The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-09-18

o. more than "A hundred lakes within the bnr.
ters OF Leon county there is one notable above
o;hcr>-not because of lis extent, for though
lairI* il is not the largest-but because of the
bea':i OF IT'S scenery, and that it is near the Cap
ital tiiy. over such "A road as should be opened.
t1e carriage of the eXcursionist or Sportsman
might put him beside steamer on Lake Jack
SON III half hour of easy driving after leaving
Tai ahassee. Embracing, he would have before
him IL voyage of more than twenty-five miles il
Inc followed the bends of the shores around 10
his point ot departure, and his progress would
constantly bring i'll view beauties of scenery and
o5nt.is 0! interest. At one time he would float
under the shadow of bold headland, and again
hcsi@r an eXpanse OF meadow over which the
prospect opens 10 distant hills; near the shore
be would see Indian mounds $50 called. but
deemed the work of prehistoric race) and,
crDMning noble heights, the homesteads on the
broad old plantations would come in view At
one time he would glide through wide water
fields OF lotus plants, gay with the gorgeous
flowers, the resort of innumerabe ducks in sea-
son, and peopled the year round with aquatic
fowl, AT another, over waters fifteen feet deep,
shore, and noted for quantity and quality OF fish.
The "lligators would pause briefly to look at bis
strange craft, and swim away in fright, and the
fowl rise in terror to wing their way TO other
feeding grounds on the lake
such would he the sights seen, and any one
can see them as this writer saw them one day
aSi week, Tor the steamer is there already and
ready--Captain f. w. Clark's beautiful little pro-
pellcr : Jennie Rosie" swift, safe and comiorta-
hic-the first eam-boat ever on the lake. En-
barking at the landing on the beach of Mr. H. Y
X. Shrader's fine place near the southeast end OF
HE lake we had opposite to us on the western
shore The wide lands of Mr. John s. Winthrop,
and the PROV of the steamer was turned north
ward, She main objective point being the Gov
rrnor Call plantation, where, from the porch of
he homestead mansion, the spires of Tallahassee
me visible, ten miles distant The western and
the eastern shores were alike picturesque and
the eye was teasted as we ran past the plan,s-
lions ON the west of Mrs Rachel Lewis, (daugh-
ter nt General Robert Butler, who was buried on
the place., of Messrs. Pervis & Clark, johnson,
Roberts, Mrs. Caldwell, Mrs. Mary Call Brevard
and Mrs Ellen Call Long and on the east the
extensive McCulloch purchase, Wilson POpe's,
Mrs. Elizabeth Coltcn's. II. S. Williams, Ed A.
Ora Affords and H. G. Dickerson's on the north
These ale all rich lands some of them being
rlassed bale To an acre, and portions of all the
properties are cultivated to the waters edge
The principal business of the expedition was
10 obtain a specimen quantity of shell mari for
'hr Louisville Exposition, and r. G. Long, Esq,
guided It's to an apparently nexhaustible deposit
on the plantation of his grandfather, Governor
Call This mari is chiefly, if not entirely con
stlfuted 1T oyster shells, many Of them retaining
ihrir complete FORMS though so friabe as to be
readily crushed by The fingers. Near the mari de-
post Mr. Long, whose hoyhood was passed on
his Irandf'thcr's place, pointed out one of the
snbicrranean outlets of the lake, which was
closed some twenty years ago. causing the rise oil
the lake to its present level and the overflow OF
about fifteen hundred acres of low land From
the Call place Mr. Long acted as pilot through
The parrows into the northern basin of the lake.
Il deep eXpanse of water, of which the further
beach is more Than twelve miles from Tallahas-
see Captain Clark now knows the lake, and
can drive his swift and elegant little steamer st
top speed through all the channels of the twenty
five miles OF voyaging they afford 1t is safe TO
the lavogite recreation of visitors to this section
But the road fiom the city TO the lake must he
improved.