Near Ocala in Marion County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Landbridge West
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, February 12, 2021
1. Landbridge West Marker
Transforming the Land — Twice!
The land you're standing on was once part of a major engineering feat. Men and machines toiled to move about 13 million cubic yards of dirt. They were building the sea level Atlantic-Gulf Ship Canal. The men made $7.80 a week — good money in 1935. A rowdy entertainment district grew in Ocala, where workers drank and mingled before the next day of digging.
Now the area is undergoing another transformation. Florida Park Service staff are restoring 1,000 acres of scrub habitat. Where workers once scraped the soil, now Florida Park Service staff remove invasive species and mimic natural processes. Native plants and animals return as the habitat is restored.
Hooray for the Florida Scrub-Jay
Driven away by habitat loss, Florida scrub-jays now flourish here. This is the only bird species that lives nowhere else but Florida. Scrub-jays don't migrate and rarely move more than a few miles from where they hatched, so their habitat is crucial. In 2004, the Florida Park Service began restoring scrub on the greenway. Within a decade, scrub-jay populations quadrupled.
Erected by Florida State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals •
this page online
Location. 29° 3.093′ N, 82° 10.18′ W. Marker is near Ocala, Florida, in Marion County. Marker is on Florida Trail, 1.4 miles west of SW 16th Avenue, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located on the west side of the Cross Florida Greenway I-75 Land Bridge, about 1.4 miles southwest of the Land Bridge Trailhead. The Land Bridge Trailhead is located at 11100 SW 16th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ocala FL 34476, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (here, next to this marker); Landbridge East (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Canal Landfill (approx. 2.2 miles away); Florida Honors and Remembers our POW’s and MIA’s (approx. 3.2 miles away); Shangri-La Diggings (approx. 4.3 miles away); History: Cows & Horses (approx. 6 miles away); History: Monkeys & Boars (approx. 6 miles away); Cat Face (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ocala.
More about this marker. Access to the marker is via foot, bicycle or
Courtesy Jacksonville Public Library Special Collections
2. Marker detail: Steam Shovel
In the distance, you can see an early excavator called a steam shovel. Equipment like this helped a force of 8,000 people build the ship canal.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
Also see . . .
1. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. One of the nation's largest incomplete public works projects has been transformed into the diverse Cross Florida Greenway, spanning Central Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the St. Johns River. (Submitted on February 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The Florida scrub-jay is a loyal and social Florida native. As the state’s human population has grown, development has increased and the scrub-jays’ choice habitat has become more limited. A scrub-jay family’s permanent territory averages about 22 to 24 acres, which makes it challenging for young birds to find suitable space for a family. (Submitted on February 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Marker detail: Juvenile Scrub-jays
Juvenile scrub-jays perch in a sand live oak tree. Scrub-jays form family groups that help raise young and find food together.
Courtesy Florida Fish and Wildlife
4. Marker detail: Studying Scrub Jays
To study Florida scrub-jays, scientists catch them and place a series of small identification bands on their legs. That way, we can tell which bird is which.
5. Marker detail: Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway sits on land purchased in the 20th century for a shipping canal across the state. The prolonged political struggle over the canal shows how dreams of progress and preservation shaped Florida.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, February 12, 2021
6. Landbridge West Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 176 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 12, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
