Near Crystal River in Citrus County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Withlacoochee Bay Trail
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, February 18, 2021
1. Withlacoochee Bay Trail Marker
The Price of Progress
Picture massive barges, tugboats and trawlers clogging the bay. This was to be the west end of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, where the water enters the Gulf of Mexico. The canal would have impacted Florida's fresh and seawater systems.
State leaders wanted to make this the center of a vast commercial waterway network. They planned to dig a Gulf Intracoastal channel between St. Marks, 120 miles to the northwest, and Tarpon Springs, 60 miles to the south.
A Very Different Place
Imagine how different this area would be if ships and dredges filled the water. Small industry would have surrendered to new ports, highways and factories. Environmental impacts — such as damage to seagrass and recreational scalloping and fishing — would have been significant.
Erected by Florida State Parks.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #36 Lyndon B. Johnson series list.
Location. 28° 59.734′ N, 82° 44.116′ W. Marker is near Crystal River
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It is also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Felburn Park (approx. 4.9 miles away); Inglis Island Overlook (approx. 6.1 miles away); Inglis Bypass Spillway (approx. 6.2 miles away); Inglis Main Dam (approx. 7.3 miles away); Inglis Lock (approx. 7.4 miles away); Crystal River: An Enduring Legacy (approx. 8.8 miles away); A Separate Resting Place (approx. 8.8 miles away); Temple or Stage? (approx. 8.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Crystal River.
More about this marker. Access to the marker is via foot or bicycle on the Withlacoochee Bay Trail. Nearby marker, "Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway," is replicated at multiple 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. Withlacoochee Bay Trail. Florida State Parks website entry:
The Withlacoochee Bay Trail traverses five miles west from the Felburn Park Trailhead to the Gulf of Mexico, along the
Courtesy Florida Memory
2. Marker detail: 1961 Florida Waterways Association Map
This detail of a 1961 Florida Waterways Association leaflet shows how the Cross Florida Barge Canal would have shortened shipping routes and benefited industries like aerospace manufacturing.
2. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. Florida State parks website entry:
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 22, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Courtesy Florida Memory
3. Marker detail: Port of Tampa
Had the canal been completed, this area may have grown to look like the Port of Tampa, a global shipping hub.
Courtesy Florida Memory
4. Marker detail: President Lyndon B. Johnson
President Lyndon B. Johnson traveled to Palatka, Fla., for the Cross Florida Barge Canal groundbreaking in 1964.
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 18, 2021
6. Withlacoochee Bay Trail Marker
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, February 18, 2021
7. Withlacoochee Bay Trail — West End
Credits. This page was last revised on June 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 419 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 22, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
