, 1870-05-10
FLORIDA.
A Tour Through East Florida.
jacksonville and Other Winter
Watertng-Places.
Fishing and Hunting.


iois Of this almost tropical region Are not 1uf-
icsutly Known in the Northwest.
lar nine-tenAha Of those parsons seeking tbs
nilsr climate Of Florida in winter, Jackson
Iilleia The best entrance to the State From
he Io1thve est the easiest route il, pezhsps, by
sasof the Mississippi to Mobile, thames BY
steamer to Cedar Keye, whence there j.
! dirct line Of railway across the State toJack-
:onvi{a, distance one hundred Aud twenty
miles An Ill railway route il By tho, Illinois
CersaPto Cairo. thence by the N1hh1lle l.
At'ntic to Savannah, and thence to Jack
scnllle by the Atlantic l. Gulf Railway and
hc Florida Central In Jacksonville tho
torGst finds himself in busy, dusty town OF
0n inhabit4nta, xnd s, 900 viitors. Nhe is
IN r1d citizen Of Chicago he will be zuminded
IT the days when IN that beloved but well
ab1kcd city tho sidewalks were Of wood, tho
houscs Of balloon franc, and half the popu1a-
arriving steamer. am compelled TO admit |
jacksonville hAa better hotel than the old |
fremont House Of 1ss5-my only objection to
it il that they haYo foolshly called. it the St.
James, in feeble eriyalEy Of Boston and New York,
WIEN they might have given it . eeneible and
distinctive name, such N the Florida Hotel, tho
De Soto House, or the De Leon-the latter, by
tho way, suggestive invitation to the fountain
Of health and youth. There are plenty Of Yan-
tek and Western men in Jacksonville, and
thd9 arc building up city thets fright
bal bought tract on tho river, just above the
town, which they have lid out for handsome
suburb, and called it Riverside, and tho veteran
solon nobinson i building cheap styie Of cot
tages to rent to the winter viEitoE4- Tbs prtt-
cipa1 export Of Jacksonville il pitch pine luua.
Der, for tho cutting OF which thero arc several
large steam mills, aud hex best imports aEe
Northern visitors, with pockets full Of green
backs. This city Is twenty-five milea from tho
mouth OF the st. Johns River, which is the
10 fouz ,niies vide for 100 miles from tho aea.
Steamers run daily from Jacksonville to PAlat-
ka, 100 miles from the mouth, three tnnea
week to Enterprise, 100 miles further up, and
once week to Salt Like, serenty-fye miles
higher. Most OF The winter visitors stop on
1t is useful, 1t Mandarin, fifteen miles from
Jacksonville, whore lives Mrs.. Stowe; At HI
bernia ten miles further, where there is good
boarding house ut Magnolia, five miles above,
where there is the best and most comfortable
plsee on the river, tho Winter House." kept
coSe sprss sa wask snphur es TateE
75o IN Temperature, bursting feom tho ground
mill here ara boarding houses
and hotel well spoken Of. Some forty miles
further mp the mr. il palatka, the head OF
navigation eeoz the Savannah and Charleston
MSsea0ers This Place, dur'ng t5 the seminole seminole
! army, ard vas of sonas Importance. Atpresent
its 500 inhabitants are supported pr'nc!pal,g
by the winter travel from the North. From
this place steamers run up the 0cklawahs to
the far-fanaed Silver Spring, the largest spring
ia Florids, land Of springs. Above Palatkd
| $1n nj oax
through several lakes, the scenery becomes
more tropical. the palms appear on the baaks
tie white heronB and eErets on tie fats, ant
the sMM;;;s,ators III the Hye1-causing great OK
element among tho newcomers, aud . gen
e1al discharge Of rifles fru:n the upper dccks
most Of the bullets Of these raW sPortsmet
glancing harmless1y from the n1aileta hues @
the great eaurian as he founders into tii
stream. Above palstka the settlements arr
few-A landing every half dozen miles, with I
single house and store, perhaps = Post Office
for the river is tho only highway, and these
in boat. On Lake Munroe, 100 uailes aboys
Pslatka, is Enterprise. where there is a large
hotel and store, and, perhaps. two or thres
houses, being the seat OF ouch justice as IL tc
be found in Folusis County. There Is prpba'
bly, Court House, but it Is not visihle to the
is Aellouyiue, town OF similar size, viz, q
boarding-house and store. This place is moi
called Tor the refreshing fruit Of the same
namo. as supposed BY tho ignorant, but i
named for i Captain Mellon, Of the army,
killed hers By the seminoles in a attack upon
fort which he commanded in 1885.
The principal attraction 1t Enterprise Ia the
"Blue Spring." about = mile sway in the
woods. This ia about eighty feet in diameter,
and fifty deep; the water impregnAted e]ight'y
With sulphur, and Of the temperature OF 75o.
From it runs good -sizcd brook, and the peo
l In 1nA kAtN tNa in $ho fnr t.n1S
to be useful. To haye1-stained tourists liks
myself, it might well be 80.
