Old Van in The Woods at Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area

Recently I explored some of Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area. You can roam many miles of trails and see all kinds of neat sites there. One of the most interesting things I saw was an old "Harvester Metro Van" rusting away in the woods. I am not positive if it is that kind of van but looks like it based on other pictures I've seen. It must have been abandoned sometime ago, my best guess is it could be from the 1940's or so but am unsure.

Old Harvester Metro Van

When I found the van I looked around the area and wondered how could this get here out in the middle of the woods? Who drove it and what's the story behind it? I had walked in on an old road by this old ranch site called "Taylor Creek Ranch". The ranch was here going back to at least the 1940's and maybe the van was left there from that time to rust away in the woods. I am unclear but it's mysteries like these that inspire me to learn more about these places.

Taylor Creek Ranch Remains

I posted a couple of my videos

below and a some very informative websites on this place that were very helpful for me when exploring this place. I ask that if you find sites like these that you please leave things as you see them. I find it just as rewarding to take photos and videos rather than artifacts. I always keep in mind that once things like this are gone, they are gone forever. I was very happy to see what was left of this old van in the woods...

My Videos

Old Van in Tosohatchee WMA

Old Van in The Woods

Resources

Florida Hikes and Other Outdoor Information

Out in The Boonies

Tosohatchee and The Florida Trail

Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area

Old Car in The Woods

I found this old car in the woods while hiking at Charles H. Bronson State Forest. This is a vast area to explore and finding this car was a great adventure! I walked a good ways through pasture lands until I eventually reached a small wooded area where I saw this old car. It appears to have been rusting away here for quite sometime.

My Video

Old Car in The Woods

Links

Florida Hikes and Other Outdoor Information

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

A Refreshing Dip in Itchetucknee Springs

Itchetucknee Springs

Nothing like taking a refreshing dip in a Florida Spring after a long hike in the heat on a Florida summer day! It is a perfect way to cool off, relax and reflect back upon the day's journey.

One of my favorite springs to visit is in Itchetucknee Springs State Park in Fort White, Florida. It has a couple springs you can swim in plus you can canoe and kayak down the Itchetucknee River. The Ichetucknee River flows six miles through shaded hammocks and wetlands before it joins the Santa Fe River. In 1972, the head spring of the river was declared a National Natural Landmark, and today the upper river remains Florida’s most pristine spring-fed river.

This is just one of many springs you can visit around Florida and many having hiking trails nearby as well. I posted some links to help you learn more and some of my videos I did while swimming in the springs there, enjoy!

Resources

Florida Springs

Itchetucknee Springs State Park

History of the Area

My Videos

Swimming Around at Itchetucknee Springs

Blue Hole Spring at Itchetucknee Springs

Snorkeling at Itchetucknee Springs State Park

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