water-works at Vyrnwy, Wales. The same observer found the uniform temi^erature 72.2° F. The surface level of the spring va- ries at different seasons sometimes as much as 3 feet. It is ajDt to be highest after the summer rains. At all seasons, however, it discharges a stream of suflficient volume to float river steamers of moderate size. The water rushes upward through dark fissures in the limestone rock, keeping beds of white sand in constant agitation. It is "hard" water, not good to drink, but of such marvellous transparency that the bottom is distinctly visible at depths of 60 to 100 feet. There are five principal oi^enings through which the water rises near the spring head, and others occur at intervals along the run. At one of them, known as "The Bone- yard," about two miles down the run, the dismembered 300 SlLVKIl SPRINO. skeleton of a mastodon has l)cen found. Fully to appreci- ate the wonders of this fascinating spot one should explore it at leisure in a small boat. Even when seen from the deck of a steamer the run affords a strange series of pict- ures, the like of which are hardly to be found elsewhere. Fish abound in all these springs, but owing to the clearness of the water they are not easily taken. Every traveller will hear it asserted that the water of Sil- ver Spring, as indeed of all oth?r springs of like transpar- ency, has a magnifying power. This is obviously a delusion where the surface is level, since a curved surface of the denser medium, glass or water, is necessary to produce ap- l^arent enlargement. Occasionally, in a boiling spring dis- torted fragmentary glimpses of magnified objects may be caught where the surface momentarily rises to a convex form. Even wdien the water is quiet, however, the illusion is favored by its very high refractive power, which distorts objects not directly beneath the spectator's eye. Thus an approximately level bottom seems, when viewed from a small boat, to be a hemispherical depression with only a foot or two of depth at the rim, but as the boat moves the depression seems to move also, the gi'eatest depth remain- ing directly beneath the boat. BLUE SPRING. 301 183. Blue Spring, Marion County. (Post-office, Juliette.) Hotel — The Coitarrc Hotel, f2 a clay. Sinff^c teams, f 2 to $2.2.5 a day. Double teams. 14 to $5 a day. Boats down Blue River. $1, or Si. .50 with oarsman. Stea-m Launch to Dulinellon and re- turn, $1 apiece for party, or $1.5 to $20 if chartered for the day. Guides, f 1 to $2.50 a "day. Blue Spring is a station on tlie Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf Railroad, 20 miles west of Ocala. The spring, named Wekiva by the Seminoles and Las Aguas Azul by the Spaniards, is one of the most beautiful in Florida, surrounded by an amphitheatre of bluffs covered with a fine growth of magno- lia, hickory, live oak, bay, and the like, interspersed with pine. The spring is 350 feet wide, of a color that varies from blue to green, owing to unexplained conditions or to individual perception of color. So clear is the water and so high its refractive jiowers that, looking from the bank, a stranger cannot be convinced that the basin is more than three or four feet deep. It is a favorite jiastime among the newly arrived to lay wagers regarding the depth and then paddle out and take soundings with an oar. The actual depth is 25 feet or more. The spring derives much of its peculiar beauty from the wonderful vegetation that rises in endless variety of color and form along the rocky dykes and sand-bars of the bottom. To float upon the absolutely invisible water above these fairy-like bowers is an experience never to be forgotten. The water boils up through a broad, and no doubt a very deep-bed of pure white sand, in vol- ume sufficient to forma considerable stream — not nearly so large, however, as Silver Spring Run. All along the banks, too, are other lesser springs, overhung by ferns and vines that rival those beneath the surface of the water. Soon after the completion of the railroad a number of loaded jiercussion artillery shells were found in shoal water in the spring. They were no doubt relics of the Civil War, but their presence here has never been accounted for, as no military force is Iniown to have visited the i)lace. Visitors should not fail to go down the run to Dunnellon, 302 liLUE SPRING— DUNNELLON. either by steam launch or in a row-boat. The distance, allowing for tlie windings of the stream, is about 6 miles, and the whole trip is a series of surprises. Here and there are deep rocky chasms through which fresh volumes of water boil upward, and at frequent intervals other springs burst from the banks, sometimes utilized to turn water-wheels and each i^ossessed of some peculiar charm of its own. The lower reaches of the run are bordered with cypresses and fre- quented by garfish, turtles, and alligators. Dunnellon is at the junction of the "Withlacoochee, and thence, if desired, the train may be taken back to Blue Spring. To row back against the swift current with such boats as are available calls for a good three hours of hard work. A word of warning in regard to bathing. The water is so pure that its siDecific gravity is low. Hence it is harder to swim in. Oue may easily dive to a great dei)th, but it is not so easy to reach the surface again, and inexperienced swimmers may readily find themselves in trouble. 184. Dunnellon, Marion County. Hotel.— TAc Rcnfro House, SI. 50 a day. Railroads.— The Ocala, Silver Springs, and Gulf Railrcad northeast to Ocala (20 miles), southwest to Homosassa (28 miles). Near the confluence of the Withlacoochee and Blue Riv- ers the laud rises into hammock-covered bluffs, affording an excellent site for a town. A large tract was acqiiired by a land company in 1887, and considerable money was laid out in a railway station, cutting avenues through the forest, and making the beginnings of a populous community. A park was set apart near the junction of the rivers and a hotel, church, and schoolhouse were built shortly after the completion of the railroad, which here crosses the With- lacoochee. The locality is attractive, and the land of excel- lent quality. It was not, however, until the summer of 1889 that the fabulous wealth underlying the soil was discovered. There had been some passing excitement in the vicinity con- cerning an alleged discovery of gypsum, and every one was DUNNELLON. 303 on the lookout for specimens. Albert Vogt, of Dnnnellon, picked up a chalky substance in the hammock, and handed it to Mr. J. F. Dunn, who sent it to Ocala lor examination by Dr. Rene SnoAvden, a chemist of that jjlace. Analysis gave from sixty to eighty-one and a half per cent, of jihos- phates, and specimens subsequently found ranged as high as ninety per cent. The value of the discovery was at once apparent, and the earth was drilled and quarried as if gold were sought, instead of a really useful article of commerce. The discovery in fact threw upon the market fertilizers of such jnirity and strength that for some time it was not known how they could be used. The area underlaid by this extraordinarily rich deposit is not at this writing clearly do- fined. It extends on both sides of the Withlacoochee River, in a belt some forty miles long and six to eight miles wide. The bed is usually about thirty feet thick, occasionally ex- posed, but oftener ten to fifteen feet below the surface. It is apjiarentlyan island of exceptionally rich quality, formed by some unknown geological alchemy in the vast area of phos- phatic rock that underlies the whole peninsula of Floiida. That other similar specimens may be found is j^robable, and indeed the experimental borings already made have brought to light many minerals, of great interest to the geologist if not of unsuspected commercial value. Aside from the interest of the phosphate works, the visi- tor will find the vicinity of Dnnnellon healthful and at- tractive. Blue Spring and its outlet (see Route 153) are beautiful beyond description. The Withlacoochee affords good fishing, and along its banks is game in abundance. Oarsmen will do well to remember that the current is swift and strong, and that an hour's drift down stream means three hours of hard work on the return. It is however a pleasant trip to the mouth of the river, 15 miles distant. A steam launch is best, considering the return up stream, but arrangements can often be made to row down in a small boat and return on a river steamer. The "Withlacoochee is remarkable in that its general course is northerly, like that of the St. John's on the Atlantic coast. These are the onlv two Florida streams of anv cou- o04 DUNNELLON— LAKE WEIR. siflerable size that, with their tributaries, run northwaid, while between them is the Kissimmee, running almost due south. 185. Lake Weir, Marion County. Lat. 28" 58' N.-Long. 81° 50' W. Hotels. — Chautanqaa Houae, Lake Weir, $2 a day, $25 a month ; La!:e S.'de Hotel, South Lake \\e.r. Railroads. — The Fonda Southern; sonth to Leesbnrg ; north to Ocala. The F. C. & P. Ey. passes 3 miles west of the lake. Lake Weir is nearly round, and about three miles in di- ameter. This makes no account of two large bays at the western end, whicli increase the total length to 5 miles (N.W, and S.E. ), and give it a total area of about 6,400 acres. From the shores the laud rises into bluffs, often forty or fifty feet high, which are largely occuiiied as villa sites by winter ]esidents from the North, as well as by permanent settlers whose orange-groves stretch back to the border of the pine forest. An excellent road makes the circuit of the lake, a drive of twenty miles, which can easily be covered in three hours. The hotels are well supplied with steam- launches and sail-boats, which are for hire at reasonable rates. The lake is deep, with clear water and a sandy bot- tom, and well stocked with fish. In the vicinity are seven post-offices, among which it is desirable to distinguish if letters are expected. Lake Weir P.O. is at the north side of the Lake. Here are the ' ' Chautauqua " grounds, with a lec- ture hall. Hood's Seminary, and stores. Two miles east is Ocklairaha Station P.O., through which mns the road from Lake Weir to Moss Bluff on the Ocklawaha River (3 miles). Three miles south is Eastlalce P.O. Two miles south is Staunton P.O. One and a half mile farther south is Foster Park P.O., and south of this again. South Lake Weir P. 0. In the soiithwestern part of the lake, nearly completing the circuit of the shores, are four islands, two of them of con- siderable size and under cultivation. West of these islands are the broad bays above referred to, and at frequent intervals along the shores of lake and bays are charming country seats and rich plantations. Between the larger lake and the Ockla- LAKE WEIR— LEESBURO. 305 waba, on a strip of land some four miles wide and six miles long, are thirty or more small lakes and ponds, offering a pleasing variety to sportsmen who love an all-day tramp with rod or gun. 190. Leesburg, Lake County (C. H.). Population, 1890, 1,200. Lat. 28° 45' N.— Long. 81° 53' W. Hotels. — Union, Central, Lake City. Leeshurg, $2 a day ; $8 to $10 a week. Railroads. — Florida Central & Peninsula, to Ocala, Jacksonville. Tavares, etc. Florida Southern to Jacksonville, Brooksville, Punta Gorda, etc. Steamboats daily to all points ou the lakes ; weekly down the Ocklawaha River. Saddle horses, 25c. an hour, $2 a day. Single team, 50c. an hour, S3 a day ; double team, 75c. an hour ; $4.50 a day. Kow-boats, 50c. a day. Sail-boats, 50c. an hour ; $5 a day. Guides for hunting and fishing. Special terms are made according to extent of trip. Leesburg was practically built up around the County Court House which was placed here in 1868, as a compro- mise between the claims of adjacent towns. There were only two or three settlers' cabins on the isthmus at the time, and for several years jjrogress was almost impercejatible. lu 1885 the first railroad came, followed in 1887 by others, and since then its growth has been very rajjid. The Cential Lake region of Florida includes Lakes Apop- ka (73 sq, miles), Harris (28 sq. miles), Griffin (15 sq. miles), Eustis (13 sq. miles), Dora (9 sq. miles). Little Lake Harris (8 sq. miles), Yale (8 sq. miles). Lakes Harris, Griffin, and Eustis (see map, page 46) are close together, with Leesburg on a neck of land between Griffin and Hariis. Lake Apop- ka,-the largest of the group, is 4 miles southeast of Lake Harris. Besides these larger lakes there are numerous smaller ones in the immediate vicinity. The country sur- rounding Leesburg is in the main rolling pine laud inter- spersed with hammocks. Bold bluffs are of frequent occur- rence along the lake shores, some of them still covered with the native forest, others showing the regular dark-green rows of orange-groves. lu the immediate vicinity of Lees- 20 306 LEESBURG. burg there is a considerable extent of cleared land devoted to the various garden crops as well as to oranges, lemons, limes, and the like. Five miles northwest of Leesburg, near the shore of Lake Grifliu, is Fruitland Park, where one of the most successful r of the English colonies is established. It numbers now nearly 100 members, has a club, and is already an attractive place for young Englishmen who find no satisfactory ojien- ing at home. Full information may be obtained from Sta- l^ylton & Co., Fruitland Park Colony, Polk County, Florida. Excursions by boat on the lakes are among the attractions of Leesburg, and the railroad facilities are such that many interesting localities as, for instance, Lake Apopka, Lake Weir, Lake Eustis, Mount Dora, and Fort Mason, may be easily reached. By consulting the local time-tables return- ing trains may be met at some other station. Thus one may take the early train to Tavares, hire a boat, spend the day in sailing and fishing, and catch the Leesburg train at Fort Mason. Fairly good roads follow the shores of all the lakes, as nearly as the conformation of the land permits. It is an all-day ride or drive around any one of these lakes, and somewhat monotonous withal, but there are fine forests — pine and hardwood, occasional clearings or outlooks over the lake, and with proper jjrovision for a midday picnic such a trip may be very enjoyable. All, or nearly all, the lakes in this vicinity are of clear pure water with sandy bottoms, and are well stocked with the usual fresh-water varieties of fish. Alligators, while not so abundant as formerly, may be seen sunning themselves any warm day along the lake shores, and water-fowl are plenty in the season, though always wild. Lake Aj^ophn, the second largest in the State, is 18 miles long and 11 miles wide. It may be reached from Leesburg by rail to Apopka station or through a canal from Lake Har- ris. LEESBURG. 3(1"; Dade's Massacre. The first active outbreak of the Seminole \i-ar vcas on No- vember 2G, 1835, when a friendly chief, Charley Emathla, was killed near Micanopy at the instance of Osceola, leader of the hostile party. Thereupon he began a series of at- tacks upon solitary settlements, culminating -in the assassina- tion of General Thompson and his companions near Fort King, and the annihilation of Major Dade's command in the Wahoo Swam}:). Dade left Fort Brooke, on Tampa Bay, December 24, 1835, with reinforcements for Fort King, near Ocala. The old military road ran a little north of east, crossing both branches of the Withlacoochee, and skirting the edge of the extensive swamps surrounding the forks of the river, a favorite retreat of the Indians when hard pressed. The command consisted of Captain Gardner's company of the Second Artillery, and Captain Frazer's, of the Third In- fantry, 110 strong all told. It was not known to the officers that hostilities had actually begun at the north, and no pre- cautions were taken to guai'd against ambuscade beyond marching with loaded pieces. At ten o'clock on the morn- ing of December 28th, the command was passing through the pines and scrub jDalmetto, with a savanna of tall grass on the right, close to the road. From a dense growth of pal- mettos a withering fire was delivered by a large party of concealed Indians, at a distance of 50 or 60 yards. Major Dade was killed at the first fire, and although the column was temjiorarily thrown into confusion, the men at once rallied and cleared the palmettos with their bayonets, rout- ing the Indians for a time. Captain Gardner, now in com- mand, took advantage of the moment's respite to drag a few logs together, forming a low, triangular breastwork, and be- hind this every man lay down, loading and firing as best he could till killed or disabled. There they all lay when a searching expedition reached the place, six weeks later, every man in his place, and most of them with their car- tridge-boxes empty. One private soldier, Thomas by name, who w'as wounded at the first firs, concealed himself in the scrub and reached Fort Brooke the next day. Two others. 