The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-04-30
THE SOURCE OF THE
OkLAWAHA RIVER


tairs, four miles east Of CleTmOnt.
Lake Apopka has been likened n
shape to a gourd; it is ten miles in
width and about twelve in length. But
as a gourd should have a neck, the
portion jutting into the highlands Is
called by the natives the gourd neck.
1t is about three-fourths Of a mile IN
width and a little less than two miles
in length, the land on the south and
west side of the neck rises abruptly
from the shore to 90 feet in height,
thence westerly for a mile to the base
of Mount Waters, which attains a
height of 125 feet, according to an OBJ
servation made by the county sur
veyor of Sumter county, taken in my
presence. This would give the alti-
tude of Mount Waters at about 200
feet above Lake Apopka, and as Lake
Apopka is 60 feet above sea level, it
doesn't look as if call Florida will
some day be submerged by a tidal
wave" an observation made to rs
frequently, some forty years ago, to
intimidate US from immigrating to
this state.
Lake Apopka of any considerable 6I- (
mersions; in fact, they are small and
few, and the question has often been
asked, "Where does the water come /
from to make such a large lake," and /
the usual answer is, From springs
scattered about in the lake unseen"
But visit to the gourd neck will suf-
fee to divulge the source of the .mys-
terious river" A great spring several
acres in extent washes the southern
shore of the neck, and sometimes with
| such force is the ebuIlition of the wa
tiers that a small boat will be driven
about in various directions. The cur
rent from the spring can be traced the
entire length of the lake to where It
enters the Apopka meadows and be-
comes river, flowing through a vast
stretch of sawgrass lands of 10000
acres in extent.
Many years ago an attempt was
maze by an organized company to re-
claim the meadows for speculative
purposes. The river through the area
from the lake to the mainland was
dredged, and other portions likewise,
and the big lake was said to have been
lowered three feet. A good many
acres of very rich land was reclaimed
and cultivated more or less with most
astounding results. We have cut al
falfa grown there, when in bloom,
that averaged six and seven feet in
length, but it had to be cut with a
sickle, as a fair breeze would blow
the grass to the ground and make it
impossible to cut it with a scythe, and
although the experiment of growing
it was successfully demonstrated, yet
it's commercial adaptability was de-
stroyed by the expense of garnering
it. We dare not mention the size of
vegetables we have seen grown on
, these lands for fear of compromising
our reputation for veracity. Suffice
it that this vast area of Everglades
> land (for it is similar to the Ever
glades) will some day be exploited by
the capitalist and another town be
born to Lake county.
When Tavares was in the hey-day
, of it's youth and bid fair to become
, famous for wealth and population
among other enterprises contemplate
: ed was big syrup and sugar manu-
, factory. It was demonstrated that at
the price of 40 cents per gallon, the
retail price of cane syrup at that
= time (now it is $3.50 per gallon, and
= even more) there was money in it.
S Stalks of sugar cane II and IA feet
t in length, grown on the reclaimed
!. Apopka meadows land, could be
;. brought from the meadows down the
river in fatboats> to Tavares-and he1
= citizens awaited the development OF
0 the splendid enterprise. But Dame
v Fortune had a daughter, Miss For,
tune, who stepped in and brought
- confusion and disaster to the inhabi-
, tants and-the Upper Oklawaha river
still awaits the capitalist who will see
: and appreciate the fine location u
Tavares, ready with its railroads tC
9. every point of the compass, transpor.
!. tation facilities unsurpassed.
n From the meadows the Oklawahs
|, passes through Lakes Carleton anC
Beauclair and entering Lake Dora OPP
- posite the beautiful town of Mount
v Dora, proceeds to expand into lovely
b 4 sheet of water from one to two miles
C in width and six miles in length. A
Tavares the river leaves the lake anc
= proceeds through a canal, so-called
u for about two miles and empties into
Y Lake Eustis. This canal was dredge(
r many years ago from the bed of tnt
e river in contemplation of making {
n ravigable stream for boats from Jack
- sonville. The canal was a success To-
5 few days only, an effort to get, tn,
Y steamer Wekiva of Jacksonville II
the canal proving abortive for NJ
= other reason than that the banks O.
l. the canal had not been walled up will
Il stone or concrete, or stockaded 4
/ keep the sandy banks from dissolvins
tt and flowing into the bed of the stream
d and bringing it up to its natural level
when it became too shallow for navi
= cation, except for very small craft.
:. ship canal anywhere across the stat
= would meet with the same difficult,
- The sand would constantly dissolv,
=, from the banks and flow into the bee
=. OF the stream, and some dredging
% company would have soft snap eter
palIv and avarIa IN, DIV II.c1cir0 orf