Gainesville in Alachua County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Alachua Sink

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, November 13, 2018

1. Alachua Sink Marker

Inscription. The Alachua Sink, a named likely derived from the Potano word meaning “jug,” is the deepest of Paynes Prairie’s sinkholes and acts as a conduit for water entering the Floridan aquifer at a rate of up to 6 million gallons per day. Sinkholes have altered the landscape of this area, dry to wet to dry, affecting human activities dating back approximately 12,000 years. The largest cattle operation in Spanish Florida, Hacienda De La Chua, operated near this site in the late 1600s. William Bartram described the Alachua Sink during his time on the Great Savannah in 1774, when the prairie was occupied by Seminoles. During the 1870-80s the prairie was flooded and the sink was a landing site for steamboats, where cargo could be loaded onto the Florida Southern Railway, until Alachua Lake suddenly drained in 1892. The State purchased this area in 1970, and in 1971 it became the first State Preserve.

Colonial Dames XVII Century
Abraham Venable I Chapter
Gainesville, Florida
2017

Erected 2017 by Colonial Dames XVII Century, Abraham Venable I Chapter, Gainesville, Florida.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Native Americans

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• Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the The Colonial Dames XVII Century, National Society series list.

Location. 29° 36.409′ N, 82° 18.173′ W. Marker is in Gainesville, Florida, in Alachua County. Marker can be reached from Southeast 15th Street (Camp Ranch Road), 0.4 miles south of Southeast 41st Avenue when traveling south. Marker, and subject Alachua Sink, are located on the La Chua Trail, in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, 1/4 mile south (by foot only) of the La Chua Trailhead. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4270 Southeast 15th Street, Gainesville FL 32641, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Living Links to Florida's Past (within shouting distance of this marker); A Cattle Economy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Trains Rumbled Overhead (about 700 feet away); Gainesville’s Only Artesian Spring (approx. one mile away); Boulware Springs Water Works Building (approx. one mile away); Jesse Johnson Finley

Alachua Sink Marker (<i>tall view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, November 13, 2018

2. Alachua Sink Marker (tall view)

(approx. 1.6 miles away); Evergreen Cemetery (approx. 1.9 miles away); Serenola Plantation (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gainesville.

Also see . . .
1. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. The Paynes Prairie basin's primary source of drainage is Alachua Sink. During occasional wet periods, the basin will become full. A notable period occurred from 1871 to 1891 when the Alachua Sink was temporarily blocked. During this period, shallow draft steamboats were a frequent sight on Alachua Lake in the center of the prairie. (Submitted on November 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. La Chua Trail. Paynes Prairie is a massive landform in North Florida visited and written about by William Bartram in 1774, with an unusual twist for a prairie—it has a drain. That drain is called Alachua Sink, and every once in a while it clogs up, turning the prairie into a lake. In times of drought, water collects at this end of the prairie, as do the alligators. (Submitted on November 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Alachua Sink Marker (<i>wide view; La Chua Trail boardwalk in background; marker on right</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, November 13, 2018

3. Alachua Sink Marker (wide view; La Chua Trail boardwalk in background; marker on right)

Alachua Sink (<i>La Chua trail boardwalk in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, November 13, 2018

4. Alachua Sink (La Chua trail boardwalk in background)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, November 13, 2018

5. Alachua Sink (La Chua trail boardwalk in background)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 15, 2018. It was originally submitted on November 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,961 times since then and 306 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.