308 LKESHuim. severely wouuded, were overlooked in the final massacre and dragged themselves sixty-five miles through the woods, reaching the fort two or three days later. Their accounts agreed with those of a chief subsequently captured, to the eifect that nearly half the detachment fell at the first fire. The dead numbered 8 officers, 97 non-commissioned officers and privates, and 2 civilians, 107 in all ; 3 men barely es- caping with their lives. So completely did the Indians overrun the country after this that, although their main body of warriors was badly punished by General Clinch, just below the forks of the Withlacoochee, on December 31st, the news of the massacre was not known at Fort King till February. The garrison at Fort Brooke was not strong enough to venture out, and it was not till early in that month that General Clinch was sufficiently reinforced to resume the offensive. On the 20tli he visited the scene of the massacre and buried the remains of the victims, most of whom lay where they had fallen. In 1842 these were disinterred and removed to the mili- tary burial-ground at St. Augustine. Francis Langdon Dade was a Virginian, Brevet Major of the Fourth Infantry. He was in command of the fated detachment because he had volunteered to take the place of Captain Gardner, whose wife was dangerously ill at Fort Brooke. Mrs. Gardner, however, was sent to Key "West, and her husband hastened after his company in time to resume his place at its head and die with the rest. The scene of this massacre is about 4 miles north of Dia- gem Junction, at the crossing of the F. C. & P. and the F. S. Railroads. (See crossed sabres on map, page 86.) Sub-tropical Florida. South of Latitude 27 N. Wherever the cocoa-palm will grow and bear fruit per- ennially for a generation or two, the conditions may be said to be sub-tropical. In Florida the northern limit may be placed at Jupiter Inlet for the Atlantic Coast, and at Charlotte Harbor for the Gnlf. In other words, sub-tropical Florida is that portion of the peninsula that lies south of the 27th parallel. This includes Lake Worth and the Char- lotte Harbor region, which have been described respectively under Parts I. and II. of the Handbook. At present, Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys are jjrac- tically the only inhabited and accessible jiortion of sub- tropical Florida. The rest is a wilderness, with here and there a hunter's cabin or an Indian camp. By far the great- er part of the mainland is uninhabitable, and many of the Keys are awash when there is a high spring tide, or a strong wind setting shoreward. Others of them, however, are 8 or 10 feet above high-water mark, and are capable of cultiva- tion, making delightful sites for winter residences, well south of the frost line, and readily accessible. The main- land abounds with springs and streams of fresh water, most of it more or less impregnated with lime. The water of Okeechobee and the Everglades is drinkable, as are also the streams that flow therefrom. Almost anywhere in this re- gion fresh water may be obtained, by drilling into the soft calcareous rock to a depth of 15 or 20 feet, sinking a pipe therein and fitting a pump on top. The water is at first impregnated with lime, but this largely disappears with use. On most of the Keys, rain water or distilled water is preferred for drinking. Signal service observations at Key West, since 1870, give mean temperature as follows : Sjiring, 76,9" ; summer, 83.8° ; autumn, 78.8° ; winter, G8.3°. These were noted early in the morning, in mid-afternoon, and at eleven o'clock at night. The average rainfall for the same period was : Spring, 6.10 310 SUB-TROPICAL FLORIDA— BISCAYNE BAY. iuclies ; summer, 13.47 inches; auhimn, 14.80 inches; winter, 5.94 inches. The higliest recoftled temperature "was 97^ (Juno, 1880), and the lowest was 44° (December, 1878). At the recently established signal station at Jupiter, near the northern limit of the sub-tropical region, the averages thus far stand as follows : Spring, 72.4° ; summer, 80° ; autumn, 75.7° ; winter, 69.4°. Annual mean, 73.9°. 200. Biscajne Bay, Dade County. Lat. 25° 25' to 25° 5(;' N.— Long. 80° 10' W. Hotel. — Bay Vien\ at Cocoaimt G.ove, $10 a week. Boats. — Good-sized sloop or j-avvl with two men, $50 a month. Sailboats $2 a day. Few good rowboats. Means of access. — Sailing vesse'.s from Key West. If natural advantages of climate, location, and surround- ings are alone to be considered, Biscayne Bay may challenge comparison with any part of Florida. At present the only stated means of access is by way of Key West, whence mail boats sail once a week. The trip (about one hundred and fifty miles) may be made in a day, or it may take a week. This is the only nominally " regular " passenger traffic. A small steamer, the lola, has been advertised to run from Key West to Miami, but no details of its actual sen-ice are at hand. It is understood that the Key West and Havana steamers from New York will land freight and passengers at Cape Florida as soon as paying returns are assured. The present inaccessibility of the bay excludes it from the list of jjopular resorts, and its beauties and attractions are known only to a few appreciative yachtsmen, hunters, fish- ermen, and winter residents. Lying along the southeastern curve of the great peninsula, it is on the very edge of the Gulf Stream, and separated from it only by a slender line of coral reefs and islands. The trade wind blowing from the ocean keeps the day tem- perature in fair weather at an avei'age of about 73° F. The habitable part of the mainland is a ridge of coralline rock, often not more than four or five miles wide, that separates the bay from the everglades. biscayist: bay. 311 Through this ridge, at several different points, streams of •nonderful beauty have cut channels through the rock, and all along shore there are boiling springs of greater or less energy, yielding j^ure, soft water in unfailing abundance. The bay itself is about forty miles long by six miles wide. It is separated from the ocean by a long peninsula that reaches southward from the mainland until the sea breaks through at Norris Cut and Bear Cut, forming Virginia Key and Key Biscayne. The southern extremity of the latter is known as Cape Florida, and is marked by a fine old light- house tower, and the ruins of the keeper's house. The light was discontinued on the completion of the Fowey Rocks light, six miles southeast. The premises, with their pict- ures pie ruins, are now leased from the Government by the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, whose headquarters are at Cocoa- nut Grove, just across the bay. South of this cape is the main oijening between the bay and the ocean, a broad pas- sage five miles wide, full of shifting sand-bars, but with several good channels, through which vessels of ten feet draught may pass at low w^ater. In the bay itself are, alternately, sand-bars and wide reaches of navigable water, rendering navigation difficxilt for all save sharpies and boats of very light draught. There is, however, deep water and a good anchorage just inside the cape, and ten feet draught may be carried through the mid-channels of the bay. Cocoanut Grove (P.O.) is the most considerable settlement on the bay. Here is the only hotel south of Lake Worth, and here the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club has its headquar- ters. Several Northern yachtsmen spend the winter months in this delightful haven, where as good hunting and fishing is to be found as anywhere in Florida, and where the north- ers are tempered by the everglades on the one hand and the ocean on the other. Miami (P.O.), lately the county seat, is at the mouth of Miami Eiver, the site of old Fort Dallas, a considerable military post during the Seminole War. It was established in January, 1838, and abandoned June 10, 1858. The ruins of the old fort, with some of the barracks, still standing and '>i'2 BIS(L\YNE HAY. occupied as dwellings, are on the north side of the river. On the south side are several houses and a store, the latter being in effect an Indian trading station, where the Semi- noles barter alligator hides from the Everglades, and dispose of such other trojjhies of their lifles as are not needed for home consumiition. It is not uncommon to find two or three canoes moored at the wharf, with an indefinite number of squaws and papooses on board, and a sujjijIv of fresh meat in the shape of turtles, and a live pig or two. In the woods between Miami and Biscayne, sj^ecimens of the Royal Palm {Oreoduxa Regia) are found growing wild, and the curious "gumbo limbo," or West Indian birch (Bitrsera gummifera), is of frequent occurrence. The Miami River. — For about four miles from the bay the stream is from 150 to 200 feet wide, and may be ascended by sailboats. It divides into the north and south forks about three miles from the mouth, both of them swift, clear streams. The north fork has imjiassable rapids, but the south fork can be ascended in small boats to its outlet from the Everglades, about six miles from the bay. The grasses and other aquatic plants that cover the bottom of the stream are wonderfully beautiful in their varied color and graceful movements as they are swayed to and fro by the clear rush- ing water. Sailing about the bay in any direction with a suitable shallow-draft boat is the jjerfection of smooth- water cruising. Among the points of especial interest are the following ; distances are given from Cocoanut Grove. Biscai/ne Baif House of Refuge (12 miles). — This station is situated on a lonely beach about seven miles north of Norris Cut. There is good shooting in the hammock and along the ridges at Bay Biscayne. Three miles south of the station is the Crocodile Pond, a small, land-locked pool midway be- tween the bay and the ocean, which, for some reason, is the fa- vorite resort of the crocodile (Crocodilus Acutxs, Floridiensis), as distinguished from the common alligator of the fresh- water swamps. The principal difference is in the sharper nose, more formidable teeth, and fiercer disposition of the crocodile, and in the different articulation of his jaws, both of them being hinged, whereas in the case of the alligator biscayjS'e bay. 313 only the lower one is liiuged. The alligator is rarely dangerous, but the crocodile, it is said, will attack a man if he thinks he has a reasonable chance of success. For this reason strangers are recommended to exercise some caution in visiting this pond. Arch Creek (15 miles). — Near the head of the bay. A wonderfully beautiful stream, flowing in a strong, deep cur- rent through a wide tangle of mangroves near its mouth. Two miles up the stream divides. Follow north fork about one-half mile to cliffs. Here the stream has worn a jjassage throiigh the coralline rock. Cliffs rise at times twenty feet or more above the water, draped with a luxuriant growth of vines, air-plants, mosses, wild figs, and a x^erplexing wealth of troi^ical vegetation. Three miles from its mouth the stream flows beneath a wide, low arch of rock, under which a boat may jiass at ordinary stages of the water. Arch Creek may be ascended to the Everglades, two miles above the arch. Bluff Rocks (.3 miles). — This range of cliffs has not its like in Florida. Rising abruptly from the water's edge, midway between Cocoauut Grove and Miami, it is the most conspic- uous natiaral landmark on the bay. The i^i'eciiaitous part of the bluff is a little more than one mile long, and at its high- est about thirty feet above the water. Of course, this height would be insignificant in a hilly country, but in Florida it is sufficiently remarkable to be famous. The water is shallow at the foot of the rocks, but a landing may be effected in a small boat, and the cliffs can be climbed almost anywhere. Along the to}) of the cliff is a dense hammock growth, with wild groves of orange and lime trees, in full bearing. Here and there are ruins, apparently of civilized abodes, and at the foot of the cliff near by is the Punch Bowl, to which stone-cut stejis lead, and which evidently fui-nished the water- supply for these forgotten first settlers. No record exists of Spanish occupation, but it seems most reasonable to suppose that there was here either a missionary station or a piratical re- treat, and in either case Spaniards were j^robably responsible. Soldier Key, Elliotfs Key, and Fowey Rocks Light are all within easy sailing distance of Cocoanut Grove. On the first named are buildings originally erected by the workmen en- 314 BISCAYNE BAY. gaged in constructing Fowey Eocks lighthouse. They liave been transfoiTed to the Fish Commission with a view to ex- jierimenting in sponge-culture. On Elliott's Key are fine plantations of pineapples, and inside this and the neighbor- ing keys men are at work gathering and curing the sponges that grow in abundance in the waters of the bay. In shel- tered positions at the different inlets or " cuts" where the tide runs strong are of^en seen square pens or " kraals," W'here the sponges are left for a time to be washed by the ebl) and flow, and partially bleached by exposure to the sun. Fowey Kocks Lirjht (Lat. 25^ 85' 25" N., Long. 80" 5' 41" W.) is a pyramidal iron structure standing in about five feet of water on the northern extremity of the dangerous Florida Reefs. The lantern is 111 feet above the sea-level, and shows a fixed white light visible 16^ nautical miles. Tlis lighthouse was completed in 1878, and takes the jilace of the old tower on Ca[)e Florida, the location being better for the purposes of navigation. Formerly these rocks were called the " Looe," jwobably a corruption of " Les Loups," the wolves, and tradition has it that a frigate was lost here in the early days. It is even said that under favoi-able conditions her submerged guns and some of her timbers can still be seen. Walks, etc. — There are no roads in the vicinity of Bis- cayne Bay, save a few very rougii cart-paths in the immediate vicinity of the settlements. The walking on the ridge separa- ting the sea and Everglades is indescribably diflicult and even dangerous, owing to the disintegrated rock that covers the surface. The stoutest of boots are needed for pedestrian excursions, and not even these will last long. The walk across the ridge to the Everglades and back is a hard day's work, and should be undertaken only by the strong and sure- footed. The beaches of Key Biscayne, Virginia Key, and of the peninsula to the northward afford good walking and are always interesting. So, too, are occasional stretches of beach on the mainland to the southward. On one of these, about six miles south of Cocoanut Grove, and about one-half mile north of Shoal Point, is a bed of singing sand that emits a musical note under foot. BISCAYXE BAY— THE FLORIDA REEFS. 315 Tai'i^on abound iu Biscayiio Bay, but have not at this writing been taken witli the rod. The kingfish is taken by trolling or even with the rod just outside the reefs. Spanish mackerel, sea-trout, pomi^ano, and the more common kinds of salt-water fish abound in the bay, while bass, bream, and the usual fresh-water varieties are caught in the various streams. Water-fowl are for the most part very shy, as they are shot at all the way down the coast on their long journey from Labrador. They are abundant, however, and may be shot with due exercise of skill and patience. There are plenty of quail in the woods and jirairies, but without dogs it is wellnigh impossible to find birds that fall in the scrub. Deer in considerable numbers find pasturage along the border of the prairies and everglades, but they are very shy and are persistently hunted by the Indians. Yachtsmen intending to winter in these waters should not be misled by any preconceived ideas in favor of keel-boats ; such craft are worse than useless. The sharpie, with not more than three feet draught of water, is the only boat suit- able for pleasure-cruising about the Florida Eeefs and adja- cent inland waters. 201. The Florida Reefs, Monroe County. Between Lat. 24° 32' 58" and 25° 35' 25" N., and Long. 80' 4' 48" and 81° 48' 04" W. See map of Monroe County. Weekly mail and passenger schooners from Key West and Biscarne Bay ^vill land passengers anywhere. Rise and fall of tides, where given, "is from the Coast Survey tables, but must be taken with allowance for changes of wind, which often makes a difference of several feet. "Within a very few years after Columbus landed at San Salvador, the Florida Eeefs began to levy tribute on Euro- jjean commerce. So intricate were their channels, and so powerful the sweep of currents, that the long line of coral islands, rocks, and reefs soon earned the name of " The Mar- tyrs." They keep up their re^nitation fairly well to this day, notwithstanding the lighthouses and beacons that now mark the channel from Cape Florida to the Dry Tortugas. The general formation of the reefs, as shown on the map, would seem at a superficial glance to indicate that they have 316 TIIK FJ.OKIDA REKFS. been formed by a powerful current sweeijing southward through the straits. In reality, the current sets in the op- posite direction, at a rate varying from two to five miles an hour, but it is none the less responsiVile for the formation of the reefs. 