Exploring the Trails at Ichetucknee Springs State Park

Exploring An Old Phosphate Mine

When you think of Ichetucknee Springs State Park you may envision the beautiful springs there. But at the North Entrance of the park there are some neat historical trails you can explore. There are three different hiking trails. Blue Hole Trail: A half-mile walk through the Ichetucknee forest and cypress flood plain leads to Blue Hole Spring, the largest spring in the park. Trestle Point Trail: This shaded path winds along the crystal clear waters of the Ichetucknee River. The self-guided trail will take you back in time to the early 1900s, when phosphate ore was mined in the area. Pine Ridge Trail: A frequently overlooked area of the park is the majestic sandhill, with its towering longleaf pine and wide open vistas. View the natural diversity of this unique and vanishing ecosystem.

I particularly enjoyed the Trestle Point trail because of it's history. In the early 1900's they mined for phosphate in this area and you can still see evidence from that period as you walk along the old tram roads which are now part of the nature trail. I found large pits and even an old dragline shovel along the trail. I followed the trails towards the river and found the site where a small trestle used to cross. The phosphate would be hauled out of the mines across the river over the trestle. Here is some history I found on the area from the park website. "Phosphate mining in the park covered two major periods. Exploration mining began prior to the turn of the 20th century, consisting of mule and wheelbarrow-assisted excavation in nearby sinkholes and depressions. Later, the mine used boilers, pumps and steam shovels for ore extraction. A series of narrow-gauge railroads were installed to cart the ore out to local railroad lines. This early phase of mining was never as intrusive as our present-day methods, but many pits were left in the park and are still present today, especially around the Head Spring area. Another relic of the phosphate era is the series of 'tram beds' crisscrossing the park, left behind from the railroad conveyances."

If you plan on visiting the springs at the North entrance don't forget to check out these beautiful and historical trails!

Tram Road

Trestle Point (Where the Trestle Was)

Trails by the Mines

Old Dragline Shovel

My Videos
Old Dragline Bucket
Old Phosphate Mines
Old Tram Road
Trestle Point

Resources
Ichetucknee Springs State Park
Park History

Abandoned Railroad Trestle Over The Steinhatchee River

Abandoned Railroad Trestle

Florida has many abandoned railway tracks in the Suwannee River Valley. In the early 1900s freight and passenger steamships were replaced by trains that carried crops and timber and also made passenger stops in small towns such as Chiefland, Cross City, and Trenton. The Nature Coast Trail follows this historic route which is part of the old railroad. 

I wanted to see what remains I could find from this railway. So I followed a trail back to the Steinhatchee River north of Cross City. It is known as the Steinhatchee Conservation Area. This trail lead me to an abandoned railroad trestle dating back to the early 1900's. I traced the railroad line here on maps and it eventually connects into the Nature Coast Trail.

Abandoned Railroad Trestle Over Steinhatchee River

My Videos

Abandoned Railroad Trestle

Abandoned Railroad Trestle

Resources

Nature Coast Trail

Suwannee River Water Management District

Steinhatchee River

Relics of Suwannee Springs (Old Spring Water Well)

In Northern Florida along the Suwannee River is an area known as Suwannee Springs. You can visit the area and see the ruins from the old Suwannee Springs resort that was built in the late 1800's. One of the things I saw was the spring water well that the guests used. Back then it was in the center of the resort but today it's in the middle of a wooded area behind the spring where the water was pumped from. I saw old piping coming out of the ground near the well, part an old storage tank and another pit.

As I explored around the woods here I was taken back to a time to a busy resort where people traveled from all around the world to visit. Part of that experience comes from being able to still see remains throughout the area as you venture around. Below I posted a video and helpful links for this place.

Pit by The Well

My Videos
Spring Water Well Remains

Old Well

Resources - History
Suwannee Springs The Resort
Forgotton Suwannee Springs
Suwannee Springs

Old Well

Exploring Cumpressco in The Green Swamp

Trailhead

This is an interesting place to explore in the Green Swamp with lots of history. I've been covering various areas here to see what I can discover. On this adventure I hiked a forest road known as Cumpressco in the East Tract. This used to be an old railroad that went through the old town of Cumpressco. It's long gone and the town site is somewhere along this area. 

