The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-06-02
ocALA TO THE FORE

winter tourist or intending immi
grant, hence must move along in a
groove that means very slow, if any,
development.
But the invention of the automobile
and the building of hard surface
roads have worked a wonderful revo-
luton, and the old things have passed
away, and all things have become
new.
How is it now? Let's do little fig
uring:
Silver Spring, less than ten min
utes distant
Blue Spring, less than one hour
Orange Spring, the same.
Salt Spring, the same.
| Lake Weir, the same.
Orange Lake, the same.
The Oklawaha river, fifteen min
utes.
The Withlacoochee river, one hour.
What's the history of these places?
More encomiums have been placed
on the brow of Silver Spring, so to
speak, than on any other body of wa
ter in existence.
Poets, painters and novelists have
all sung its praises, and passing from
the foam of poetry to the handbook
of reality, Judge Lester Warner has
demonstrated, and has the goods to
prove it, that as a fishing resort no
other place in Florida is comparable
to it.
Except as to it's depths, Blue Spring
is it's duplicate. The boating and the
bathing is just the same, and it's
clear, translucent waters are the same
as those of Silver Spring; they ira
verse several miles before comming-
ling with the turgid waters of the
Withlacoochee, the same as Silver
Springs does before commingling
with those of the somber depths of
the Oklawaha
Blue Spring, being nearer the gulf
than Silver Spring is to the Atlantic,
is the rendezvous of a large number
of the finny inhabitants of the Mexic
sea.
In the olden time Blue Spring was
famous camping ground for both
fishermen and hunters, and while the
deer, bear, turkey and other game are
less plentiful now than then, the fish
remain undepleted.
So likewise, in the olden time, Or
ange Spring had as widespread rep
utation as a pleasure and health re-
sort as the White Sulphur Spring, on
the Suwannee. Planters and others
| f1ocked there from all sections of the
country, and besides the enjoyments
of social festivities, the tales told of
| marvellous cures, where rheumatics
threw away their crutches, and dys-
peptics, in the digestion of food pro-
ducts, became as so many ostriches,
were rehearsed for many miles
around, and no ReXall advertisement
was ever written with more sincerity.
Salt Spring attracted more atten-
ton when Florida was a territory
than any other portion of it. 1t was
predicted that it would become one
of the important places in the state,
and railroad was surveyed to it be-
fore Ocala was founded, or the terri
Atory was admitted into the Union as
state.
If somewhere else it's waters would
become as famous as those of Baden
Baden for the cure of diseases. The
story of the cures of those waters is
simply wonderful Men and women
have been taken there on couches
and brought back in a few months
with the bloom of health restored to
the cheeks and the lithesomeness OF
youth to the limbs.
Senator Carney says that he camp
ed there for a fortnight Digestion all
gone. and in week felt like digest
ing brickbats or canned meats.
Lake Weir is acknowledged to be
} the prettiest lake in Florida II
charms the eye of every beholder, and
in a little while every building lot
around its shores will be occupied
and it will become to Ocala what Co
ney Island is to New York
Orange Lake is noted for its pretty
homes and its wonderful orange
groves. In former times it's entire
south shore was covered with a thick
growth of wild orange trees, and it
was the fisherman's and sportsman's
paradise
The Oklawaha river is known all
over the continent for its wierd and
picturesque beauty. and the Withla-
coochee river is noted for it's phos-
plate plants and electrical generating
power, destined to make it famous.
Situated in the very center of these
attractions and hard roads leading to