Near Ocala in Marion County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, February 12, 2021
1. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway Marker
Where Progress Meets Preservation
Imagine a 200-mile channel across Florida, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. The Cross Florida Barge Canal would have been like a moat, separating people and wildlife on either side. This greenway sits on land intended for the canal. Its story shows us how dreams of progress and preservation have shaped Florida, its people and its landscape.
1567 • Dreams of Reshaping the Earth
1936 • Ship Canal Construction Halts
1942 • Congress Approves Barge Canal Plan
1964 • Barge Canal Construction Begins
1971 • Citizens Defend Florida’s Environment
1992 • Canal Lands Become the Cross Florida Greenway
Dreams of Reshaping the Earth
In the 16th century, Spanish conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés hoped to discover an easy water passage across Florida. Over the next 400 years, national and local leaders fought to secure funding and manpower to build a canal they believed would boost Florida's economy and importance to global commerce. In 1964, construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal began.
Citizens Defend Florida's Environment
Environmental advocates maintained that the canal was expensive, unnecessary and damaging. Marjorie Harris Carr gave a voice to the Ocklawaha River she
this page online
Erected by Florida State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 29° 3.093′ N, 82° 10.182′ 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. Landbridge West (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.
Courtesy Florida Defenders of the Environment
2. Marker detail: Marjorie Harris Carr
More about this marker. Access to the marker is via foot, bicycle or horseback on the Florida Trail. There are multiple copies of this marker at various locations along the greenway.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
Also see . . .
1. Cross Florida Barge Canal (Wikipedia). The idea of such a canal was first proposed by Philip II of Spain in 1567. Secretary of War John C. Calhoun once again proposed a canal in 1818 in order to solve the losses due to shipwrecks and piracy. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized $5 million in funding for the project in 1935. Work was reauthorized by Congress in 1942. Planning was once again given the go-ahead in 1963 with support from President John F. Kennedy. President Lyndon Johnson set off the explosives that started construction. Opponents campaigned against the canal on environmental grounds, and a lawsuit was filed against the Army Corps by the
Courtesy Rollins College, Olin Library Archives
3. Marker detail: Canal Illustration
This detail of a 1930s illustration shows how a canal would shorten shipping routes. After German U-boat attacks off Florida's coast, canal boosters argued that the canal was necessary to keep American ships out of harm's way during wartime.
2. Marjorie Harris Carr (Wikipedia). After earning a Master of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1942, she went on to establish and lead several conservation efforts in the state, including co-founding the Alachua Audubon Society in 1960 and co-founding Florida Defenders of the Environment in 1969. Her work with Florida Defenders of the Environment — which continued until her death in 1997 — to preserve the Ocklawaha River Valley helped halt construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, which is now a public conservation and recreation area named in her honor in 1998. (Submitted on February 12, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. 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 12, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Courtesy State Archives of Florida
4. Marker detail: Conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, February 12, 2021
5. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, February 12, 2021
6. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway 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 340 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 12, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
