Silver River (Florida)

Last updated
Silver River
Silver River.jpg
Location
Country United States
State Florida
County Marion
District SJRWMD
Physical characteristics
Source Silver Springs
  location Silver Springs, Florida
  coordinates 29°12′57″N82°03′10″W / 29.21583°N 82.05278°W / 29.21583; -82.05278
Mouth Ocklawaha River
  location
Delks Bluff, Florida
  coordinates
29°12′45″N81°59′17″W / 29.21250°N 81.98806°W / 29.21250; -81.98806
Length4.5 mi (7.2 km)

The Silver River is a short spring-fed river located east of Ocala in Marion County, Florida. Fed by Silver Springs, it connects the springs to the Ocklawaha River, passing through a pristine woodland environment. The river was probably named for its silvery appearance. [1]

Contents

Geography and hydrology

The Silver River drains Silver Springs, located in the Silver Springs State Park in Silver Springs, Florida approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Ocala, Florida. The river flows east from the springs, being joined by an unnamed tributary creek from the north just east of the park, for approximately 5.4 miles (8.7 km) before joining the Ocklawaha River just south of the Bert Dosh Memorial Bridge. [2]

Ecology

The Silver River flows through an undeveloped woodland just to the west of the Ocala National Forest; the water quality is considered excellent, and the river is regarded as being in pristine condition. [2]

Many types of turtles are found in the Silver River, while ospreys and anhingas breed along its banks. [3] Rhesus monkeys were released at Silver Springs in the 1930s, and became feral; [4] they remain present along the river's run and can be seen when traveling the river. [5] The Silver River is designated under the Outstanding Florida Waters program. [6]

History and recreation

A feral rhesus macaque along Silver River. Silver River monkey.jpg
A feral rhesus macaque along Silver River.

The first known human settlement in the Silver River area was by the Timucua people; Europeans arrived in the 1820s, with Fort King being established near the Silver Springs in 1827. The springs became a tourist attraction in the 1870s; the first glass-bottom boat was built to provide views of the springs in 1878. [2] The river steamer Metamora sank near the Silver River's mouth in 1903. [2]

The parks around the river's source, Silver Springs State Park and the historic Silver Springs attraction, are noted tourist destinations; the river is considered to be excellent for exploration by canoe and kayak. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Marion County is located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,908. Its county seat is Ocala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocala, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Ocala is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, making it the 43rd-most populated city in Florida. Ocala is the principal city of the Ocala metropolitan area, which had a population of 375,908 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Johns River</span> The longest river in Florida, United States

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and it is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m); like most Florida waterways, the St. Johns has a very slow flow speed of 0.3 mph (0.13 m/s), and is often described as "lazy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Springs, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Silver Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marion County of northern Florida. It is the site of Silver Springs, a group of artesian springs and a historic tourist attraction that is now part of Silver Springs State Park. The community is part of the Ocala metropolitan area. It was first listed as a CDP for the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 2,844.

The Ocklawaha Valley Railroad, originally the Ocala Northern Railroad, was a railroad running from Silver Springs Junction, Florida to Palatka, Florida, running roughly parallel to the Oklawaha River. Except for the southernmost part, from Silver Springs Junction to Silver Springs, which was leased from the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, the railroad never had any corporate relationship with larger railroad companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocala National Forest</span> National forest located in Florida, United States

The Ocala National Forest is the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers 607 square miles (1,570 km2) of northern Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National Forest, established in 1908, is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and the southernmost national forest in the continental U.S. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan term meaning "fair land" or "big hammock". The forest is headquartered in Tallahassee, as are all three National Forests in Florida, but there are local ranger district offices located in Silver Springs and Umatilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocklawaha River</span> River in Florida, United States of America

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 derived from ak-lowahe, Creek for "muddy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida State Road 40</span> Highway in Florida

State Road 40 is a 91.8-mile-long (147.7 km) east–west highway across northern and east-central Florida, running from U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) in Rainbow Lakes Estates eastwards through Ocala over the Ocklawaha River and through the heart of the Ocala National Forest to SR A1A in Ormond Beach. Names of the road include Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala, Fort Brooks Road from Silver Springs through Astor, Butler Road in Astor, and Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach. Former sections in Ormond Beach are named "Old Tomoka Road" and "Old Tomoka Avenue."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Springs State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Silver Springs State Park, formerly known as Silver River State Park, is a Florida state park located on the Silver River in Marion County. The park contains Silver Springs, Florida's first tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juniper Springs</span> Spring in Florida, United States

