Oklawaha

The 110-mile-long Ocklawaha River flows north from Central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. The river was used extensively in the 19th century and early 20th century for steamboat transportation. Narrow steamboats were used to navigate it's constrictive and winding length. 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 the attractions at Silver Springs, the wild and scenic trip up the river adding a sense of adventure to the visit. The river forms the western boundary of the Ocala National Forest. Large areas remain mostly undisturbed by man and the natural landscapes and lush wildlife and growth of the outlying area are mostly hydric hammocks and flatwoods, with scrub pine ridges and sandy soils. Wildlife is abundant, including wild turkey, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, etc. and many wading birds . Sadly, the river has suffered severe ecological damage in the 20th century from fertilizer runoff, dredging, pollution and rerouting and it narrowly escaped becoming part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal.