Introduction

The St. Johns was formed approximately 100,000 years ago after land rose along the coast and trapped a portion of the sea inland. However, the river did not take on its current form until only about 5,000-7,500 years ago, after the sea began to rise at the end of the last ice age. The hydrological cycle of the arid peninsula was transformed, resulting in rains that fed the surface flow of the St. Johns and its underground springs.

The Timucua

Before the arrival of Europeans to Florida, Native American groups, including the Timucua, had called the river home for thousands of years.

Tick Island

Some of the earliest pottery ever uncovered in North America was discovered on Tick Island, in the river near DeLeon Springs. The pottery, burials and clay sculptures all show that a fairly complex society existed on the island about 6,000 years ago.

River of Currents

The St. Johns was the gateway for early explorers, settlers, and visitors into Florida and the first great river in North America to be explored and settled by Europeans. Spanish seamen first mapped the St. Johns River in the early 1500’s and called the river Rio de Corrientes, River of Currents.

1562-Fort Caroline

The French established the first outpost on the River called Fort Caroline in 1562, 50 years before the first English settlement in Jamestown, VA. The French called the river Rivière du Mai, River of May, because they arrived there on May.

1565-Spanish Soldiers March North

In 1565, Spanish soldiers marched north from St. Augustine and captured Ft. Caroline. They re-named the river San Mateo to honor a saint whose feast followed the day of the capture.

1591-First Glimpse

In 1591, Theodore de Bry’s engravings of Jacques Le Moyne’s art were published in England, giving the world the first glimpse of the native people of the St. Johns.

1763-Bartram Arrives

Not long after England acquired Florida in 1763, King George III sent botanist John Bartram and his son, William, to explore Florida. William Bartram published his book, Travels, in 1791 that described his journeys along the St. Johns River. In 1765, William Bartram wrote of the stretch of the river in what is now the Ocala National Forest. "...blessed land where the gods have amassed into one heap all the flowering plants, birds, fish and other wildlife of two continents in order to turn the rushing streams, the silent lake shores and the awe-abiding woodlands of this mysterious land into a true garden of Eden."

1803 – 1821 Kingsley Plantation

Zephaniah Kingsley established plantations along the St. Johns between 1803 – 1821 at Drayton’s Island, Laurel Grove (now Orange Park), and Fort George Island. Kingsley was a maritime merchant, shipbuilder, and slave owner who married an African princess, Anna Madgigaine Jai Kingsley, and prided himself on his egalitarian treatment of his slaves. In 1812, Kingsley and other landowners along the St. Johns became involved in the Patriot War, an attempt by expansionists in the United States to take over Florida from the Spanish. In July of 1812, Kingsley hosted a legislative council at Laurel Grove that established the goal of acquiring the East Florida Territory and giving it to the United States.

1836-1841Seminole Indian Wars

During the Seminole Indian Wars (1836-1841), the river was used to transport troops and supplies for the United States government. Several forts were built along the St. Johns River, including Fort Shannon in Palatka, Fort Kingsbury and Fort Mellon, which were built along Lake Monroe, and Fort Heilman that was built at the forks of Black Creek in 1836.

1854-Brock House on the North shore of Lake Monroe Opens

Jacob Brock, an entrepreneurial steamboat captain, completed and opened the Brock House on the north shore of Lake Monroe in the small, then newly developed community of Enterprise. Brock House was one of the most opulent spring resorts along the river, and the last "luxury" hotel for those traveling upstream on the St Johns. Expanding to Enterprise, Brock operated the first regularly-scheduled service from Jacksonville to Palatka. Through the 1870s, this 2 ½ story, 50-room hotel was the most famed in the state, with visits from Homer Winslow (who rendered a number of water colors from the river during his visits), William Morris Hunt, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Frederick deBary, The Vanderbilt Family, and William Sherman to name a few.

1859-The St. Johns River Lighthouse

The St. Johns River Lighthouse was built in 1859 and was the third lighthouse built at the entrance to the St. Johns River. Previous lighthouses were built in 1830 and 1833. The lighthouse is located on what is today the Mayport Naval Air Station.

1860-Tourists Flock to Silver Springs

In 1860, steamboats to Silver Springs had tourists flocking to see the crystal-clear waters that had attracted attention for centuries. Beginning in the late 1870s, glass-bottom boat rides were introduced as well. Over the years, it developed into “Nature’s Theme Park” and offered even more attractions. It has also been the backdrop for many movies, television shows, and commercials.

1862-Memphis Sunk in Dunns Creek

One of the most famous schooners in American history, America, was purchased by a British captain, re-named the Memphis, and served as a Confederate blockade-runner during the Civil War. In January of 1862, the Memphis was sunk by her Confederate crew in Dunns Creek near Crescent Lake to keep her from falling into Union hands. The Union Navy found the ship, raised and renamed her America, and used her in the blockade line.

1864-Intense Fighting on The St. Johns

During the Civil War, the river was the scene of intense fighting. In 1864, more than twelve ships were sunk in its waters. One of those ships, the Maple Leaf, was sunk just offshore of Mandarin Point in Jacksonville by a Confederate mine. The luxury steamer was pressed into service as a supply ship and contained supplies for three Union regiments. The Maple Leaf was discovered in 1984 by an expedition team under 20 feet of water and 7 feet of mud.

1867-Harriet Beecher Stowe

In 1867, Harriet Beecher Stowe and her husband establish a winter home in Mandarin along the St. Johns River. In 1872, Stowe published “Palmetto Leaves” that included stories about the river, like the one about her picnic on Julington Creek.

1875-Jefferies Wyman published his study; "Fresh-water Shell Mounds of the St. Johns River, Florida."

Acclaimed archaeologist Jefferies Wyman published his study; "Fresh-water Shell Mounds of the St. Johns River, Florida." Wyman examined midden mounds throughout the entire river system, ending at the southerly "Bear Midden" south of Puzzle Lake, near Cone Lake (near present day Highway 50). Wyman was distinguished for being the first scientist to understand that the shell mounds were human made, and not the result of natural events.

1884-Water Hyacinths Introduced

In 1884, Mrs. W.F. Fuller obtained samples of the South American plant, the water hyacinth, at the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans and planted them along the shore of her home on the St. Johns River. Within a decade, the water hyacinths covered an estimated 50 million acres of the river and its tributaries. Left uncontrolled in North American waters, water hyacinths can cover lakes and ponds, starving them of oxygen and thus killing fish and other organisms.

1885-Steamboat Lines Establish Jacksonville as a Major Port City

After the Civil War, the St. Johns River became a popular tourist destination for northerners who visited to tour the river and its tributaries aboard steamboats. By 1885, seven steamboat lines operated out of Palatka, rivaling Jacksonville as one of the major port cities along the St. Johns River. Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant took farewell voyages on steamboats down the St. Johns, and President Grover Cleveland enjoyed a steamboat trip after attending the Subtropical Exposition in Jacksonville in 1888.

1917-Drainage Impacts The St. Johns

In 1917, the Fellsmere Tribune announced "the close of the greatest and most complete drainage proposition in Florida." The Fellsmere Farms Company had begun its massive land development project that planned to drain 118,000 acres of land at the headwaters of the St. Johns River in 1911. By the time the project had ended, 33 miles of levies had been constructed, and 67 miles of canals and 215 miles of drainage ditches had been dug.

1920s Woodland Park

During the 1920s, one of the original tourist attractions along the St Johns River closed its doors forever. Woodland Park, a water-themed park for steamboat travelers was built and operated along the southwest bank of Lake Monroe in the late 19th century. A large swimming pool was constructed of "tabby" using shells from the middens left there by Native Americans. An artesian well filled the pool every day, and was emptied each night. Abandoned due to competition with the growing tourism sites elsewhere, remains of the park can still be found at its original site. A historic plaque on the grounds of the Central Florida Zoological Park commemorates Woodland Park, but visitors are not encouraged to actually look for the site.

1921-Bridge Building Begins

The first of seven automobile bridges in Jacksonville over the St. Johns was built in 1921. This bridge was originally called the St. Johns River Bridge and later became known as the Acosta Bridge

1935 -Construction of Cross Florida Barge Canal Begins

Construction began in 1935 on the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Construction continued on and off until 1991 when it was officially cancelled and the land became a protected greenbelt: The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway.

1942-Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book, Cross Creek Published

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book, Cross Creek, was published in 1942 and devoted most of one chapter about the St. Johns River, including: "If I could have, to hold forever, one brief place of time and beauty, I think I might choose the night on the high lonely bank above the St. Johns River.”

1955-Hontoon Totem Discovered

During the digging of a canal near Hontoon Island in 1955, an owl totem was uncovered. In 1978, a pelican and otter totem were discovered while an underwater utility cable was being repaired. These totems are the only North American totems found outside the Pacific Northwest. They had been protected from rot by the river mud.

1971-Jacques Cousteau Attracts National Spotlight on The St. Johns

In 1971, Jacques Cousteau made a documentary film about manatees at Blue Springs on the St. Johns River, a major winter habitat for the marine mammals. The film, "The Forgotten Mermaids," put an international spotlight on the plight of manatees and galvanized the State's purchase of Blue Springs and several hundred acres of land near the river.

1988-Upper St. Johns River Restoration Begins

In 1988, ten years after planning started, the St. Johns River Water Management District and the Army Corps of Engineers began restoration of 150,000 acres of the Upper St. Johns River through land acquisition and by plugging drainage canals and building reservoirs. These actions provided flood control while also restoring the sheet flow of water through the river's headwaters and became a model for Everglades restoration.

1998-St. Johns River Designated an American Heritage River

In 1998, the St. Johns River was designated an American Heritage River by President Clinton. The St. Johns is the only river in Florida and one of only 14 rivers in the entire United States to receive this prestigious national recognition.

1999-St. Johns Riverkeeper Chartered

St. Johns Riverkeeper was chartered in 1999 and hired its first Riverkeeper in 2001

Source Information

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