The dirt road goes on for miles so I hiked it from the trailhead several miles out and along the way I found railroad spikes embedded into the ground, a giant piece of steel by an area that I think used to be a stop along the railroad. Further down the same dirt road in the woods I found a few small abandoned cabins and I am not sure what they were used for or how old they are. 

I headed back to the trailhead once I was done checking out the cabins. It was a long walk back along the same dirt road I came in on. Surprisingly I found an old abandoned truck that I missed on the way in. It was in brush and I walked back to check it out.

I also saw a lot of wildlife on this hike and that always adds to the experience! I got to see a lot of alligators big ones and baby ones along the swamp. I saw a few deer, a couple of owls in the trees high above and even a bobcat. 

Each time I go this area to explore I come away with something different each time. It's history and beautiful wilderness always draw me back. I posted some photos and videos I did below along with some helpful links to help you find out more about this place. If you have any questions or some insights on this place please feel free to comment to below. 

My Videos

Small Cabins in The Green Swamp

Finding Small Abandoned Cabins in The Green Swamp

Abandoned Truck in The Green Swamp

Resources

Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve 

History of Compressco 

Green Swamp Interactive 

Abandoned Osceola Bank Vault

Osceola Bank Vault

I found this old bank vault from the ghost town of Osceola in Seminole County that once was existed here. In 1916 the Osceola Cypress Company built a large sawmill and a complete town here. The company and the town were named after the famous Seminole Indian Chief. Osceola covered 350 acres and had nice houses, a general store, bank, gas station, post office, school, and office buildings. The town was based around the sawmill which employed over 200 people and generated the town's electricity. In 1939 the Osceola Cypress Co. began moving its operations to Port Everglades. In 1940 the last residents moved out and this is all that remains.

Osceola Bank Vault

I am still trying to find an original photo of the vault that would be really fascinating to see. I posted my video and other useful links below. If you do visit this site please take care to leave it as you found it so that others may also experience this remaining piece of history for a long time to come.

My Video
Osceola Bank Vault

Resource
Florida Ghost Towns Site - Osceola

Map

Old Victory Bridge

Checking out The Old Victory Bridge

On banks of The Apalachicola River I found the ruins of the old Victory Bridge that was built in the 1920's. Just off of the new Victory Bridge crossing over the river are the remains of the old bridge. There are remains on both sides of the river on the border of Gadsden and Jackson Counties. On this visit I saw the ruins on the Jackson County side.

Modern Day Victory Bridge

Old Victory Bridge Built in 1922

Old Victory Bridge Built in 1922

Old Victory Bridge Built in 1922

Where the Bridge used to span The Apalachicola River

Link to Original Photo of Victory Bridge

My Video of Victory Bridge Ruins

Old Windmill in Withlacoochee State Forest

In the Withlacoochee State Forest near the River Trail area at Ridge Manor I found this old windmill. It was in an old pasture that runs by the Windmill Loop trail. Now I know where that trail got got it's name... 

Old Pioneer Windmill

This windmill could be from the early settlement once in this area called "Oriole" which was nearby the old town of "Croom" Both were pioneer towns in the mid to late 1800's up until the early 1900's before vanishing. These areas now located in the Withlacoochee State Forest contain some remains leftover from those places. 

This windmill seems to be sitting in what used to be a pasture, I saw old fence posts surrounding the area along with fallen remains from the windmill scattered about. You could spend a lot of time searching back here and who knows what you could find. It is finding things like this that will inspire you to learn about the history of these places and it adds another layer of adventure to your hikes! Comment if you would like to find out more.

Windmill Remains

My Videos

Old Windmill in Withlacoochee State Forest 1

Old Windmill in Withlacoochee State Forest 2

Tip

The River Trail can be found at the Ridge Manor Trailhead off of Croom Rital Rd.