1'ho warm waters of the Mexican Gulf and of its outflow, the Gulf Stream, are highly favorable to the life and work of the " coral insect" and his lime-making co-laborers. Accordingly, after laying the foundation of the Florida Pen- insula, they have by successive stages built the limestone dams that now confine Okeechobee and the Everglades, have gone far toward completing another similar concentric dam, represented at present by the long line of wooded keys, just off the coast, and have the groundwork of still another dyke well under way in the dangerous reefs that now fringe the edge of the Gulf Stream. The current is now so jiower- ful that the present line of reefs is probably destined to be the last of the series. ' ' Coral Insect," by the way, is a grievous misnomer ; for this tiny creature is a polyp, and the lime that he secretes forms part of his person — a kind of skeleton, as it were — which he outgrows and leaves behind him in the shape of solid carbonate of lime. His popular English name, how- ever, is " coral insect," and such it will probably remain in spite of science, which classifies him as radiate, and divides the family into Asti-ceayi Poriles, and 3I(pandrmas (differ- ent kinds of "brain corals "), and Madrepores (branch corals). All these, with numerous subdivisions, are found alive and busy along the reef. In former ages they were at work far to the north of their present habitat, but, perhaps largely as the result of their own labors, the conditions changed, the sea-sands were swept in, and living Florida corals are now found only at the edge of the Gulf Stream. The coral maker and the mangrove are close allies in the work of continent building. The first, by some mystei-ious process, extracts lime from sea- water and covers the bed of the sea with a forest of branches in which all sorts of sea Ijlants and creatures become entangled and die, and in the course of time are. entombed in the solid lime. The work- THE FLORIDA REEFS. ol7 er stops buildiug only when he reaches the sea-level (low- water mark), aud then the ocean begins to pile up loose ma- terial, broken coral and the like, on the reef. Some day, when the wind is off shore, a little round, cigar-like stick, floating vertically, for it is ballasted at one end, drifts uioon the shallows. Its weighted end finds lodgement as the tide falls. Before next high-water, it is fast anchored, the rootlets growing with surprising raiDidity, and penetrating the crevices of the rich lime rock prepared by the coral mak- ers. Other brown cigar-like sticks follow this pioneer, and in a few years the bare reef has become a mangrove key, collecting the flotsam and jetsam of the ocean to form hab- itable land. When the mangrove can no longer j'each salt- water, it dies, decays, adds its quota to the rich top-dressing of the coral, and then the wind and the sea bring cocoa- nuts, pine-cones, acorns, and the like, and in a generation or two, the bare coral key is covered with a thriving ham- mock growth, and is ready for human habitation. Tlie late Professor Agassiz discredited the jiopular theory that the formation of So'uthern Florida is aided by slow geo- logical upheavals. His strongest argument is that the high- est levels of keys and main land are practically uniform, about twelve feet above the sea-level, closely con-esiDonding to the height of hurricane waves ; whereas, if geological upheaval had been at work, the inland reefs would be per- ceptibly higher than those of more recent formation. Such an exceptionally high coral ridge as the Bluflf Kocks, ou Biscayne Bay, are merely local, and can be reasonably ac- counted for as the result of an earthquake. The coral keys are always highest toward the sea, sloping away gradually toward the mainland. Careful observations and measiirements on submerged masonry at Fort Taylor (Key West), and at Fort Jefferson (Tortugas), indicate that solid coral forms at the rate of about six inches in a century. This rate, however, may be safely doubled in the case of exposed reefs, to allow for accumula- tions. As the present outer reef averages seventy feet in height, it should have been about 7,000 years in building, and each of tlie interior reefs, seven of which have been ;^18 THE FLORIDA REKFS. traced between the shore bluffs and Lake Okeechobee, was probably nearly finished not far from the time when its neai*- est outer neighbor was begun. The rock of the oldest reefs that have been found is identical with the most recent, and on the above basis of calculation the ridge that encircles Okeechobee must have been begun at least 70,000 years ago, and the microscope jn-oves that the builders and their meth- ods were precisely the same then as now. The animal life of the keys and adjacent waters is wonder- fully pi'olific and interesting. Fish of all kinds abound, from the great Jewfish, bonita, kingfish, and the like, down to the delicate and beautiful angel-fish, and many-colored dwellers among the mangrove roots. Crustaceans are found in great variety, inchiding " crayfish " as large as lobsters, but without the formidable " nipj^ers." They are very abundant, and are excellent for the table. Sea-turtle are taken in large numbers ; all kinds of water-fowl nest among the mangroves, and large game, bears, wild-cats, cougars, deer, and turkeys haunt the wooded keys. There is deep, navigable water between the outer reef and the keys, and even to some extent between the keys and the mainland. Pilots, familiar with the ground can carry vessels of moderate draft through the inside j^assage, but for strangers or amateurs the only enjoyment lies in light- draft sharpies or similar craft, which can make a harbor be- hind almost any of the keys in heavy weather, or if stranded on a mud-flat by a change of wind, will rest comfortably on an even keel until floated off. These intricate channels and safe harbors among lofty mangroves were well known to the pirates and freebooters of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and even of the early nineteenth centuries. It is iDOi:)x;larly sxip- posed that their successors, the fishermen, spongers, and wreckers of to-day are pirates wjien they have the chance, but in reality, while there are desperate characters among them, they are upon the whole a benefit to commerce, often saving the cargoes of stranded ships, and sometimes even floating off the vessels themselves. No doubt they consider a wreck strictly from a business point of view, and claim full salvage, but they stand in wholesome fear of the revenue THE FLORIDA REEFS. 319 service and are generally careful not to transgress their law- ful rights. Virginia Key and Key Discayne separate Biscayne Bay from the ocean. They are covered -with sea-sand, are over- grown with vegetation, and have lost ilieir true character as coral keys. The soutiiern end of Key Biscayne is Cajjo Florida. The abandoned lighthouse tower and a fine clumx? of cocoa-palms serve as landmarks (see Boute 160). Soldier Key, the northernmost of the true reef keys, is 4 miles due west from Fowey Rocks Light. On it are build- ings erected for the workmen who built the light-tower, now turned over to the Fish Commission and in charge of Com- modore Ralph Munro, of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, who is investigating the subject of sponge-culture with a view to increasing the i^roduction. Fowey Hacks Ligld was established in 1878 to take the l^lace of the discontinued light on Cape Florida. It stands in 5 feet of water on the northernmost knob of the Florida Reef. Lat. 25° 35' 25" N., Long. 80° 05' 41" W. Ragged Keys. — Here begins the almost continuous line of more or less habitable islands that ends with Key West. The northernmost are at present insignificant clumps of young mangroves. Sands Key is 1^ mile long, and three-fourths of a mile at its widest, counting a belt of mangroves. EllioWs Key is nearly 8 miles long and one-half mile wide. There are several houses and large plantations of pineapples, also fishing and sjwnging stations. The greater part of the island is covered with a dense hammock, and the surface is rough and rocky, with a sand beach on the seaward side. On the bay side there is a wharf or landing stage with about 4 feet of water at low tide, and on the ocean side a similar landing with 6 feet of water. Old Rhodes Key is tlie largest of a grouj) of islands be- tween Elliott's Key and Key Largo. Among them Ciesar's Creek makes through into Cards Sound — the southern ex- tremity of Biscayne Bay — a shallow expanse with scattered keys, and not more than 3 or 4 feet of water at low tide. Key Largo, as its name implies, is the largest of the reef 32U THK FliOKIDA KEKFS. keys, 25 miles long and of uudetermined width. The coast survey chait connects it with the mainland, but canoes and small craft can work their way through from Biscayne Bay and Cards Sound into Barnes Sound and the Bay of Florida. The passages are likely at any time to be overgrown by man- groves, since inhabitants are few and it is to no one's suffi- cient interest to keep a passage open. Turtle Harbor. — Two beacons mark the entrance to this seemingly exposed, but really safe anchorage. The sea- ward beacon on Turtle Reef bears 4f nautical miles N. \ W. from Carysfort Reef Light. From Turtle Reef the shore- ward beacon bears W. ^ N. distant one mile. The harbor it- self is5i miles long, and more than a mile wide, with 4i to 4 fathoms of water, and good holding ground almost any- where. The only obstacle to entering is an island-like reef about f of a mile within the beacons. The wider channel is to the eastward of this reef, which is well buoyed and plainly visible in clear weather. The harbor is effectually sheltered by the outlying reefs from all save the most violent hurricanes, which are of rare occurrence under such condi- tions as would render this anchorage unsafe. Carysfort Reef Light is a pyramidal iron structure, painted dark brown, with a white lantern 106 feet above the sea. It shows a white flash every 30 seconds, visible IG nautical miles at sea. The light was established in 1852. It stands .on a pile foundation close to the seaward edge of the reef, in Lat. 25° 13' 18 " N., Long. 80° 12' 34" W. This tower was seized by the Secessionists in 1861, and the light for a time discontinued. The Matecombe Keys, Upper and Lower, are both inhabited, and there are abundant natural wells on the upper or east- ern key. These have been used by mariners time out of mind, and before that by the Indians. Both these islands were once, and are still to some extent, covered with a fine hammock growth, showing that they have been longer above water than their neighbors. Indian Key. — A small island just off the jjassage between Upper and Lower Matecombe Keys. It is conspicuous owing to a number of large warehouses and other buildina:s that can THE FLORIDA REEFS. 321 be seen from a considerable distance. In the early days the crew of a French ship that was wrecked near by, landed on the key and were massacred by the Caloosa Indians. Owing to its position, midway between Cape Florida and Key "West, it became important as a wrecking station. A Mr. Hous- man established a store, built a hotel as early as 1837, and the place became quite a resort for invalids. The Gov- ernment, too, used it as a depot during the Seminole wars, but never kept a guard there, as the neighboring Indians were considered friendly. During the night of August 7, 1840, however, a band of Spanish Indians made a descent upon the little settlement. Among the residents was Dr. Ferine, a distinguished naturalist of the time, stationed here for jjurposes of scientific observation. Mrs. Ferine and her three children took refuge in a tidal bath-room that had been excavated under the house, but the doctor after thias concealing his family was murdered by the savages, and the house was burned with the valuable library and the owner's manuscripts. The mother and children made their escape by breaking out through the barred sluiceway and succeed- ed in reaching a schooner anchored oif shore. The Indi- ans did not seem to be bent upon a general massacre, for they sufitered others to escape, and the arrival of the U. S. schooner Flirt put an end to further depredations. Long Key, 3 miles S.W. from Lower Matecumbe, is the property of Mr. Thomas A. Hine, of New York. It is about 3 miles long, and is largely occupied by cocoa-palms in bear- ing. Evidence of occupation by long-forgotten Europeans is found in stone walls and other relics of civilized handi- work. Alligator Reef Light bears E.S.E. from Indian Key, dis- tant 4^ miles. It stands in Lat. 24'' 51' N., Long. 80° 37' W. The light is visible 18 nautical miles at sea, showing red and white flashes (every third flash red), at intervals of 5 seconds, from a height of 143 feet above the sea level. The mean rise and fall of the tide at this point is 1 foot 8 inches. The tower is a white skeleton frame-work on a lilack pile founda- tion in 5 feet of water, and w'ithin 200 yards of deep sound- ings. Established in 1873. 322 THE FLORIDA REEFS. Sombrero Key is on the line of the outer reef, and ratlior more advanced in formation than most of its fellows. The present iron light-tower was erected here in 1857; was seized and forcibly discontinued by the Confederates in 18C1, and re-established, with an armed guard in charge, in 18G3. It stands in Lat. 24° 37' N , Long. 81° 06' W., show- ing a fixed white light at a height of 141 feet, visible 18 nau- tical miles at sea. The VnccKs Kei/s bear nearly due north from Sombrero, the nearest distant five miles. They are a dozen or more in number, of all shapes and sizes, many of them well wooded with pine and liauiuiock growths. The group is 15 miles long, with shallow intersecting channels. Biihin Honda Harbor, between a key .of that name and the Summerlaud Keys, is 10 nautical miles W. by Iv. from Som- brero Light. There is fairly good holding ground and shel- ter here for vessels drawing under 18 feet. Smaller vessels can run in through the jjass, and find safe harbor behind the keys. Another similar anchorage is Newfound Harbor, 9 miles west of Bahia Honda. Pine Keys. — Ten miles west of Sombrero the bearing of the keys changes. Instead of lying parallel with the axis of the Gulf Stream they are almost at right angles to it. The larger members of the group are some 8 miles long. For the most part they are uninhabited, densely wooded, and well stocked with game. The group includes a number of islands, large and small, too many to be named here, and marks the western limit of the Bay of Florida, lying between Cape Sable and the Keys. The Bay of Florida is shallow, dotted with uncharted reefs and keys, and liable to turn un- expectedly into an extensive mud-flat with a change of wind. A few thousand years, more or less, will, no doubt, see it converted into everglades. American Shoal Light, established in 1880, is a brown pyra- midal iron towei", 115^ feet high over all, showing a white flash every 5 seconds, visible 16^ nautical miles at sea. Its position is Lat. 24" 31' K, Long. 81° 31' W. Sand Key Light shows white, varied by white flashes. It is 7i uiiles nearly S.W. from Key West light. The tower is THE FLORIDA REEF8-KEY WEST. 323 121 feet over all, a pvramidal iron stnactnre, painted brown. Lat. 2i° 27' 10" X., Long. 81° 52' 40" W. 202. Key West, Mouroe County (C. H.). Population, 1890, 1T,"20. Lat. 24° 32' 58" N., Long. 81° 48' 4" more or less, according to wind. Mean rise and fall of tide, 1 foot 3 inches, W. Hotels. — Russell House, $4 a day. — Duval House, Restaurant and rooms. Carriages, $1 an hour. Steamers, etc.— Jlallory line to New York, Plant Steamship Co. to Havana and Tampa, Morgan line to Puuta Gorda and New Orleans. Cm/0 Hueso (Bone Island) was the Spanish name, easily translated into Key^West by English tongues. Tradition has it that the native tribes inhabiting the keys were gradu- ally driven frona one to another by the more powerful Caloo- sas from the neighboring mainland, until at last they were nearly exterminated in a final battle on Key West, and the few survivors escaped to Cuba. The abundance of human bones found when the island was first discovered suggested its name and gave color to the story. Relics of EuroiDean occupation are found on this, as well as on some few of the neighboring keys — stone walls, remains of earthworks and the like, with indications that the island was well known to the pirates who frequented these waters during the eigh- teenth century, and had not wholly disappeared when Flor- ida passed into the possession of the United States. The island was granted to one Juan P. Salas by the Span- ish crown, in recognition of military services and, the grant having been confirmed by the United States, it finally be- came the property of John Simonton, of IMobile, on payment of $2,000. During the Seminole war (1835-184:2) there were occasional alarms, but the frequent presence of Government vessels and the use of the port as a supply station guaran- teed it against attack. In 181:6 the island was swept by a ter- rible hurricane, accompanied by an extraordinarily high tide, the sea rising some ten feet above its usual level. The war with Mexico (1816-181:8) brought Key West still more into prominence as an important military and naval station, and 324 KEY WEST. permanent fortifications and other works were begun which largely increased the prosperity of the place. When Flor- ida seceded from the Union in 1861, the local Secessionists attempted to seize the place on behalf of the Confederacy, Major, afterward General William H. French, of the First Artillery, was in command at Fort Taylor. The citizens were by no means nuauimous in their sentiments, and Major French, who had a few regulars under him, organized the workmen employed on the fort, accepted the services of a company of citizen volunteers, and defied the Secessionists until reinforcements arrived. Throughout the Civil War Key West was an important military and naval station. Ex- tensive fortifications were begun in addition to those al- ready under way at Fort Taylor, but nojie of them were ever completed. Until 1869 the local population was insignificant, but the attempted revolution in Cuba caused a migration that soon made it a busy manufacturing place. In March, 1886, the city was nearly swept away by a fire that lasted two days and destroyed property to the value of near two millions. The chief commercial interests of Key West are in cigars, fisheries, turtles, and sponges. The cigar-making business dates back to 1831, but it made slow jw'ogress until 1872, when the influx of Cuban refugees stimulated the i:)roduction to an enormous extent, and at present more than §3,000,000 are annually paid out to