Near Inglis in Levy County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Inglis Main Dam
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, February 23, 2021
1. Inglis Main Dam Marker
Changing the Face of Florida
At the end of the 19th century, prospectors and entrepreneurs flocked to Dunnellon, 10 miles east of here. They came to mine phosphate, a valuable ingredient in fertilizer. In just five years, Dunnellon transformed from a sleepy farming village to a boom town.
Phosphate mining had far-reaching environmental consequences. Piles of mining waste changed the area's terrain. Steamships clogged the Withlacoochee River, heading to the Gulf of Mexico to meet seagoing freighters.
Powering a Boom Town
Intensive mining operations demanded electricity. The Florida Power Corporation built a hydroelectric dam here in 1909. The dam stopped up the Withlacoochee River, creating a 3,500-acre body of water today known as Lake Rousseau. The dam was replaced in the 1960s during the construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal.
Erected by Florida State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
Location. 29° 0.671′ N, 82° 36.917′ W. Marker is near Inglis, Florida, in Levy County. It can be reached from West Riverwood Drive
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in North Florida. 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 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Inglis Lock (approx. 0.9 miles away); Inglis Island Overlook (approx. 1.4 miles away); Inglis Bypass Spillway (approx. 1½ miles away); Felburn Park (approx. 2½ miles away); Temple or Stage? (approx. 7 miles away); Crystal River: An Enduring Legacy (approx. 7.1 miles away); A Separate Resting Place (approx. 7.1 miles away); Remembering the Dead (approx. 7.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Inglis.
More about this marker. 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. Inglis Dam & Island Recreation Area. Lake Rousseau was originally flooded in the early 1900s with a hydro-electric dam. The Inglis Main Dam, the larger of two spillway
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, February 23, 2021
2. Inglis Main Dam Marker
2. Lake Rousseau (Wikipedia). Lake Rousseau is a reservoir on the Withlacoochee River in central Florida. Florida Power Corp operated a hydroelectric plant from 1909 to 1965 at the western end of the lake. Power output was approximately 7.45 MW. (Submitted on February 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Courtesy Florida Memory
3. Marker detail: Pumps and Dredges
In the 1910s phosphate miners used pumps and dredges to excavate massive pits in search of the mineral.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, February 23, 2021
4. Inglis Main Dam (east/lake side)
Courtesy Florida Memory
5. Marker detail: Inglis Dam
The state-of-the-art Inglis Dam provided electricity for power-intensive mining.
Courtesy Florida Memory
6. Marker detail: Pickaxes and Shovels
Laborers at Dunnellon dug out phosphate rock with pickaxes and shovels.
7. 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 23, 2021
8. Inglis Main Dam (west/river side)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, February 23, 2021
9. Lake Rousseau (looking east from dam)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,452 times since then and 263 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on February 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
