The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-04-06
JACKSONVILLE
AND the REUNION
Veterans viii Find a Modern,
Progressive City
Many Points Of Historic Interest TIC
Be Visited BY Survivors Of Gray
Army During Week

| union, they Will be introduced 10 C!tN
and community, proud OF the present
| and loyal to the ideals OF the old South
| Making Jacksonville the hub OF a
wheel twenty-five miles in diameter,
a territory is covered rich in historic
associations and interest and at the
same time a fit exponent OF all that
is progressive in the Southern States.
Jacksonville is a city OF $4,000 popu,
laton, with handsome business blocks,
| modern skysCrapers, Commodious ho,
tells and residence sections that com
pare fayOrably with the best in the
country. The city's business has
grown into large proportions. embrac'
| ing every line known TO modern
| city. Jacksonville of to-day is in all
respects a thriving center Of trade
and commerce. much of its commerce
going across the seas into foreign
countries on ocean steamships. Its
transportation facilities are superb.
both by rail and water. Railroads
feeding the great Florida Peninsula
center here Thousands of tourists
and uncounted tons OF freight pass
through the city and port every year,
the one hunting health and pleasure,
the other scattering out over the civil
lied world to do its part in supplying
the demands of the consumers of the
earth
And while the visitors are ENJOYING
this view and prospect Of modern
business and community thrift, they
will be given an opportunity to look
down the past three hupdred and fifty
years. All of this territory was in dis
pute three and half centuries ago
between the French and Spanish. with
the wild Indian holding the balance of
power between the combatants The
Frenchman and the Spaniard both laid
claim to the Florida territory. Which
was first to discover il is a matter
over which historians differ, but II is
well authenticated that the first white
men TO set foot upon the soil now COW
cred by Jacksonville were Frenchmen
under Rene Laudonnere.
The first white man to enter the
} mouth of the St Johns river was
Jean Ribault, in command of com
pany of Huguenots. who had left
France because Of religious persecu-
tions He made his landing on May
!. 1862. fifty years after the landing
of Ponce de Leon at a point to the
south of Jacksonville Some histori-
ans are Of the opinion that Ponce de
Leon sailed as far north as the mouth
OF the St. Johns, but the weight of
evidence is against this opinion II
he were here he left no trace The
evidence is that he did not travel in
a direction from his original landing
that would have brought him to the
vicinity of Jacksonville. II is thor
oughly established that Ribault en-
tered the mouth Of the st Johns river
May l. 1862, and sailed up the river
some miles to bluff, where he erect
ed a stone column on which was in.
scribed the arms of France. But Ri
bault did not ascend the river as high
as Jacksonville He went from the
mouth of the river to Port ROYAL, S. &
In 1867 one year after the depar
ture Of Ribault. Rene I.audonnere.
who had been with Ribault on the
first expedition. came to the mouth of
the st. Johns with another colony OF
Huguenots, and ascended the river as
far AS the present site of Jacksonville.
camping probably on the south side OF
the river on territory now covered
by South Jacksonville. These were
the first white men to penetrate the
country above the mouth of the river
In honor of the day Of discovery. May
/, Rlbaut gave the river the name Of
May, and this stood until the Span
iards whipped out the French. some
years later. The SpaniarGs called it
the River San Mateo at first, but later
changed It's name to San Juan. From
this 1t finally became the St Johns |
Oid Fort Caroline was situated at ST |
Johns bluff some miles below the
city of Jacksonville. No sign of this .
historic fort remains. not even slab .
to commemorate its mournul story.
A'hl 'hb blt 4tuulbfs ENttUlDtAt eA- I.
curSions viii be run to all these points
OF historic interest ON the 81 Johns
river. IT IS but twenty-seven miles
from Jacksonville to the mouth Of the
st. Johns, where the government has /.
with the aid of Jackson Il
Vile. aud the State Of Florida. a sys-
TEN or letties. deepened the water on
the bar aud otherwise protected nay!
cation. In passing between Jackson
vile and the jettes. the visitor will
have no Trouble locating the sites Of
Did forts thdt were erected nearly four
hundred years ago by the French and
Spanish. The trip is one OF the most
iellghttul IN the Southern States.
While Jacksonville has not adver. .
Used itself as a large manufacturing
,ity. of recent years many large indus
rial plants have been established. Civ
ug employ ment TO 5000 wage-earncrs |