cigar-makers. About 6,000 persons are employed in the manufacture, at w'ages ranging from 83 a week for children to $60 a week for experts. A visit to any of the large factories when running full time is well worth the trouble, though not precisely appetizing to cigar- smokers of fastidious taste. Sponges of fine quality are taken all along the reefs, and far up the Gulf coast, Key West being the central market and ship2>iug point. A large fleet of spongers, mostly small schooners, is constantly com- ing and going. The sponges can be taken only in calm weather. They are detached from the rocky bottom with a fork at a depth of 5 feet to 20 feet, and semi-cured before packing for shipment. The appearance of the fresh sponge, just from its native element, is a surprise to the Northern KEY WEST. S'2o visitor. The spouge business of Key West amounts to nearly one million dollars a year. It is interesting to visit any of the several sponge lofts in the city, as well as to be present in the market and witness the selling at auction of fish, turtle, sponges, cocoanuts, and fruit. The market hours can be learned at the hotel, failing the criers who are some- times sent out to announce a sale. The island of Key West (see map of Monroe County, page 64) is 4i miles long and 1 mile wide. It consists wholly of coralline rock, covered with soil resulting from the decay of vegetable and marine growth. The climate ap- proaches more closely that of the tropics than any other part of the United States. Frost is unknown, and while the heat in summer rarely exceeds 90°, the lowest recorded temperature is 41°, observed in 1855, before the establish- ment of the U. S. Signal Service. The objects of interest within the city and on the island are Fort Taylor with its half-ruined outworks. A permit is necessary, which can be obtained from the sergeant in charge, whose quarters are in a small house near the head of the foot-bridge that leads to the fort. From the parapet a fine view is obtained of the neighboring keys, and on a clear day the colors reflected from the submerged reefs and bars are very beautiful. Fort Taylor, begun in 1846, is a massive bastioned structure, built partly of coral quarried on the reef with walls of brick brought from the North. It was never actually finished, though fully garrisoned during the Civil War, and rendered capable of efficient defence in case of need. A fee, of not less than half a dollar, should be given to the sergeant — more in case of a large party. Mid- way of the seaward shore of the island, and at its eastern end, are two martello towers, erected in 1846 for defensive purposes, but now fallen to ruin, and sometimes used for stabling cattle and the like. The Custom House, the Masonic Temple, San Carlos Hall, the Convent, the Government stores and wharves, and the old baiTacks are among the principal buildings. Tramways run through the principal streets, with cars generally at 10 minute intervals. Everywhere along the streets, and in the 326 KEY WEST. gardens are bananas, palms, pa\\7)aws, and scores of other tropical growths. Notable among these is the banyan-tree at the old U. S. barracks, which may be reached by follow- ing the water-front to the eastward about | of a mile from the hotel. This is the only tree of the species growing out of doors in the United States. Very like it, however, is the Avild fig, or native rubber-tree, common on all the keys and in the southern part of the peninsula. Three squares south of Eussell House are some curious palms, well worth a vi.sit. In one case a date palm and a wild fig have taken root in the same crevice, the fig entwining the palm in a network of vine-like growth. Both trees when last seen were vigor- ous, and neither showed signs of yielding to the other. Near by is another similar distorted growth, the palm bent far out of its natural shape by the contortions of the fig. There are good roads the length of the island, but noth- ing of especial interest beyond the always changing as2:>ects of sea and sky. South Beach, the bathing-place of Key "West, is easily reached by tramway or on foot, passing through the Cuban quarter of the town. It is not a yery attractive bathing beach, nor are the bathing - houses what they should be. A better plan is to hire a boat and find some retired jslace beyond the city limits. There is excellent water-fowl shooting on the neighboring keys, and on some of them deer are still to be found, while a trip to the mainland, where all sorts of game abounds, may be accomplished by any one who can devote a few days to the expedition. The countless mangrove islands in the vi- cinity aiford an endless field of exploration, and very good sport may be had with a fish-spear, grains, or net among the mangrove roots, where all kinds of marine creatures seek a refuge. With a little practice the spearsman can walk upon the projecting roots, and watch for an opportunity to strike his game in the shoal water below. Some of the creatures that haunt these retreats should be handled cau- tiously if captured, as they bite very savagely and make troublesome wounds. Northwest Passage Light. — This marks the northern ex- KEY west: 327 tremity of the broad shoal lying west of the channel. It is a fixed white light throwing a red sector N.N.W. over the best water on the bar. The light is on a red and wliite screw-pile structure, 50 feet high, the light visible 12| nau- tical miles. Through this channel pass nearly all vessels bound North and South to and from Europe, the West Indies, and the Gulf ports. The Marquesas Growp lies 17 nautical miles west from Key West. Northwest Channel and Boca Grande intervene, with extensive shoals between them, necessitating a wide detour. The main key is horseshoe shaped with the con- vex side toward the northeast. The open side is well-nigh closed with small islands and shoals. Within the curve is a shallow lagoon, i^racticable for boats drawing 5 feet. The keys are low, almost awash at high tide, and largely cov- ered with mangroves. There is nothing of especial interest aside from the teeming life of air and sea. No fresh water is found on the Marquesas. Rebecca Shoal is due west from Marquesas, about midway between that group and the Dry Tortugas. A light was es- tablished there in 18S6, showing a red and white flash from a lantern surmounting a square dwelling 67 feet high. It is visible 13| nautical miles. • The Dry Tortugas, so called because of the abundance of sea-turtles and the dearth of fresh water, are 54 nautical miles nearly due west from Key West. The light on Log- ger-Head Key, the most westerly of the group, is in Lat. 24° 38' N., Long. 82° 55' 42" W., a fixed white light, visible 18^ nautical miles at sea. It was established in 1858, while the neighboring fort was under construction. It is a conical brick tower, the upper half black, the lower half white, 155 feet high to the lantern. A fixed white light is shown on the S.E. bastion of the fort, at a height of 65 feet above the sea. It is visible 13* nautical miles. By far the most conspicuous object to the approaching voyager is Fort Jefferson, a massive fortification, built of brick, with the native coral rock for foundation. It was begun in 1846, and practically finished by the beginning of the Civil War, when it was armed, garrisoned, and largely used as a 3i3S KEY WEST. military prison. It is in shape a great pentagon, with lofty casemated walls, enclosing a palm-shaded parade-ground. The broad moat is a veritable aquarium for its variety of marine life, sometimes including sharks and domesticated pelicans. At present the whole structure is falling into de- cay, because the Government has no use for it. The only inhabitants of the grouji are the army sergeant in charge, and the light-keepers on Logger-Head Key. There is a fine sheltered anchorage, with 6 and 7 fathoms of wate^ under the guns of the fort, but it is visited only by spongers, fish- ermen, and wreckers, and by occasional Government supply- ships. The conformation of the group of keys is almost identical with that of tha Marquesas, though as it is not so far ad- vanced, the horseshoe conformation is not yet so apparent. A \'isit to this remote coral reef, with its crumbling fortress and romantic though lonely surroundings, is most interest- ing. With a good sailing breeze, the voyage from Key West may be accomplished in six or eight hours, and a week may be passed very enjoyably in exploring the neighboring reefs. West Florida. The Suwannee River is the natural dividing line between the western and middle section of the State. It includes l^erhaps the most diversified and picturesque country in Florida — high rolling hills, well wooded, and rising, in the vicinity of Tallahassee, to an elevation of nearly 300 feet. Throughout this hill country are good roads, suitable for riding, driving, or walking. Frequent lakes and wate]-- courses add to the beanty of the landscape, and some of the most remarkable si)rings and wells in the world are formed in the limestone and sandstone strata that underlie the whole country. A belt of low pine-land borders the Gulf of Mexico, with occasional swamps and savannas of great extent, through which many navigable streams find their way into the great sheltered bays and sounds that line the coast. Several fine harbors exist, as at Pensacola, St. Andrews' Bay, St. Joseph's Bay, Appalachicola, and Dog Island. In general, the coast is very sparsely inliabited, the bulk of the population lying along the line of the rail- road which traverses the State fmm Fernandina and Jack- sonville to Pensacola. (See State and County Maps.) Along this line are the best agricultural lands, the leading products being tobacco, long staple cotton, grapes, pears, and vege- tables. Oranges, lemons, and figs thrive under proper care, but not so well as in more southern latitudes. Millions of feet of lumber are annually cut along the rivers, and floated down to tide-water, where the logs are made up into rafts and towed to Pensacola for shipment abroad. Other millions are stopi3ed at the railroad crossings and used at home. This section of Florida has not been so much a resort for Northern sportsmen as has the peninsiila and its coasts, and the game has not been so mercilessly hunted. From any of the railway stations it is easy to reach unfrequented hunting- grounds, either by boat or by wagon road. Along the bays and inlets the shooting and fishing are of the best. As compared with that of South Florida, the climate is 330 WESr FLORIDA— JACKSONVILLE. somewhat cooler. The average temperatures, as reported by tlie Weather Bureau at Pensacola, are as follows : Spring, 67.9; summer, 80.3; autumn, G9.5 ; winter, 5G.0. The average rainfall for the same period was : Spring, 14.34: inches; summer, 22.53 inches; autumn, 15.52 inches; win- ter, 14.92 inches. The earliest killing frost reported at the same station was November IG, 1880, and the earliest frosts in 1879, 1883, and 1881 were, respectively, on December 26th, 16th, and 19th. A comparative table of clear and fair days in monthly averages will be found elsewhere. 210. Jacksonville to River Junction. By Florida Central & Peninsula Ey. (foot of Hogan St.) to River Junction, 2^3 miles. Running time, 8 h. 35 min. For stations, distances, and connections in deta'.I, see maps and context of tlie following named counties, which are alphabetically arranged from page 1 to 102 : Duval, Baker, Columbia, Suwannee, Madison, Jefferson, Leon, Gadsden. If it is desired to break the journey, good hotels will be found at Lake City, Moiiticello, Lloyd, TaUahxssei, or Qiun:ey. The Hue of the Florida Central & Peninsula is nearly east and west, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Pensacola being so nearly in the same latitude that the difference is insig- nificant. The country is open and flat for some distance after leaving the outskirts of Jacksonville. At Miu-ieltit, in February, 1861, a Confederate force under General Finnegan made a stand on its retreat from Jackson- ville, but was driven out by the Federals. Baldicin. — Crossing of the F. C. & P. Southern Division, north to Fernandina, south to Ocala, Tampa, Cedar Key, etc. This point was fortified by both sides, according to the changing fortunes of the Ci^■il War. The remains of earth- works can still be seen along the railroad near the station. Three miles west of Baldwin is the Duval-Baker county line, near Deer Creek, a small stream, tributary to the St. Mary's River. Macdenny. (See Route 211.) — A short distance west of the station the ti-ain crosses the South Prong of St. Mary's River, a fine rapid stream of coffee-colored water, flowing north- ward. On the east bank the Federal troops made a stand after their defeat at Olustee. JACKSONVILLE TO RIVER JUNCTION. 331 Olitfiiee, the scene of a severe fight during the Civil War. (See Route 212.) Two miles west of the station the line crosses into Columbia County. (See map, page 17.) Lake Citif, the county seat, almost hidden in fruit and sliade trees, lies just south of the station. (See Route 213.) Here is the crossing of the Georgia Southern k Floiida RpiJroad, north to Macon, Ga., south, to Palatka. Welborn is the first station in Suwannee County — the boun- dary crossing the track a short distance east of the station. (See map, page 90.) Live Oak', the county seat, is a busy, thriving place at the junction of the Savannah, Florida & Western Ry. At Columbus the railroad crosses the Suwannee River flow- ing south with a swift, strong current, between steep rocky banks. (See Route 111.) EllavUle, on the west bank, is in Madison County. (See map, page 57.) The river is navigable to this point at high water, but the usual steamboat lauding is at Hudson, 12 miles below. West of the river the country changes its character gradu- ally, rising to hills that show a reddish soil where the fresh earth is exposed. Mudison, the county seat, is pleasantly situated among tine forest trees. (See Route 215.) Six miles * west of Greenville and three miles east of AuciUa, the line crosses the Ocilla or Aucilla River, a considerable stream, rising in Georgia in two branches, or prongs, which unite four miles above the railroad crossing, and about thirty miles from the Gulf. The stream is navigable for canoes, except where it breaks into rapids and where it becomes subterranean at Natural Bridge, 12 miles from its mouth. Interesting geological strata are exposed in the jDrecipitous banks near the Natural Bridge. Drifton. — Junction with branch, 4 miles north to Monti- cello, the county seat (Route 216), connecting there with the S. F. & W. for Thomasville, Ga. At Lht/d all trains stojj for refreshments — dinner, 75c. at Whitfield House, near .sta- tion. Lloyd is considered a very healthy locality. There is good hunting in the neighborhood. Hotel, Echo Cottage, one-quarter mile from station (.§2 a day ; §10 a week). Two miles west of Lloyd is the county line. (For Leon County 332 JA(JKSONVILLK TO RIVER JUNCTION. map, distances, etc., see i^p. 51-53.) The country becomes more and more hilly as the train nears Tallaha.ssee, with fre- quent lakes, streams, and meadows, and now and then a glimpse of one of the remarkaV>le " sinks " that occur in this region. A large tract lying on l)oth sitles of the railroad in this vicinity was granted to the Marquis of Lafayette in recognition of his services to the United States during the war for Indei^endence. Two miles west of Tallahassee, the Murat homestead, an unpretentious dwelling, may be seen a few hundred yards north of the track. Six miles farther west is the Ocklockony River (see p. 99), forming the Leon-Gadsden county line (see p. 31). The hill country continues, with fine clear streams and evidences of agi-icultural prosi^erity on eveiy hand. Quincy, the county town, is well worth a visit. (See Route 223.) Chattahoochee is at the edge of the hills bordering the Appalachicola bottom lands. (See Route 224.) If an all- night stop is necessary, the best available hotel will be found here. River Junction. — The terminus of three railroads, namely, the Florida Central & Peninsula, east to Jacksonville (208 miles), the Louisville & Nashville (Peusacola Division), west* to Pensacola (162 miles), and the Savannah, Florida - tist chui'ches, and excellent public and private schools. 214. Live Oak, Suwannee County (C. H.). Population, 1,000. Hotels. — Ethel Honse, Live Oak Hotel, $2 to $2..50 a day. Raixuoad. — Florida Central & Peniusnla ; east, to Jacksonville (82 milei-) ; •west, to Tallahassee (84 miles), etc. A thriving place, with large lumber interests, nearly in the centre of a i-ich agricultural county, which grows a large amount of long staple-cotton, vegetables, and farm ju-oducts. 215. Madison, Madison County (C. H.;. Population, 1,200. Hotel. — The Central Park Hotel, $3 a day. Railkoai). — The F. C. & P. ; east, to Jacksonville (110 miles) ; west, to Talla- hassee (56 miles), etc. Madison stands on a considerable elevation, with streets pleasantly shaded by forest trees, and all conveniences in the way of shipjjing facilities, telegraph, express, and bank- ing offices, and good general stores. The surrounding coun- try is very productive. Cotton, com, hay, vegetables, and fruits are grown in large quantities, and Northern thread fac- tories have here their agents and warehouses for the pur- chase and storage of long staple cotton. Fairly good roads lead north into Georgia, and south into Taylor County. The town was settled about 1830. It has a handsome court- house, several churches, and good public and private schools. MONTICELLO. 