Enterprise and Brpck'a Hotel is the farthes
point reached by three fourths Of the F1orid,
travellers, but, as you will see,w wefo capable
Of greater things. NJ friend and hired l
wagon to take US acroas the countryto Smyrna
Oh the Hllsboro' River, which WIS weary pill
g1inage OF thirty five miles through the pines
! consuming ten hours, en1ivenea by the fee
qucnt exndfy and the occasionM Turkey
bnzzard. The coast Of Flosids is bosdered b:
salt bays, or iDlets from the ocean, HepaEate'
from it By narrow sand bcsch, covered with
scrub palmetto. These Aro called tho Matan
z2s, the Halifax, the Hiltsboro, and the Indial
Rivers. On the H1lsbo.o stands New Smyrna
3 town Of half dozen houses now, though
persons. 1t WAS the site Of the famous Turn
bull colony, the story Of which NAY be foun
; in any history Of Florida VIC found then
one Of the most comfortable boarding-housc
that We had ever seen, with the best table i
F1o5aaGSepjssoP s ~ gd d tq5ssy a1ss s: oystsTt
food So, Ike the lotus-eatezs, ne fingered :
Smy1na, the world forgetting, By the worl
forgot. After three weeks, having had hshin
enough catching sheepshesd and bass to til
amount Of 60 or 10 pounds day-we hired
: .nd started Tor tho Indian River Il
let 125 miles south of SmyEns
, Down Indian Rtv.r We eailed, with fre
wind, to Turtle Mound, fourteen miles. his
I mound composed wholly Of oyster she'll
Florida rivers. say structures, because ii
9 evidently artificial, though By whom built ne
body knows. It is S0o feet long, 100 wide, Al
from 10 to 40 feet high. The shells haro a
. been opened, as the mark Of the knife {
other tool can be eeen. Among these shel
q are found the bones Of deer, cowE, fish, etc
a together With some ashes and charcoal. So
would acem to have been the grand feastiu
= place for tho tribe, and it must have been use
= long time ago, ns the mound is covered Wit
coat Of mould, upon which Ercws thick
y Of trees and shrubs. These shell bluffs ar
- being sometimes composed Of oysters, rom
- times at the round clam, and On tho ST. John
q River OF fresh water aheils- Five miles beyon
1t we came to the canl which connects 4
!, Hillsboro' and Indian Rivera This is q
yards long, IL feet wide, and u deep, cut I.
j. the most patt through the soft ooqoiva roc
on which 10 much Of F1orida rests. This rot
= is = conglomeratc Of s1nAn shells. The can
1t WIS made fifteen years ago BY the Cnitt
). States Government, and, having only one TO-
d Of y,tef in it usually, can only be @ 1ssd ( {
= been done On tho coast, and much blockat
running during the war, for which the can
ia offered facilities Three miles from thi
r on 1ndian River, is ! famous orange gro
d belonging to Captain Dumnett- 1t eontail
fAn .At fHrt
I crops, but haa htely been nearly ruined BY Il
n insect, 4 sort Of bark louise, which has done
II much damage IN Florida. Tho grove look
r. as il FIRE had passed through it, md seem
dead, but the proprietor told me- that J
K thcnght It would revive, and besr fruit aSai
u At this grove We made our first camp.
- place Of the spruce boughs Of the Northe
j. woods, We took the palmeitoleayea, andspEe
h them upon the ground in our tent; upon the
ia We placed our blankets, making clean .
II elastic bed Our guide would Wsde into t
"a river: and, with casting net in ten roin1t
10 would procure 6ah enough to last us the d.
e There were plenty OF ducks, also, for the eho'
ing, and our dog was sure to kill one OF +
l. coons or 'poesums every night As We SIX
~ close to the river, in which arc plenty q a
II Il one Of these mousters should invade
uuartc1s in the night 4 gresteE dane
i, Is from enakes, the rattlesnAke and tho nj
ID I casin abounding in these parts in suu'n
1v though N winter toey GO nok t1Afe1 ntus
y We found the dAyb warn-theTmomete1 ab<
~ Csc to 75e ut noon-but the mercury wo'
40 ian 1t night to 45e or SO making fro An
blanket comfortable. So We ran along Wit
fair wind, about thirty miles day. and tou
ou,seiyes, On the fourth, 1t Fnrt Capzon, 4
poeite Indian River Inlet: Thate We cauI
nd 6shed three daya, catching many kinds
bs dsh eone Of lazge aize, and al
q. good quality for The 3 taSle: Fott ;,9l'' caP,
\ r,osf ono q that chain OF poets which rcacs
- @ te1oes he peninsula, and we1e intended
:. crnrd the Indians down south to Cape Flofl
Il ms policy vonid hare succeeded With
es CIVILIZED foe, bat the Sern'no1ea laughed
- l Cn~.-,t Sco1t1a strategy. 1urked about