Suwannee River Guidebook. Kevin M. McCarthy

      Pineapple Press, Inc.

      Sarasota, Florida

      Copyright © 2009 by Kevin M. McCarthy

      All photos were taken by the author except where noted.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

      Inquiries should be addressed to:

      Pineapple Press, Inc.

      P.O. Box 3889

      Sarasota, Florida 34230

      www.pineapplepress.com

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      McCarthy, Kevin (Kevin M.)

       Suwannee River guidebook / Kevin M. McCarthy. -- 1st ed.

       p. cm.

       Includes bibliographical references and index.

       ISBN 978-1-56164-449-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)

       1. Suwannee River Valley Region (Ga. and Fla.)--Guidebooks. 2. Suwannee River Valley Region (Ga. and Fla.)--Description and travel. I. Title.

       F317.S8M33 2009

       917.59’802--dc22

       2009008659

      ISBN 978-1-56164-667-8 (e-book)

      First Edition

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Design by Giles Hoover, www.gileshoover.com

      Printed in the United States of America

How to Use This Book

      The first part of each chapter, “by water,” describes the trip boating along from one section of the river to the next, each ending at a good stopping place for the night. I briefly describe my experiences and then tell of the history and natural history of that area of the river. The last part of each chapter, “by land,” tells you about that same section if you are going along the river by land in a car. The “by land” sections are much shorter, so even if you are going by car, you need to read the “by water” sections to get all the history and background.

      The Appendices, “Information for Boaters,” and “Places to Visit, Stay, and Eat,” contain many general, practical hints as well as information on food and lodging and tourist sites. It seemed better to put all this together for your touring convenience.

      Dedication

      I dedicate this book to the members of Save Our Suwannee, who have devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to preserving a beautiful river.

      Acknowledgments

      Among the people who helped me in the research for this book are Captain Chris Brown (who gave me a boat tour from Manatee Springs south toward Suwannee), Shirley Clark (librarian at the Branford Public Library), Rangers Amy Conyers and Merrill “Catfish” Phillips (both of whom work at Troy Spring State Park), Robena Cornwell (who helped me access information about Stephen Foster’s famous song), Courter Films and Associates (for the production of a DVD entitled “The Florida Water Story”), Cary and Lynn Crutchfield (who gave me tours of the river and helped me with its literature), Susan Duser (who produced the maps), Annette Long (president of Save Our Suwannee), Ranger Andrew Moody (who gave me a detailed tour of Fanning Springs), Nan Myrick (who led me to my river guide and urged me to write this guide), Joanna Norman (archives supervisor at the State Library and Archives of Florida), and Tracy Woodard (librarian at the White Springs Library).

      About the Author

      Kevin M. McCarthy is a professor emeritus of English and Florida studies at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He has written fifteen other books for Pineapple Press, including African Americans in Florida, African American Sites in Florida, Alligator Tales, Apalachicola Bay, Aviation in Florida, Baseball in Florida, Book Lover’s Guide to Florida, Christmas in Florida, Georgia’s Lighthouses and Historic Coastal Sites, Lighthouses of Ireland, Native Americans in Florida, Over Southeast Florida, St. Johns River Guidebook, Thirty Florida Shipwrecks, and Twenty Florida Pirates.

      Rivers are the most important feature of any terrestrial land mass because the river not only defines the geology, but it also defines the biology—dictating what lives there, what plants will grow, and what animals can function.” —National Parks Magazine, Spring 2008, p. 14

Introduction

      After boating the St. Johns River in Florida from near its beginnings in central Florida to Mayport on the Atlantic Ocean five years ago, I began looking at other rivers in the state and wondered if I could do the same: boat them from beginning to end. I first considered boating the Suwannee when I took my younger children to camp out in Georgia and visited the Okefenokee Swamp. There a guide told me that one could put in a small boat at the Suwannee River near the campgrounds and go all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, over two hundred miles to the south. At the time I thought, “Wow, that would be neat.” Little did I realize that I would do just that in 2008, although in a piecemeal fashion. What I was particularly interested in doing was to see how the Suwannee played a role in Florida’s history and culture and, most importantly, what efforts were being made to preserve it for the future.

      At a time when Florida attracts some nine hundred residents a day, much of the state has changed dramatically, and not all for the better. The Suwannee River, however, has not changed dramatically, due in no small part to the concerned efforts of environmentalists, residents, lawmakers, and other concerned citizens who want to preserve the river for future generations. Just as important as the concern of such people has been the geography/topography of the river: its shallowness during periods of drought and its treacherous sandbars at the mouth have prevented the kind of development that other Florida rivers have seen, such as the St. Johns, Miami, and Hillsborough rivers.

      The Suwannee is the state’s most famous river,