339 216. Monticello, Jefiferson County (O. H.). Popnlation, 1,700. Hotels. — St. Elmo, $4 a dav ; Madden House, $2 ; Partridfje House, $2. Railroads.— The S. F. & W.; north, to Thomasville, Ga. ;24 miles) ; F. C. & P.; east, to Jacksonville (143 miles) ; west, to Tallahassee (23 miles), etc. Stations separate, but near each other. The main business of Monticello, aside from that connect- ed with the coiiuty offices, is the shipment of cotton, corn, oats, tobacco, lecoute pears, pecan nuts, and general pro- duce in the way of vegetables, etc. There are Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian churches, with public and private schools. The town is laid out in blocks 200 feet square, with streets 100 feet wide between them, shaded by superb trees, and often bordered by gardens where roses bloom the year round, and old-fashioned South- ern mansions stand among oaks and magnolias. In some cases smart new houses and stores have iiushed in among their seniors, asserting the changed condition of life in the old county capital. The following weights and dimensions of vegetables grown in this vicinity are vouched for on good authority : a short beet 31 inches in girth ; a fiat turnip 11 inches in diameter ; a radish 27 inches long and 18 inches in circumference, weighing 6^ pounds ; a globe turnip weighing without top or tap root 11 pounds 6 ounces; and a water-melon, jierfect to the centre, weighing 54 pounds. MiccosuTcie Lake, 3 miles north of Monticello, and 19 miles northeast of Tallahassee, is about 15 miles long, and in the widest part some 4 miles across. The principal tributa- ries are Ward's CreeJc, rising in Thomas County, Ga., and Dry Creeic, flowing from the westward. Half a mile from the mouth of Dry Creek, which is known as the head of the lake, is a circular basin nearly or quite 100 feet deej) toward the southern sliore, but shallow toward the north. A su- l^erb growth of hard wood timber nearly surrounds this basin. Here may be seen the different varieties of oak, hickory, beech, wild cherry, mock orange, red bay, and magnolia, often loaded down with enormous grapevines, cle- matis, yellow jasmine, and woodbine. Beneath and cover- 340 MONTICELLO. ing the ground are countless shrubs, some of them flower- ing, and others merely a tangle of luxuriant vegetation. It were hard to find a better jilace than this to study the flora peculiar to this part of Florida, and the location is peculiarly attractive from the fact that the land rises boldly to a con- siderable height, commanding a view of several miles down the lake to where the shores curve to the eastward, and gi'adually converge until the lake becomes a creek, and after the manner of streams in this region, plunges bodily into the earth and is lost to sight. Within a mile or two of this sink are several others. Long Pond Sink, with a cuiTent from west southwest, Black Creek Sink, with a current from south southwest, Bailey's Mill Creek Sink, with a current from east southeast. (The bearings are on the authority of Br. F. A. Byid, of Miccosukie. ) The conformation of the land induces the belief that these sinks unite to form a sub- terranean river, flowing southwesterly until it breaks forth again in the St. Mark's River. Other smaller lakes are Erie, Olive, Bradford, Hall, and there are numberless and nameless ponds, all abounding with fish. The woods and valleys are well watered with clear streams, usually of excellent water. TALLAHASSEE. 341 220. Tallahassee. Population, 2,933.— Lat. 80° 2T' N., Long. 84" 18' W. Hotels.— /,co»i Hotel, $4 a day ; St. James Hotel, $2.50 to 13. Railroads.— The F. C. & P. i Western Division) ; east, to Jacksonville (166 milesi ; west, to River Junction (42 miles), connecting there with Louisville & Nashville Ed. (Pensaco!a Di^^sionl and Appalachicola River Steamers. St. Mark's Branch (V. C. & P.) to St. Mark's, 21 miles south. Churches and Schools. — Episcopal, Catholic, Fresbyterian, Baptist, Meth- odist, State Xornial School, Lincoln Academy. Bankers. — B. C. Lewis & Sons. Livery.— Saddle Horses, 30c. to 50c. an hour ; $1.50 a day. Single team, $3 a day. Double team, io a day. Fare from station 25c. Whether seen from a distance or near at hand, Tallahassee cannot fail to impress the traveller with the beauty of its situation. The town, with its wide, shaded streets, quite covers the crest of a noble hill that rises nearly 300 feet above the sea level, and every street-opening commands an extensive view over similar hills, and out across the flat- woods to the southward, bordering the Gulf Coast. The name Tallahassee, usually translated "old field," ap- parently conveys to the Seminole the idea that we associate with " ancestral acres." It is applied to any land formerly occupied by the tribe as a permanent home. The Spaniards established a fortified camp on a hill to the westward of the town, probably during a war with the Apalaches in 1638. The place is now occupied by a handsome old jilantation house, and is known as the Fort St. Luis Place. A piece of armor found there is preserved in the State public library, Talla- hassee. The local Indians were driven out early in the first Semi- nole War (1818), and settlers from North Carolina, Vir- ginia, and Georgia, practically took possession of Tallahassee hill before the treaty of cession was confirmed. In 1823 it was made the territorial capital, and naturally became the State capital when Florida was admitted to the Union in 1845. The Indian wars left it practically unmolested, and it became famous during the ijeaceful, prosperous years that followed as a centre of a society that held itself socially and intellectually best in the aristocracy of Southern jjlanters. Its delightful climate and beautiful surroundings attracted wealthy residents from all over the South, and at Bellair, 342 TALLAHASSEE. G miles distant, was a sort of rural annex to the more elabo- rate life of the State capital. An Ordinance of Secession was passed January 10, 1861, and most of the men enlisted in the Confederate service. Enough were left, however, to repel an ill-advised attempt on the part of the Federals by way of St. Mark's. (Route 212.) Civil war dealt leniently with Tallahassee, and it was not occupied by United States troojjs, save as a precautionary measure, after hostilities ended. Daring early spring Tallahassee becomes a veritable bower of roses. The old mansions that line its streets, some of them good specimens of what is termed colonial architecture, stand, as a rule, in the midst of lovely gardens, often in a tangle of flowers and vines, shaded by stately oaks, mag- nolias, and bays. The State House is at the brow of the hill near the south end of Main Street. It is an imposing old structure of brick and stucco, with a stately j^ortico and a general air of dilapi- dation. It stands in a noble grove of trees, and from the roof a wide view opens over the surrounding country. The roof is rather diificult of access, but ^practically the same view can be obtained from the cupola of the court-house near at hand. Some interesting war relics are to be seen within the building. The original Ordinance of Secession is in the Governor's room, a number of tattered Confederate battle- flags in the Adjutant-General's office, and interesting maps and records in their proper departments. In the Capitol grounds stand several monuments with commemorative in- scriptions. The Episcopal Cemetery, five minutes' walk west of the Leon Hotel, is crowded with the graves of old Tallahassee families. There are no very ancient dates on the stones — none, of course, jjrior to the settlement of the town (1827). There are, however, a number of interesting monuments and inscriptions, among them two modest shafts that mark the graves of Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, son of the King of Naples and Prince of the two Sicilies, and of Cath- erine his wife, daughter of Colonel Bird C. Willis, of Vir- ginia. (For a sketch of their story see ojoposite page.) TALLAHASSEE. 343 Another more modern cemetery is at the foot of the north- western slope, where lie most of the Confederate dead whose remains coiald be brought home. On Memorial Day of each year these graves are decorated with flowers by surviving friends. The Murat Estate. — Two miles west of the railway station. Follow road leading in that direction near railway. The es- tate bears the name of its original owner, eldest son of the famous marshal of France under the First Napoleon, who was made King of Naples in 1805. On his dejjosition in 1815, the son, then a boy of 15, was sent to finish his edu- cation in Austria. Shortly after reaching his majority he cut adrift from early associations and came to America. Carriage-roads and bridle-paths were then almost the only artificial lines of travel, but the Prince visited nearly all the settled portions of the United States. At Tallahassee he naturally became enamoured of the climate and the countiy. He bought a large estate, erected an unpretentious house, still known as the Murat Homestead, though its founder named it Lipona. He at once interested himself actively in local affairs, became a naturalized citizen, and served suc- cessively as postmaster, alderman, and mayor. In 1826 he married Catherine, a daughter of Colonel Bird C. Willis, of Virginia, and grandniece of Washington. Murat was a man of bi'illiant intellectual gifts, but he was eccentric to the verge of lunacy, and his personal habits were so disgusting that for some time the beautiful, refined Virginia girl would not listen to his suit. However, she yielded at last and became the Princess Murat, recognized as such by all who cherished the memory of the First Napo- leon. The Murats visited Belgium together and were re- ceived there with royal honors, and after her hiasband's death the Princess was received and treated with distin- guished favor by the Third Napoleon. Murat was the author of three works in French, all treat- ing of political afifairs in the United States. These were published in Paris (1830 to 1838j and gained for their au- thor wide recognition as a writer of ability. His last and most considerable work, "The Principles of Kepublican 344 TALLAHASSEE. Government, as perfected in America," went through fifty editions, and was translated into the principal continental languages. The shiftless, eccentric habits of the Prince wasted his property, and when he died, in 1847, after years of disease, through which he was faithfully tended by his wife, she was left almost without an income. The restora- tion of the Napoleonic dynasty in France, however, brought her recognition and a handsome competence from the new Emperor, with whom she was a great favorite. With the overthrow of the Southern Confederacy her i>roperty again disajjpeared, but on the restoration of peace Napoleon III. granted her an annuity of 30,000 francs, which continued till her death in 1867, only a short time before the Empire was again demolished by German arms. Excursions — The hill country of West Florida is favored above the rest of the State in the matter of roads. The soil is such a happy admixture of clay and sand that in addition to unsurpassed i^roductiveness in certain fields of agricult- ure, it packs into capital roadways, which, without any care to speak of, remain hard and smooth during fair weather. Koads diverge toward all the cardinal points from Tallahas- see — north and east toward Lakes Jackson, lamonia, and Miccosukee, south to St. Mark's, Newport, and the famous Wakulla Spring, and west to the Oclockonee Eiver and the Quincey tobacco lands. In all directions the visitor may be sure of a picturesque, diversified country, well wooded, and abounding in lakes, streams, sinks, and springs. After heavy rains the valley roads are often submerged, and it is no more than right to warn strangers against the seemingly shallow waters that often cover them. This whole region is under- drained by subterranean rivers. " Sinks " sometimes open in the most unexpected places. In 1889 a party from Chi- cago narrowly escaped with their lives through carelessly driving into what appeared to be a shallow jDond that had temporarily covered the road. The water, however, is usually clear, and there is no danger if a reasonably sharp lookout is kei^t. These " sinks " always occur in connection with some un- derground lake or water-course. Thev mav be large enough TALLAHASSEE. 345 to take in a good-sized house, or only a few feet across. Sometimes the water at bottom is shallow, sometimes deep, and still or swift, according to conditions. They are caused by the action of subterranean streams wearing away the un- derlying rock until a cavity is formed. After a time the roof becomes too thin to support the weight overhead, and accordingly falls in. It is either swept down stream, or else dams up the current, and perhaps the next passer-by finds a lake or a full-grown river where none existed before. (See Miccosukee and Jackson Lakes.) Lake Hall, 6 miles northeast, on Thomasville Road. A favorite picnic-ground, with good fishing, fine forest-trees, and picturesque surroundings. At this lake the Leon Hotel keeps boats for the use of guests. Lake Jackson, 6 miles northwest, is irregularly shaped, about 6 miles long and 4 miles wide. It is quite deep, and shortly after the Charleston earthquake of 1886 it distin- guished itself by disappearing entirely through an unsus- pected subterranean passage. Large numbers of fish per- ished, and for a time pestilence was dreaded by the neigh- boring residents. After a few days the lake began to fill up again, and since that time has maintained its usual level. Lake lamonia, 12 miles northeast, is somewhat larger than Lake Jackson, and has many islands. A small town of the same name is near its eastern end, on the Thomasville road. Lake Miccosukee, 18 miles northeast. (See Roiite.) Bellaii\ 6 miles south, on St. Marks Road. Formerly the summer resort of the most select and exclusive circle of Tallahassee society. It is in the edge of the flatwoods, and why it should have been selected by its frequenters is not easy of explanation. In the days of its prosperity, however, a number of cottages were built here, and many of the most distinguished Southerners of the day entertained their friends with the lavish hospitality traditional with them. Nothing now marks the place but half-obliterated foundations, and groups of shade-trees that have grown to a lordly height since the houses crumbled to pieces, or were burned, during the lawless days of civil war. 340 TALLAHASSEE. Si. Mnrloi, 21 miles south by rail (2 hoiii's), or carnage (3 Lours). (SeeKoute 222.) Train from Tallahassee at 8.30 A.M., returns at 11 p.m., affording no time for local expedi- tions. (Route 212.) The Wakulla Volcano. — To the southeast and south of Tal- lahassee there extends a vast belt of flat woods, merging into an almost impenetrable tangle of iindergrowth and swamp. It is a famous hunting-ground, and somewhere within its shades is the alleged Wakulla volcano. The cu- rious inquirer is sure to hear the most contradictory state- ments regarding this mystery. He will be told by some that it can be seen from any high obsei-vatory in the vic- inity, and by others that it cannot be seen from any save the most southerly uplands. He will meet people who have seen the smoke almost every day of their lives, others who de- clare that there is no such smoke, and still others who say that they never heard of it. It seems to be pretty well estab- lished, however, that ever since the country was settled, and, according to Indian tradition, long prior to that, a col- umn of smoke or vapor has been visible in favorable weather, rising from a fixed point far within the jungle, to which no man has yet been able to penetrate. Several ex- peditions have been organized to solve the mystery, but none of them have penetrated more than twelve or fifteen miles into the morass. Once or twice New York newspapers have sent representatives with orders to solve the prob- lem, but, according to the local version, they have always IH'oved recreant to their duty as soon as the difficulties in the way became ai^parent. The "volcano," therefore, bids fair to remain a mystery until some concerted measures are taken for exploration and discovery.* * A column of smoke was pointed out to the author as the alleged " volcano," and ou several successive days bearings were taken with a pocket compass from the cupola of the Court-hoiise at Tallahassee. The smoke in favorable weather was always visible in the same place, rolling up in strong volume, usually dense and dark like the smoke from a furnace chimney. The author was as- sured by a Northern gentleman, long resident in Tallahassee, that it was often lighted with a faint glow at night. The best-informed persons with whom the author conversed believe it to be vapor from a boiling spring, possibly inter- mingled with inflammable gas that occasionally ignites. It is said that one of THE WAKULLA SPRING. 