Exploring Half Moon Wildlife Management Area

Entrance

On a recent hike in Half Moon Wildlife Management Area in Sumter County I found some very old graves back in the forest. It was quite the adventure finding them since I was unsure of the exact location. It took a lot of walking on trails and forest roads to finally reach the site. It is called "Alto Cemetery" Alto is one of the many communities that no longer exists in Sumter County. Located north of Rutland and west of Oxford near the Withlacoochee River, all that is left is a cemetery. It is believed that the community was settled around the 1870's.

Alto Cemetery

Along the way I found some interesting areas and saw a beautiful wilderness. Just off a forest road back there is the old site of the "McKinney Flatwoods" homestead. There is a sign nearby that tells about this history and who once lived there. Not much remains of the homestead just some debris laying about. Although it is still fascinating to look around and experience the history, I imagined what life what must have been like for the family. The family lived there from around 1916 to 1945 time frame. The McKinneys raised cattle until the combined effects of screw worms and World War II forced them to sell the land for watermelon and sod production.

McKinneys Homestead Site

The Carltons acquired the land in 1969 for cattle ranching; they used existing fields and converted sections of palmetto scrub to improved pasture. A hunting club also leased the area from the early 1980s until the state purchased the Carlton Half Moon Ranch in 1989 in an effort to help preserve the water quality of Withlacoochee and its tributaries. In May 1992, the then-Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission entered a lease agreement with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and an additional 4,021 acres were added to the management area.

I really enjoyed exploring this area I feel there is much left to discover so I look forward to returning. I posted a couple links below to help you find out more on this area. Be sure to check out my videos below as well from the some of the places I saw there. If you have any questions or would like to leave more information feel free to leave a comment.

Resources
Half Moon WMA
Half Moon-Gum Slough SWFMD
My Hike/Route

My Videos
Alto Cemetery
Alto Cemetery 2
McKinney Homestead Site
McKinney Homestead Site 2
Hiking in Half Moon

Davenport Historical Site in Ocala National Forest

Sign at Trail Entrance

One of my more memorable hikes was in the Ocala National Forest near Lake Delancy just north of the campground area is a short but neat historical trail known as Davenport Landing Historical Trail. It is several miles back off of Forest Road 74 from the main road S.R. 19. From the parking area you can access the trail and it leads to a former 19th century steamboat port, where riverboats headed up to Silver Springs would stop for fuel and supplies. Along the way, you'll learn about middens along the Ocklawaha River and encounter a Civil War-era gravesite if you look hard enough.

Ancient Indian Mound

The landing area contains an ancient mound site that is said to be dated from 500 to 1200 years old. Though humans have been present along the Ocklawaha River going back 12,000 years. The mound has a fence around it and it is meant for observation only. You'll notice the informative kiosks where you can read about some of the history. The mound was first excavated by Clarence B. Moore in 1894. He was an American archaeologist and writer. He is more commonly known as C.B. Moore. He studied and excavated Native American sites in the southeastern United States.

Informative Kiosk

Thomas Cassidy Fillyaw lived from 1830 - 1873 and is buried on the banks of the Ocklawaha River he was the Landing Master. He was a confederate soldier who survived the war and you'll find a lot of history on him and the landing at the kiosk.

This is one of my favorite areas to see because of the scenic wilderness and the rich history. Nearby is The Florida Trail and Lake Delancy. I also saw lots of wildlife while hiking in the area including a couple Florida Black Bears. Lots to see and learn about when you visit here! I posted some links and videos below if you have any questions or input on this place feel free to leave a comment.

My Videos

Lone Civil War Soldier Gravesite at Davenport Landing

Historical Davenport Landing

Davenport Historical Trail in Ocala National Forest


Resources

Ocala National Forest - Davenport Landing Trail

Florida Hikes! Davenport Landing Trail

View My Hike/Route

Thomas Cassidy Fillyaw