1884 print ALLIGATORS IN OCKLAWAHA RIVER, FLORIDA, #411 |
Nice view titled Eine Begegnung auf dem Ocklawaha - An encounter on the Ocklawaha, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, approx. page size is 25 x 17 cm, approx. image size is 17 x 8 cm. From: Amerika in Wort und Bild, eine Schilderung der Vereinigten Staaten von Friedrich von Hellwald, publisher Heinrich Schmidt & Carl Gunther, Leipzig, 1884.
Ocklawaha River
The 74-mile-long (119 km) Ocklawaha River flows
north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River
near Palatka. Its name is a corruption of ak-lowahe, Creek for
"muddy".
The historical and original source of the Ocklawaha River is Lake
Griffin, part of the Harris chain of lakes in Lake County,
Florida. The river now receives discharge from the entire Harris
Chain of Lakes, including Lake Eustis, Lake Harris, Lake Dora,
Lake Beauclair and Lake Apopka, via a series of man-made canals
and natural waterways including Haynes Creek, the Dead River, the
Dora Canal, and the Apopka-Beauclair Canal. The addition of the
man-made canals has increased both the discharge flow and amount
of runoff pollution carried into the river. The Ocklawaha River
watershed includes parts of the Green Swamp, most of Lake County,
and portions of Marion, Alachua and Putnam counties. The largest
of several large lakes in the Ocklawaha's watershed is the badly
polluted Lake Apopka near Orlando.
The Ocklawaha River is the principal tributary of the St. Johns
River. The most important and well-known tributary of the
Ocklawaha is the Silver River, which carries the discharge from
Silver Springs. Another important tributary of the Ocklawaha is
Orange Creek, which originates from Orange Lake, which is fed by
Lochloosa Lake via Cross Creek and by Newnans Lake, via the
Prairie Creek. From Prairie Creek, only half of its water is
artificially diverted towards Orange Lake via the Camps Canal,
the rest flows to its historic destination, Paynes Prairie.
The river was used extensively in the 19th century and early 20th
century for steamboat transportation, most famously the Hart Line
operated by Hubbard L. Hart. Narrow steamboats were used to
navigate the constrictive and winding river. In the 1870s, the
route between Palatka and Silver Springs became very popular, and
was travelled by prominent figures such as Harriet Beecher Stowe,
Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas A. Edison and Mary Todd Lincoln to visit
Silver Springs. The scenic trip up the river added a sense of
adventure to a visit to Silver Springs. The popularity of the
river route to Silver Springs declined after the arrival of
railroad service to Ocala in 1881.
The river and its source tributaries are navigable for most of
their length. The Silver River is easily accessible and very
popular with boaters. Orange Creek is navigable for most of its
length by canoe. Aids to navigation along the main river and its
source tributaries include:
Rodman Reservoir, where the river is impounded at Rodman Dam (later
renamed the George Kirkpatrick Dam). The Cross Florida Barge
Canal is navigable through the Buckman Lock with elevation
changes of 19.2 feet.
The Burrell Lock and Dam on Haynes Creek.
The Dora Canal.
The Apopka-Beauclair Canal.
Most non-canoe navigation ends with Lake Apopka.
The river has suffered severe ecological damage in the 20th
century from fertilizer runoff, dredging, pollution and rerouting.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Marjorie Harris Carr led the successful
campaign to stop construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal,
which would have dammed the river at two points and created two
artificial reservoirs to facilitate navigation along the canal;
however, the river is still blocked by Rodman Dam. Florida
Defenders of the Environment (FDE), which Carr co-founded in 1969,
continues to push for the preservation and restoration of the
Ocklawaha River.
The river is a popular place to canoe, kayak and fish. The river
forms the western boundary of the Ocala National Forest. Portions
of the river remain mostly undisturbed by man. The natural
landscapes and lush wildlife and growth of the outlying area are
mostly hydric hammocks and flatwoods, with scrub pine ridges and
sugar sandy soils. Wildlife is abundant, including wild turkey,
white-tailed deer, and wading birds in this area. Outdoor
recreational activities include hunting, fishing, wildlife
viewing, hiking, horseback riding, and paddling, although there
are few established trails.
The Gores Landing unit of Ocklawaha River WMA consists of almost
3,000 acres (12 km2) along the Ocklawaha River in eastern Marion
County. The Ocklawaha River basin is a primary tributary of the
St. Johns River Water Management District.