847 221. The Wakulla Spring. Fifteen miles south of Tallahassee. Foiir miles west of Wakulla Station, St. Marks Rd. By carriage from Tallahassee, 2}i hoiu-s. By row-boat from St. Marks, 2 hours. Wakulla — "Mystery" in the language of the Seminole.s — ranks for beauty and size with the other wonderful springs of Florida described elsewhere (see Routes 182 and 183). In some respects it surjaasses them, its gi-eater depth lend- ing to the absolutely transj^arent water shades of color that are wanting in the others. The greatest recorded depth of the sirring is lOG feet, but it is said that in certain places no bottom has been reached with the sounding line. Far down in the dejjths a ghostly white ledge of rock is visible, from beneath which the volume of water m.shes upward, and where fishes, alligators, and turtles are quite safe from hu- man snares, though as plainly visible as if nothing but the air intervened. The surroundings of the spring are ex- tremely beautiful ; preciijitous, heavily-wooded banks over- hang the water, and no railroad or steamboat as yet profanes the solitude. It is not easy to say which is the better route to follow. The drive from Tallahassee is the pleasanter. That from Wakulla Station is the shorter and easier. In this latter case conveyances must be ordered in advance, and are usually sent down from Tallahassee. The trip by water from St. Marks is more enjoyable for those who prefer boat expeditions. Other fine springs are found in the vicinity, notably at Newport, 3 miles southeast of Wakulla, where the water is strongly impregnated with sulphur, and the springs are be- lieved to possess valuable medicinal properties. the tributaries of the Ocilla River is distinctly higher In temperature than any of the neighboring streams, and though it has never been explored, it flows from the direction of the " Wakulla Smoke," aud may have its source in the supposed boiling spring. C. L. N. 348 S'l". MARKS. 222. St. Marks, Wakulla County. F. C. & P. Rd. (St. Marks Branch), Tallahassee to St. Marks, 21 miles (2 hours). The St. Marks Eiver is the natural seaport of Tallahassee. Once across the bar, which has 7 feet of water at low tide, there is a good depth to the railroad wharf. In the early days of Tallahassee's prosperity a plank road -was built to facilitate the transportation of cotton and tobacco. A rival company built the railroad in 1846, upon which a feud arose between the two companies which threatened to become se- rious, biit ended in a victory for the railroad. In 1801 the F. C. & P. was finished to the State capital, and naturally took the bulk of the carrying trade. A fort of considerable strength was built by the Spaniards, under Captain Don Jose Primo de Ribeira in 1718, at Port Leon, two miles south of the present town of St. Marks. It was called San Marcos de Apalaclie. Ruined limestone ma- sonry work still marks the site. During the civil war the river served to some extent as a refuge for blockade runners, but United States gun-boats cruised up and down the coast at such short intervals that blockade running was dangerous business. A redoubt was thrown up near the lighthouse in 1862. On June 15, 1863, the work was shelled by the United States gun-boat Tahoma, Lieutenant Howell. The garrison — a company of artillery — were driven out, taking their battery with them. An armed party landed and de- stroyed everything about the works that would burn. Salt- works of considerable extent were afterward established along the river, and the Confederate States largely drew their supply of salt from this source. The daily product of the works was estimated at 2,400 bushels. Boat expeditions from the Tahoma totally destroyed the works on Febniaiy 17 and 27, 1864. Property not contraband of war was dis- tributed among the neighboring inhabitants. On March 6, 1865, a considerable force of Federals landed near the mouth of the river, and marched U]} as far as the Natural Bridge, where they were met by a hastily gathered Confederate force, and repulsed with considerable loss. The attacking party ST. MARKS— QUINCY. 349 was mainly from a negi'o regiment, the Second U. S. Col- ored Infantry, which went into action about 500 strong, and lost 70 men in killed, wounded, and missing. Next to the battle of Ohistee, this was the most considerable engagement fought within the State, but as it occurred only a short time before the fall of Richmond and the surrender of Lee, it was almost overlooked by all except local historians, who gloiT in it as among the last triumphs of the Confeder- ate arms. Cajiital shooting may be found in the passes and creeks about the mouth of the river, and excellent fishing in the deep channels of the river itself. The St. Marks is supposed to find its source in Lake Miccosukee (Route 216). Its whole course may be traced by a succession of " sinks," and occa- sional exposed reaches. It rises sedately from its subter- ranean ways about 18 miles north of St. Marks, forming a pool of considerable depth, but largely overgrown with rushes. There are rapids near the outlet, and again at two places below, respectively I and 8 miles above St. Marks ; elsewhere the stream is wide, placid, and deep. The rapids can be easily run in a small boat, but are hard to ascend. St. Marks light stands in Lat. 30° 04' 28" N. Long. 84° 10' 50" W. It was established in 1829 and rebuilt in 1866. The tower is white, 83 feet high, and shows a fixed white light visible 14f nautical miles. The nearest light to the westward is at Cape St. George (52 nautical miles), and the nearest to the east and south at Cedar Key (80 nautical miles) . 223. Quincy, Gadsden County fO. H.). Population, 600. Hotels. — Florida House ; Love House, $1.50 to f2 a day. Qniucy was selected as the county town site and laid out in 1825. The town is about one mile north of the railway station, where carriages are always in waiting on the arrival of trains (fare 25 cents). The situation is charming, in a fine hilly country with clear rushing streams, good roads, a rich soil, and fine forests on all sides. The town itself is in manv 350 QUINCY— CHATTAHOOCHEE. respects like Monticello and Tallahassee, with its wide streets and stately old Southern mansions. Within a few years Northern capital has largely developed the tobacco- growing interests of the vicinity. There are several planta- tions within easy riding distance, one of them containing 12,000 acres, of which at this writing nearly one-quarter is under cultivation. Some of them are worked by negroes, and others by colonies of Alsatians imported for the pur- pose. The whole business is carried on systematically, sub- stantial fences surround the fields, and each section has its curing and storage houses. The best way to visit these great plantations is in the saddle, as the distances are too great to be covered on foot. Vehicles, however, can be driven anywhere along the jilantation roads. The general superintendent resides in Quiucy, and should be consulted as to the most interesting points to visit. During the win- ter mouths, of course, the fields are bare, but work of some kind is always in progress (see p. 31). 224. Chattahoochee, Gadsden County. The earliest overt act of the Secessionists in the State wa.s committed at this point, at 7 o'clock in the morning of Janu- ary 6, 1861. The Ordinance of Secession was not j^assed until four days afterward, but no doubt, anticii)atiug that event with certainty, under date of January 5th the governor issued an order granting authority to Colonel Dunn to raise a company, seize the arsenal and its contents "now in the possession of the General Government, and retain the same, subject to my orders." The arsenal was at the time under charge of Ordnance Sergeant E. Powell, U. S. A., with a few men, and he so stoutly refused to deliver up the keys that Colonel Dunn was fain to telegraph to the governor for fur- ther instructions, upon receipt of which the 2:)lucky ser- geant was compelled to surrender by superior force. The post was an arsenal of dejiosit, containing at the time 5,122 pounds of powder, 173,476 cartridges for small-arms, one six- pounder gun with a sujjply of ammunition, and sundry mis- CHATTAHOOCHEE— RIVER JUNCTION. 351 cellaneous equipments. This arseual was establislied in 1833. It was used for various military purposes by the Confederates, and after tlie return of peace was given to the State of Florida by the United States, and converted into a lunatic asylum. 230. Biver Junction to Pensacola. By Louisville & Nashville Rd. (Pensacola Division), 162 miles (7 h. 50 min.). Best hotels at Marianua, De Funiak and Milton. Shortly after leaving River Junction the train enters upon the long trestle over the Appalachicola. This large river, whose turbid waters are in striking contrast with the clear streams of Leon and Gadsden Counties, is formed by the junction of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers ; the second of which, in reality the main stream, has its sources in Northern Georgia, almost at the Carolina line. It is naviga- ble 300 miles from its mouth. Flint River is comparatively small, navigable only for about 40 miles. The confluence of these streams is at the Georgia line, 2 miles above the railroad crossing, and about 100 miles from the sea "as the river runs," though only 80 miles in a straight line. The river carries down enormous deposits of alluvium, form- ing wide stretches of marshy delta in Appalachicola Bay. The bottom lands are very rich, but liable to frequent over- flow, as may be seen by the flood marks nearly at the level of the rails on the trees beside the trestle. In Jackson County west of the Aijpalachicola the country is less conspicuously hilly than that to the eastward, though there are still considerable elevations. At Marianna a pleasant stop may be made (Route 231). De Fun ink Springs; (Route 232) is a very attractive place, with a good hotel and a winter school on the Chautauqua plan. A short distance west of Longview tlie railway passes into Washington County (page 101), closely following its northern boundary to the Choctawhatchee River, where it passes into Holmes County (page 39). Crossing numerous rapid streams, the Walton County line is reached at Argjde, whence are post-roads south to the Scottish Colony that set- 352 RIVER JUNCTION— MARI ANN A. tied in this region early in the present century. Be Funiak Springs is the principal resort of this jjart of Florida. (See Koute 232.) About one mile west of Crestview is tlie Wal- ton-Santa Kosa County line. The stream crossed just be- yond is iShodl River, a north fork of Yellow Water Miver. At Miltou (Route 233) the line ci'osses the head of Black- water Bay, the mouth of Black River, a deep, rapid stream down which large quantities of lumber are floated to Pensa- cola and a market. A run of about twenty minutes from Milton opens a refreshing view over Escambia Bay, which the railway presently crosses on a trestle 3 miles long. From this jioint to Pensacola, about 20 miles, the ride is most enjoyable for interest and beauty. After leaving the trestle the rails, as a rule, follow the water side with the Escambia Blufts inland, and occasional wooded points which momentarily cut ofi" the bay view. 231. Marianna, Jackson County (C. H.). Popalation, 1,500. Hotel.— jT/te Chipola Hotel, $2 a day. Railroad. — Louisville & Nashville "Rd. (Pensacola Division) ; west, to Pen- eacola (136 miles) ; east, to River Junction (26 miles). A pretty village on the hill north of the station. It has the county buildings, and a generally attractive appearance. The Chipola River, which runs near the town, crossing the railway a short distance east of the station, is responsible for some of the natural curiosities in the neighborhood. It has quarried for itself a natural bridge, near Marianna, and a large cave is jjart of the same formation. Chijyola Spring, among the most remarkable in the State, bursts with great force through a rocky, cavernous opening in the side of an oak-covered bluff", sloiiing toward the south- west. The chasm is about 30 feet long, east and west, and 8 to 10 feet wide. Midway of its length it is nearly halved by a submerged fragment. The water of this spring, like that of those described elsewhere, is crystal clear, but the rush of the current prevents leisurely examination from a boat. The outlet is a f nll-srrown stream nearlv 100 feet wide MARIANNA— DB FUNIAK SPRINGS. 353 and 8 feet deep, which joins Chipola River ten miles dis- tant, not far above the railroad crossing. Long Moss Spring pours out a good-sized creek with such violence that fragments of stone thrown into it will not sink. The whole watershed of the Chipola in this vicinity is full of remarkable springs, caves, and sinks, which cannot be depended upon to remain the same for any specified time. Early in the present century, the Apalachicola burst through into the Chipola, forming the Dead Lake of Calhoun County (page 12). 232. De Funiak Springs, Walton County (O. H.). Population, 2,000. TloT-E-L.— Hotel Chautauqtta, $2 a day. Railroad. — L. & N. Ed.; east, to Pensacola (80 miles) ; west, to River Junc- tion (82 miles). LivKRY.— Saddle horses, 12 a day. Single teams, $3. Double teams, $5. Guides, $1.50 a day. A nearly circular lake, which is, in fact, a sj^riug, led to the establishment of the county seat, and of the prettiest modern village in West Florida. The lake is, according to local authorities, 64 feet deep and 300 feet above tide-water. On the bluffs surround- ing the lake are the assembly buildings and many cottages of residents. A plank walk, well shaded by the forest trees, follows the line of houses overlooking the lake. Here, too, are branches of the State Normal School, a United States Experiment Station, and Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. Cotton and sugar-cane are successfully raised, and olive-trees grow in the open air. Tobacco culture and cigar-making, and brick-yards are among the promising in- dustries, but they will not be allowed to mar the beauty of the place. De Funiak stands in the healthful high pine re- gion, but as the laud slopes to tlie southward the pines give way to a hammock growtli which extends to the belt of fiat- woods along the coast. The " Florida Chautauqua Assembly," referred to above, is intended to afford in a mild climate the advantages of- fered by the famous Northern institution. Full information may be had by addressing the Secretary at De Funiak Springs. 23 354 MILTON— PENSACOL A. 233. Milton, Santa Rosa County (C H.). Population, 1,200. I{ailr(jai). — L. & N. Rd. (Pensaco'.a Division) ; southwest, to Pensacola (20 miles) ; east, to River Junction (141 miles). One of the old towns of West Florida, retaining many of the traditional features of Southern society. The streets are well shaded by fine trees, and with its pretty white houses, schools, and churches it offers a most attractive api^earance. Blackwater, just across the river, resembles it in some re- spects. Both places are largely interested in the lumber business. On October 25, 1864, Pensacola being held by the Federals, and Milton by a small detachment of Confed- erates, an expedition was fitted out at Barancas to proceed up Black Water River and procure a supply of lumber, of which there were large quantities along shore. Through a misapprehension of orders the original plan of landing at Pierce's Mill was abandoned, and the party, about 700 strong, proceeded to Milton where they landed and had a brisk skirmish with the Confederates who were stationed there, driving them out of the town and holding the place till the next day, when, after destroying some Confederate stores, the detachment returned to Barancas. 210. Pensacola, Escambia County (C. H.). Population (1890), 11,751. Lat. 30° 23' N. Lonor. 87" 12' W. HoTSL. — Tlie Continental, $3 to $4 a day. Railroads.— Louisville & Nastiville (Pensacola Division) ; east, to River Junction, 161 miles (7 h. 50 min.) ; Pensacola & Atlantic Rd. to Mobile, New Orleans, etc.; Pensacola, Fla., & Perdido Rd.; west, to ilillview, 10 miles. History. Pkobablt the first European crew to sail into the magnifi- cent harbor of Pensacola was that of Miruelo, a Spanish pilot, who found the natives friendly, traded off his cargo of trinkets for silver and gold, and returned peacefully to Cuba (1516). Next some of Hernando de Soto's men re- discovered the harbor about 1536, but no use was made of PENSACOLA. 