Juniper Springs, located in the Ocala National Forest east of Ocala, Florida, is a natural spring that forms the headwaters of Juniper Creek that winds its way to Lake George in the Saint Johns River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Springs (attraction)</span> Group of artesian springs in Marion County

Silver Springs is a group of artesian springs that feed into the Silver River in Marion County, Florida. It is the largest artesian spring in the world and the site of the oldest commercial tourist attraction in Florida, and was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Its main features are the glass-bottom boat tours on the river, which have operated there, in various forms, since 1878. Long privately owned and operated, the springs area was formerly the site of a small amusement park, Silver Springs Nature Theme Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newt Perry</span>

Newton A. Perry was an American swimmer, attraction promoter, educator and swimming coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubbard L. Hart</span>

Hubbard L. Hart was an American entrepreneur who ran the most prominent steamboat line in Florida. He augmented his business with hotels, orange groves and lumber mills, and is noted for helping the state develop as a tourist destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodman Reservoir</span> Reservoir in Florida, United States

Rodman Reservoir, or Lake Ocklawaha, is an artificial reservoir located on the Ocklawaha River in Putnam County and Marion County in north central Florida. The reservoir, located about 15 miles southwest of Palatka, is approximately 15 miles (24 km) in length, covers 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) and is located between State Road 19 on the east and State Road 315 on the west. It is also a premier largemouth bass fishery for Northeast Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Dosh Memorial Bridge</span> Bridge in Florida, United States of America

The Bert Dosh Memorial Bridge, also known as the Delks Bluff Bridge, carries State Road 40 over the Ocklawaha River in north-central Florida, east of Silver Springs.

Adena Springs Ranch is the former name of a 30,000-acre cattle ranch in Florida's Marion County now known as Sleepy Creek Ranch Lands. Adena Ranches is a related cattle ranch property in Levy County. Both are owned by Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Gates Ferry</span> Automobile ferry in Fruitland Cove, Florida, US

The Fort Gates Ferry is an auto ferry that crosses the St. Johns River in Florida, downstream of Lake George and just upstream of Little Lake George, at Fruitland Cove. The oldest operating ferry in Florida, it acts as part of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway.

Orange Creek is a small stream in north-central and northeast Florida, that drains Orange Lake to the Ocklawaha River. Privately owned Orange Springs provides part of the water volume.

<i>Okeehumkee</i> Steamboat in 19th-century Florida

The Okeehumkee, also known as "Queen of the Ocklawaha River," was a river steamboat that provided transportation along Florida rivers in the late 19th century. The Okeehumkee was equipped with a paddle wheel positioned in the lower stern part of the boat which allowed it to traverse narrow and shallow rivers. The steamboat was the longest-serving craft of its type on the Ocklawaha River route, remaining in service for 43 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise Park, Florida</span> Segregated tourist atrtraction in Florida

Paradise Park was a tourist attraction and the only local recreational facility "for colored people", as its sign said, about 1 mile (1.6 km) from Silver Springs, near Ocala, Florida. It offered similar features, such as glass-bottom boats, "jungle cruises," a petting zoo, a dance pavilion with jukebox, performers, a softball field, a horseshoe toss, and a sandy beach with lifeguards. It operated from 1949 to 1969, closing soon after desegregation of Silver Springs. It served African American patrons prohibited from Silver Springs' boat rides that were limited to whites only. As was the rule during the allegedly separate but equal period, "Paradise Park was alright, but it wasn't up on a par with the white parts of Silver Springs."

References

  1. Frisaro, Freida Ratliff (Feb 21, 1988). "Indian heritage runs deep throughout Central Florida". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 63. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Boning 2007, p.160.
  3. 1 2 Boning 2007, p.161.
  4. Hiers, Fred (January 5, 2012). "Catching, selling Silver River monkeys is lucrative". The Gainesville Sun . Gainesville, FL. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  5. "Silver River has clear water, canoe trips...and monkeys?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Pittsburgh, PA. October 15, 2000. p. F6. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  6. Ahlers, Karen (August 26, 2012). "Adena: Too many questions, too much at risk". Star-Banner . Ocala, FL. Retrieved 2012-09-12.

Bibliography

Boning, Charles R. (2007). Florida's Rivers. Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press. ISBN   978-1-56164-400-1.