355 it, and in September, 1558, Guido de Labazares, after a thorough examination of the coast with a view to permanent colonization, decided in favor of Pensacola Bay, which he named Filijjina, and reported accordingly to his chief, the Governor of Cuba. A strong expedition was sent out under Tristan deLuna in 1559, with a view to permanent settlement at Pensacola, but he went instead to Ichuse (Santa Eosa Bay), where he lost everything in a hurricane. Miruelo named the bay after himself ; Tristan called it Santa Maria in 1558, and in 1693 Don Andre de Pes added " de Galva," in honor of the then Governor of Mexico. The eastern part of the bay is still charted as St. Maria de Galvez, but this de Galvez is another man altogether, not born till nearly a century later. The present name Pensacola is probably that of the Indian tribe inhabiting the vicinity. It api:)ears on Delisle's map (1707), and was probably applied to the surrounding country by the Spaniards for many years before that time. In 1696 Don Andre d' Arriola took possession, and built Fort San Carlos, whose ruins may still be seen near Fort Barancas. He made the beginnings of a permanent settle- ment, but everything was destroyed by the French in 1719, and during the better part of that year the place was a bone of contention, the Spanish in the end coming ofif second best, and leaving the French in possession till 1722, when dii^lo- macy stepped in and confirmed tjie Spanish claim. The town was soon rebuilt on Santa Eosa Island, near where Fort Pickens now stands. A print made from a sketch taken in 1743, and published in Jeffries' narrative, shows a stockaded fort, a government building, a church and thirty or more lesser structures. In 1754 a hurricane, in conjunction with a high tide, proved the insecurity of the locality, and the i:):esent site was selected. In 1763 Florida was ceded to the Englisli, and nearly all the Spanish residents removed to Cuba. France and Spain, however, made friends in 1781, and tinder Don Galvez, of Louisiana, and the Spanish Admiral Solano laid siege to the British garrison in Pensacola. The place was strongly defended by two well manned forts, St. Mi- 356 PENS A COLA. cliael and St. Bernard, but the accidental explosion of a magazine compelled surrender after twelve days of bom- bardment. A very creditable Spanish engraving of 1783 commemorates this triumph over the Engiisli, and with free, artistic license represents the instant of the explo- sion. The ruins of Fort St. Michael are still to be seen near the head of Palafox Street. This surrender occurred May 9, 1781. Two years afterward Spanish possession was con- firmed by re-cession on the part of England, and Pensacola saw no more powder burned in earnest until 1814, when with Spanish consent the English under Colonel Nichols gar- risoned the forts at Barancas and Santa Rosa and hoisted the British flag. England being then at war with the Uni- ted States, Nichols issued a proclamation urging the inhabi- tants of Louisiana and Kentucky to join his standard. In- dian massacres were incited along the border, and summary measures were necessary. This was in August. On Novem- ber 6th General Andrew Jackson, with 5,000 Tennesseeans and a number of Indian allies, was before Pensacola. Ee- connoitring parties were fired upon from the forts, and Jackson prepared to storm the place. By clever manage- ment he carried the outworks, and gained possession of the town with trifling loss on November lith. The Spanish governor jjromised the unconditional surren- der of the forts in return for a promise of safety for the town, but during the succeeding night the British aban- doned St. Michael and St. Bernard, blew up Barancas, and escaped to sea. Jackson withdrew after occupying the place for two days, and marched eastward, where he subdued the Indians and remained in the vicinity to preserve the peace. In 1818 ho was again obliged to occupy Pensacola, to show the Spaniards that he was in earnest. This and other proceedings of an energetic character on the i:)art of Jackson opened the eyes of Spain to the American idea of " manifest destiny," and in 1819 negotiations were begun which resulted in cession to the United States. Pensacola was too strong to sufier materially during the Seminole wars, and thanks to her fine harbor, which was PEXSACOLA. 357 made an important naval station, in 1830 she became the most considerable seaport in Florida. Florida passed her Ordinance of Secession on Jannary 10, 1861. By that time the movement at the South had devel- oped great strength, while divided counsels and an uncertain policy at the North still prevented summary measures for the suppression of armed rebellion. The garrison of Fort Bar- ancas during the winter of 1860-61 consisted of a company of the First Artillery, forty-eight men, commanded by Lieu- tenant A. J. Slemmer. Throughout the winter the attitude of the authorities of Florida and Alabama had become more and more threatening, until, on January 8, 1861, Lieutenant Slemmer notified General Scott, Commander-in-Chief at Washington, that the danger was imminent. That same night a company of about twenty men approached Fort Barancas, hoping to take possession unopposed. A ser- geant's guard had, however, been stationed in the fort and when this was discovered the intending assailants retired. The incident was enough to show the danger of delay and on January 10th, Lieutenant Slemmer removed his command to Fort Pickens, where he could offer formidable resistance even with the small force at his disposal. Captain (after- ward Commodore) James Armstrong, U.S.N., a Kentuckian by birth, was in command at the Navy Yard, having two vessels at hand, the Supply, Captain Walker, and the Wyan- dotte, Captain Berryman, with a few men available for de- fence. From Lieutenant Slemmer's report of the transfer of troops and munitions it is apparent that he distrusted Cap- tain Armstrong's loyalty. At all events he failed to secure much-needed assistance from the Navy Yard, but eventually effected the transfer of his command and, at cost of arduous labor day and night, put the fort in passable condition for defence. On the morning of January 12th the surrender of the Navy Y''ard was demanded by Colonel "William H. Chase, com- manding some twelve hundred Confederate trooiDs, and Captain Armstrong capitulated, effectual resistance being ob- viously impossible. The few' men stationed at the yard were mustered near the flag-staff when the Confederates marched 358 PENSACOLA. in unopijosed, and Lieutenant Renshaw ordered William Conway, a seaman grown old in the service, to haul down the flag in token of surrender. The habit of obedience is strong in a man-of-war's man, but Conway was equal to the occasion. He is said to have used tolerably strong language toward his suiaerior officer in refusing to obey this unprecedented command. Conway's faithfulness under exceptionally trying circumstances was promptly recognized and rewarded by Congress. But there were plenty of hands ready to do the service, and presently the anxious little garrison at Fort Pickens sorrowfully watched the United States ensign lowered from the Navy Yard flag-staff while the Confederate colors rose to its place. After the surrender of the Navy Yard, Lieutenant Slem- mer was reinforced by the 31 faithful seamen who refused to desert their colors, and now had 82 men all told, including nominal non-combatants, to defend a fort designed for a gar- rison of 1,200 men. The same evening, just after retreat, a deiDutation of Confederate officers, headed by Captain Ean- dolph, presented themselves at the gate of Fort Pickens, asked for the commanding officer and made a demand for the surrender of the fort in the name of the States of Florida and Alabama. Slemmer replied that he was there under the orders of the President and that he recognized no right of any governor to demand a surrender of United States prop- erty. On January 15th Colonel Chase made a formal demand for the surrender, jDresenting, in temperate and courteous but forcible terms, the futility of resistance. Slemmer an- swered as before, saying that while he dejirecated bloodshed he would defend his post until compelled to surrender. In the meantime the little garrison had been working all day strengthening the defences, lying by the guns at night on the rain-swept parapet, often called to quarters by false alarms, and wellnigh exhausted. Not a word of complaint was ut- tered, however, and under exceptionally trying circum- stances a vigilant watch was maintained until eventually re- inforcements came from the North. Much credit is due to Colonel Chase, whose i^rudent course undoubtedly restrained PENSACOLA. 359 precipitate action on the part of the half-disciplined troops then under his command. He was a native of Massachusetts and a graduate of West Point. Until he resigned from the army in 1856 he was an officer of the engineer corps, and the forts at Pensacola were largely constructed under his suj^er- vision. Knowing the strength of the works, he used all his influence to prevent an attack which must have resulted in a bloody rei^ulse. Colonel Chase took no further active part in the rebellion, being probably somewhat distrusted by the Confederate authorities because of his Northern birth. He died in Pensacola in 1870. The U. S. steamship Brooklyn, with a company of the First Artillery under Captain Vodges, had arrived off Fort Pickens on January 6th, but found orders forbidding the reinforce- ment of the garrison pending negotiations for a compro- mise with the seceding States then in progress at "Washing- ton. Influential Floridians represented that should Pickens be reinforced it would be impossible to prevent an attack from the somewhat lawless and undisciplined levies that garrisoned the shore batteries. Until March this state of things continued, but by the 13th of that month the authorities at Washington decided that further delay was useless, and ordered the reinforcement of Pickens. The order, however, was never received, and the Confederates continued to erect batteries commanding the fort and its approaches. On the 12th of March, negro slaves began to make their escape from the mainland, under the impression that Fort Pickens would be a refuge for them. Under the circum- stances Lieutenant Slemmer, having but a limited supply of provisions, could only return them as soon as practicable to the city authorities. In the meantime the Confederate Government had been organized at Montgomery, Ala., and General Braxton Bragg, who had lately resigned his commission in the ser- vice of the United States, superseded Colonel Chase in command of the Confederate forces at Pensacola. It was determined by April 1, 1861, that all forts re- maining in the possession of the United States must be fully 360 PENSACOLA. reitiforced. Colonel Harvey Brown was assigned to tlie command of all United States troops in Florida. During the night of Aj^'il 12th, a strong force of soldiers, marines, and seamen was landed on Santa Rosa Island under cover of darkness, and at last this important post was secure to the United States. Subsequently a regiment of New York volun- teers, "Billy Wilson's Zouaves," was sent from the North and placed in camp on the island, east of Fort Pickens. On April 26th, according to a contemporary newspaper, Bragg's forces numbered 8,000, and a semi-circle of fortifica- tions had been thrown up on the main land, extending from the Navy Yard to Fort MacEae. The summer passed without open hostilities, but on October 9tli, the Confederates took the initiative, landing a force of 1,200 men and attacking the Zouave camp a mile east of Fort Pickens. The first shots were fired about 2 a.m. and the attack was successful at first, dire confusion resulting before the regiment could be formed. Two companies of regulars were sent from the fort, and Wilson, having gotten his men in hand, the enemy was soon driven to his boats. The Federal loss was U killed, 53 wounded and missing. That of the Confederates, 21 killed, 60 wounded and missing. The camp of the Zouaves was fired, and almost wholly destroyed. On November 22, 1861, fire was opened from Fort Pickens upon the Confederate works on the mainland, and the frigates Niagara and Richviond drew in as near as possible and devoted their attention mainly to Fort MacRae and the adjoining batteries. The Confederate batteries responded, and an artillery duel was kept up for two days. The pur- pose of the Federal gunners was to destroy the stores and workshops at the Navy Yard, and do as much damage as possible to the Confederate batteries. A number of buildings were knocked to pieces by the shot and shell, and the town of Warrenton was greatly damaged, being in the direct line of fire. The loss of life on both sides was trifling, as is invariably the case in artillery duels where guns are jiroperly protected. At 11.30 P.M., May 8, 1862, the Confederates abandoned their posts in the neighborhood of Pensacola, as is credibly PENSACOLA. 36i stated, to reinforce Mobile, An attempt was made by them to destroy Fort MacKae, the lighthouse, and the buildings iu the Navy Yard, but as soon as their design was evident to the commanding officer in Fort Pickens, he opened fire in the hope of preventing the total destruction of all combus- tible public property. In this he probably succeeded, for when daylight came it was found that several buildings at the Navy Yard remained standing, though preparations had been made to fire them. Parts of Pensacola were likewise burned, also the village of Warrenton, near the Navy Yaid. United States troops took possession and extinguished the flames where jjossible, and hoisted the stars and stripes once more over the Navy Yard. As soon as it was light enotigh to cross the bar, some of the blockading squadron went up to the city and called upon the authorities to surrender. This was not accomplished until the arrival of another gun-boat made it imperative. The people went to work to extinguish the flames, and iu the course of a few hours comparative order was restored. No serious attempt was subsequently made by the Confederates to regain possession of these posts. Excursions. — The Forts and the Navy Yard. Steamer from Long Wharf, foot of Palafox Street. The boat stops at the Navy Yard at night, leaves for Pensacola at 8 a.m. and 3 P.M. Leaves Pensacola for Navy Yard at 10 a.m. and 5 P.M. (Fare for round trip, 50c.) The same boat carries passengers to Forts Pickens and MacRae, if desired. There is an old government road in fair condition from Pensacola to the Navy Y'ard. The trip down the bay is highly enjoy- able. Ofi'the wharves is usually a busy scene, a large fleet of vessels loading lumber from rafts alongside. The ship- ping interests of Pensacola are of great commercial impor- tance. The latest accessible returns show more than five hundred entrances and clearances of vessels annually, with a total register of about 350,000 tons. The main business is in lumber, the exports amounting yearly to about 140,- 000,000 feet. Besides this there is growing up a large ex- jDort trade in coal from the Alabama mines, for which tliere is a large and increasing demand in the West Indies. The wooded jjoint opposite the city, Santa Rosa Park, 362 PENSACOLA. separates Pensacola Bay from Santa Rosa Sound. The opening, Pas.s- VEnte, witli the vessels at the quarantine sta- tion, comes in sight a few minutes after leaving the wharf. To seaward are the irregular sand-dunes of Santa Rosa Island, with Fort Pickens at its western point, and the yel- low walls and buildings of the Navy Yard on the mainland opposite. (See historical sketch of Pensacola.) The Navy Yard is an immense enclosure, now almost deserted. A few officers are stationed here, with enough artificers and watch- men to take care of the government property. Some of the officers' quarters were burned when the Confederate troops abandoned the place, but, considering the artillery fire to which they were exposed for two days, the damage was small. Very picturesque and quiet is the old yard witli its shaded esplanade, wharves of solid masonry, and well-built shops, all crumbling through neglect; for, in the judgment of the authorities, the Pensacola station is no longer of prac- tical use to the Navy. Fort Barancas and the lighthouse, with the remains of the old Spanish fort, are within easy walking distance to the westward. A company of artillery is usiially stationed at the fort. No visitor should fail to walk or ride through these beautiful, though for the most part uneared for, grounds. No guide is required. The visitor may wander at will through the extensive works, and watch as long as he will the schools of mullet playing about the deserted wharves. At the commandant's office at the Navy Y'"ard, or at the adjutant's office in Fort Barancas, special directions or information can always be obtained. Pensacola Bay (see map, p. 28) divides into three smaller arms about 10 miles from the Gulf, Santa Maria de Galvez Bay to the eastward, and Escambia Bay to the westward. The latter bay is 11 miles long, and 4 miles wide. Into it flows Escambia River from the north, receiving numerous tributaries. The bordering lands are in general low and fre- quently overflowed. Santa Maria de Galvez, about the same size as Escambia, subdivides again into Blackwater Bay, which receives a river of the same name, and Cedar Creek. PENSACOLA. 303 This arm is about 7 miles by 2 luiles, and is full of islands. Yellow Water River falls into the main arm of the Bay. It is navigable for small craft some 40 miles from its mouth. Shoal River, crossed by the railroad about 20 miles east of Milton, is its i^i'incipal tributary. East Bay, the easterly subdivision of Pensacola Bay, is a fine body of water, deep, sheltered, and aflbrding excellent anchorage. It is about 7 miles long, narrowing at the head into a small creek. On the southeast it is connected with Sanjta Eosa Sound, Choctawhatchee Bay, and the Gulf through Pass VEste. Big Bayou is an arm of Pensacola Bay, 1| mile above Tartar Point. Bayou Chico is a jiretty land-locked sheet of water, for- merly utilized as a harbor for small craft. On its shores was Camj) Clinch, during the state of quasi war with Spain (1814-1818). Bayou Texar falls into the Escambia Bay a mile above Pensacola. Perdido Bay (map, p. 28), into which flows a river of the same name, separates Florida from Alabama on the west. It is a land-locked sheet of water with a narrow, crooked outlet, and a shifting bar with not more than 7 feet at low tide. The bay itself, however, lias a considerable dejjth, is 30 miles long, and from 2 miles to 6 miles wide. The shores are in many places quite high, composed of clay bluffs, and covered with an almost imbroken forest of pines. The river is navigable for small steamers about 7 miles from its mouth. It rises in Alabama, and is a good mill-stream. Both river and bay abound with fish. A western arm of the bay is called La Lance, an indication that we are nearing a region first settled by French. Spanish names are almost the invariable rule in Florida, but French names predomi- nate west of Perdido Bay, and the French tongue is still largely spoken. J04 THK GULF COAST OF WEST FLORIDA. 250. The Gulf Coast of West Florida. From Perdido Bay to Cedar Key the eoast sweeps in two great curves with capes San Bias and St. George between them. There is no continuous outer line of islands, though there are very extensive and beautiful disconnected bays at short intervals as far east as Dog Island. Beyond this the bays disappear, and from the St. Mark's River to Cedar Key there is no shelter except for boats of very light draft which can find their way into the many streams and inlets. ChoctaiDhatchee Bay (see map, p. 100) lies east and west ■within its outlying islands, about 40 miles, with a width of 7 miles to 15 miles, and from 6 feet to 12 feet of water. Nav- igation for vessels drawing more than 6 feet is very doubtful, since the depth of water is much affected by storms, and many bars extend far out into the bay. The always trust- worthy sharjiie will however slide safely over most of them. The shores along the eastern part of the bay are low, and largely bordered with reeds and grass. Farther to the westward the land is higher, with frequent shell-hammocks, pine barrens, and live-oak woods. The Choctmi-Jialchee- River is.the principal fresh-water tributary of this bay. It rises in Alabama about 150 miles from tide-water, and is navigable about 80 miles. The main tributary is Pea River. The last named is really the larger of the two streams. The confluence is near the Florida line. Euchee Creek enters from the west- ward 25 miles from the mouth, and Sandy Creek about 4 miles. From the westward come Holms, Big Bar?-en, and Pond Creeks, the first named navigable at all times as far as Big Spring, and to Shackleford, 15 miles farther, during average high water. Aliqiia River rises among the " knobs " of Walton County, springing almost full-grown from the ground. Its total length is about 25 miles, and it is navigable 15 miles. It empties into Choctawhatchee Bay. St. Andrew's Bay (map, p. 102) has 18 or 20 feet of water on the bar, good anchorage, and jierfect shelter from all •winds. The bay is very irregular in shape, stretching its THE GULP COAST OF WEST FLORIDA. 365 arms \\p iuto the country to the N. W. and S. E. for 30 miles. Hammock Island guards the entrance from the Gulf. On the 1st and 2d of December, 1863, a destructive raid was made by a detail of men from the gun-boat Restless along St. Andrew's Bay, the object being to put an end to the salt- works, public and private, from which the Confederacy largely drew its supplies. Nearly two hundred establishments, large and small, were broken up, according to Eear Admiral Bailey's report. The town of St. Andrew's was shelled and, taking fire, was partly burned. A very large amount of Con- federate salt and stores was thus destroyed. On January 27th following, another similar expedition ascended the river above St. Andrew's, and completed the work of destruction by breaking up some ninety more salt-works. Wetappo River has its source in \\'ashiugton County, west of the Chipola. For twenty miles it twists and turns in every imaginable direction. For the last five miles before falling into St. Andrew's Bay it is less tortuous, receiving the S. E. Branch. The branch is easily navigable. St. Joseph's Bay (map, p. 12) has a wide entrance from the northwest, with 17 feet of water on the bar. Between False Cape and the mainland, however, there is a "middle ground " with 9 feet of water in some places. The main bay is 7 miles to 8 miles wide, and 2 miles long, its major axis running nearly north and south. Xear the southeast end of the bay is a fine island covered with a heavy grove of live- oak, cedar, palms, and the usual hammock growth of the Gulf Coast. The crooked island that forms the bay reaches well out to sea, forming Cape San Bias. Elsewhere, the sand is blown up into fantastic dunes behind which the pine forest has secured a foothold, and serves as a landmark to sailors long before the low-lying shore can be seen. San Bias light stands on the south jjoint of the cape in Lat. 29° 40' N., Long. 85° 21' W. The light was established in 1847 but abandoned in 1885, and the present iron skeleton struc- ture erected. The ruins of the old tower and oil room are still standing 300 yards from the end of the cape in 8 feet of water. The present tower is 98 feet high. The light flashes red and white alternately at intervals of 30 seconds. 366 THE GULF COAST OF WEST FLORIDA. It is visible W^ nantical miles. A dangerous slioal extends 5 or 6 miles southerly from the caije. Aprdachicolii Bcv/ (see mai?, p. 30) is formed by the islands of St. Vincent and St. George, is 30 miles long, and averages 8 miles wide. There is generally 14 feet of water on the bar. St. Vincent's Island, defining the bay on the west, is roughly speaking, an isosceles triangle in shape, nearly 10 miles on its longer sides. It is covered with a dense growth of magnolias, live-oaks, and palms, and much of its surface is green with a natural growth of grass. Fine springs of fresh-water are found on the island, and a considerable stream flows into the bay on the eastern shore. St. George's island, forming the sound of that name, stretches for 40 miles along the coast, generally in a northeast direction. The seaward side is blown into high ]iarallel saud-ridges, rising in some places 30 to 40 feet above the beach. Be- hind these are pines interspersed with occasional hammock, shallows and marshes forming the inland shore. Cape St. George light is a white tower 73 feet high showing a fixed white light visible 14 naiitical miles at sea. The light was established in 1847. It stands in Lat. 29° 35' 18 ' N., Long. 85° 02' 52" W. Sea-going vessels keep 8 miles oflf shore on account of shoals making out southward from the cape. Dog Island, at the eastern extremity of the sound, forms an admirable harbor. Appalache Bay (see map, p. 98) is properly only a bight or irregularity in the coast aifording no safe shelter from south- erly gales. It is full of reefs and shoals, twenty miles from shore, and though navigation between these is safe and easy in calm weather, they are very dangerous to careless na^'i- gators. Vessels drawing 8 feet may enter Spanish Hole, where good shelter and anchorage is found. Apj)alache Bay is bordered to the eastwartl by prairies. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 367 Miscellaneous Inform jitioii. Oranges. The wild Florida orange, while not altogether disagreea- ble to the tastei, is not generally regarded as edible. It is largely cultivated for ornamental purposes. The sweet or China orange is a native of India. Thence it was oiiginally brought by the Arabs, and found its way to Florida by way of Spain and the West Indies. Orange-trees grow, thrive, and ripen excellent fruit all over Florida, but there are certain districts whei'e they thrive better and produce finer fruit than elsewhere. The Orange Belt proper is within the limits of Middle Florida, but a very large proportion of the crop is grown on the banks of the St. John's River as far north as Jacksonville. The Indian River and Halifax River regions produce oranges that are unsurpassed in beauty, juiciness, and flavor, and again in the vicinity of Ocala and along the Gulf Coast the Homosassa orange, originating on Tiger Island, the old Yulee plantation, is among the choicest varieties. The question as to the best soil for oranges bids fair to remain unsettled for many a year. The traveller who is in- terested in such matter, will hear the most contradictory asser- tions from equally well-informed and trustworthy experts. In the " high pine " region he will be told that while fertilizers should there be used at first, the tree^, require less and less as time goes on, and after a few years require little, if any- thing, more than is supplied by nature and ordinary care. In the low-lying hammocks along the Halifax and Indian Rivers he will hear that there no fertilizers whatever are required, that in fact they injure the trees and cause the fruit to deteriorate. So, too, on the high hammocks, and even among "flat woods," he will find orange-growers who are prepared to demonstrate that no other lands can produce equally fine oranges. The only fair inference is that all these difi"erent condi- tions are good, each in its own way. As to which soil or which district produces the finest fruit, or which particular 308 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. kind of fruit is finest, individual preferences or prejudices must govern. Among the most famous orange groves are the following : The Dummit Grove on Indian River, near Hanlover, Brevard County ; the Harris Grove, near Citra, Marion County ; the Hart Grove, near Palatka, Putnam County ; the Belair Groves, near Sanford. Orange County ; the Tiger Tail Island Grove, near Homosassa, Citrus County. The Florida orange is probably the finest in the world, as even European experts are beginning to acknowledge. Its superiority lies in the thinness of its skin, rendering it easier to eat without tasting the acrid oil as with the thick-skinned varieties ; and in its jieculiarly abundant juiciness, and deli- cious flavor. These qualities are especially noted in semi- troj^ical Florida, where occasional light frosts seem to bene- fit rather than injure the trees when once they have matured. In Florida orange-trees begin to bear eatable fruit at 5 to 8 years from budding, on good stock. From the seed they require from 10 to 20 years, and in any case are not certainly " tnie " to the seed. How long trees will live and flourish is not yet certain, since the oldest known specimens in Flor- ida are not more than 50 years old. In Spain there are orange-trees with an authenticated record of 700 years, and at Hampton Court, in England, there are specimens that liave been growing under glass nearly half as long. The brownish or rusty appeai'ance of many Florida oranges is only objectionable because it detracts from the beauty, and therefore from the market value of the fruit. It is caused by a minute insect that punctures the skin so that the essential oil exudes and oxidizes on exposure to the air. The flavor of "rusty" oranges is by many believed to bo better than that of the jmve golden specimens. Oranges generally ripen during January and February, and will hang upon the trees in perfect condition until summer is well ad- vanced. If permitted to remain on the trees, however, they are subject to many dangers that may be prevented by gathering and storing. The Florida orange crop of 1889-90, according to the trustworthy returns of the transportatioii companies, was, in MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 369 round numbers, 2,000,000 boxes. This, of course, represents only the amount shipped for a market, and does not include home consumi:)tion. Lemons. Lemon-trees are rather more sensitive to cold than oranges, hence they cannot be regarded as a safe crop in the northern part of the State, though under exceptional conditions they ^vill grow up to the Georgia line. They require a dry soil, and will not grow on the hammocks. The Florida lemon does not yet command the market. It has the reputation of being too big, too thick-skinned, and not satisfactory in flavor. All these faults are probably due to lack of intelligent culti- vation. It is believed by many jjlanters that the lemon will at no very distant day rival the orange as a profitable crop. Fine lemon groves may be seen in Belair County, and smaller ones are scattered throughout the Orange Belt. Ijimes. Limes will gi'ow safely and well under ordinary conditions south of Palatka, and in favorable localities somewhat far- ther north. The variety common in Florida is a native of Mexico. The fruit is available for many of the uses that create a demand for lemons. It is more generally used abroad than in America, but is steadily gaining favor. Limes are generally raised from the seed, and require little care. It will come into profitable bearing, say 3,000 limes to a tree, in about twelve years. Citrons. In Florida two varieties of this fruit are successfully cul- tivated, namely, the orange citron and the lemon citron. Its value arises from its thick, fragrant rind, which is preserved and candied for the use of cooks and confectioners. The curing process has only of late been perfected, but the Florida product is now making its way in the home mar- kets. 24 370 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. Grape Fruit. This is, by good authority, regarded as a variety of the Shaddock, but its habit of growth is peculiar, hanging in grape-like bunches, and its flavor is a refreshing combina- tion of acidity, bitterness, and grapes. The liking for it, like that for fresh figs, has often to be acquired. Grai)e fruit is becoming quite popular in the Northern markets, which it reaches in December or thereabout. Pineapples. The successful cultivation of pineapples on a large scale and for market is a new industry in Florida, and has not yet enacted for itself a regular code of laws. The pine is largely an air-plant. It thrives on third-class pine land on the bluffs of Indian River, and on the coralline keys of the far south. The finest existing plantations are at Eden, some 20 miles above Jupiter Inlet, on Indian River. The pineai)iile bears fruit once and then dies, "suckers" spring- ing up from the base of the leaves near the ground. From these suckers the plant is propagated, as also from the " crests " of the leaves, from certain tufts called "crown- lets," from "slips," and from "eyes." Indeed, the whole plant fairly bristles with regenerative processes, the suckers being generally regarded as affording the best and surest growth. Within a few years an enormous number of jjine- apples will be grown in Florida. The demand is not only for table use, but for various extracts and flavors used by confectioners. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 371 The Native Races of Florida. At the time of its discovery by the Spaniards, in 1513, pe- ninsular Florida appears to have been peopled by a race sim- ilar in manners, language, and customs to the Lucayans of Bahama and the Caribs of the West Indian and Wind- ward Islands. The word hammock, frequently used in this handbook, and meaning land whereon hard wood grows, is the sole survival in English of the original tongue. These people were largely agricultural, were bold navigators, and brave warriors. There were several confederacies within the peninsula, often at war with each other, but generally pre- serving their indei^endence. Such were the provinces of Tegesta and Caloosa where now are Dade, Munroe, and Lee counties. The region of Tampa Bay was Tocobaga, and op- posite, on the Atlantic coast and the St. John's River, was the dominion of Utina, who held court on a large domiciliary mound near the outlet of Lake George. Toward the north and west these Carib races became merged in the Red Indian type, notably the Apalaches, who were, even in Soto's time, the acknowledged superiors of all the other tribes. Their territory was between the Suwannee and Ap- palachicola Rivers. Soto found them almost half civilized, and left them with their chief towns in ashes and most of their warriors slain. All the early explorers speak admiringly of the natio Floridian races. They were of large stature, light olive- brown in color, and given to tattooing their skins. They were very intelligent, ready to learn, and often possessed of courteous, dignified manners. In the beginning they wore disposed to be friendly to Europeans, but very naturally resented attempts at conquest, and proved their dauntless courage on many a hard-fought field. Early in the eighteenth century serious dissensions arose among the Creeks and Clierokees of Alabama, and under the leadership of one Se- cotfee a strong party seceded, invaded the Alachua region, subjugated the surrounding tribes, whose strength had been broken by the Spanish scourge, and became known as " Seminoles," or outlaws. Other northern tribes, as the 372 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. Yemassees and others of the Creek family, followed their example, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century the Seminoles had overran the State and the native Flori- dian had disappeared, or intermarried to an extent that left few traces of his existence. Seminole Words, Phrases, Names, etc. For the following list of words and their meanings the au- thor is indebted to memoranda furnished by Mr. Kirk Munroe, in addition to that published in the "Florida An- nual; " to lists and chance references in Sprague's "Florida War," and to Indians and hunters whose versions, if some- times confusing, have in general verified the accuracy of the vocabulary. So far as known, no systematic attempt has ever been made to codify this language beyond imper- fect vocabularies compiled at random, as in the present in- stance. It has no written signs save rude hieroglyphics, has no word for a Supreme Being, and apparently no conjuga- tions and inflexions. The accent falls almost invariably upon the final syllables Tcah, 2^ah, nah, and the like, which one is tempted to regard as different pronunciations of one and the same word— an article, perhaps. It is very diflScult to convey or obtain a translatable idea from a Seminole. Few of them are willing to impart any information concern- ing themselves or their language. In conversation among themselves they iise the long, clumsy names given in the vocabulary, even for the commonest articles of every-day use. Alachua (name of couuty). Big Jug, place where waters go down. Alligator, Al-la-pat-tah. Alive, A-lat-tchuni-pah. Ainerican, Fat-shay-not-kah. Arm, Tche-suk-pah. Astonishment, expression of, I-ce-lah. Axe, Pot-sas-nah. Bad (adj.), Hnl-wah. Bad (no good, exclamation of con- tempt). Ho-lee-wah-gus. Bad(Thatisabadman), /s-- !1 10 aOOaOMH 3HT aTv^a OT (i .. /• •i-^'.i;tio'^ ,r^ IH 5\ 3 1205 02126 1357 / UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 880 219 i