Bartram Trail in Putnam County

Bartram Trail in Putnam County. Palatka Florida. , (side 1) , Landing at What is Now Palatka , “I suddenly saw before me an Indian settlement or village…, There were eight or ten habitations…Some of the youth were naked up to their hips in the water, fishing with rods and lines, whilst others, younger, were diverting themselves in shooting frogs with bows and arrows. There was a large orange grove at the upper end of their village., The trees were large, carefully pruned and the ground under them clean, open and airy. There seemed to be several hundred acres of cleared land about the village; a considerable portion of which was planted, chiefly with [corn, potatoes, beans, pumpkins, squashes, melons, tobacco] and so on, abundantly sufficient for the inhabitants of the village. They were civil and appeared happy in their situation.” , Will Bartram, Travels, “If we consider them with respect to their private character in a moral view, they must, I think, claim our approbation, if we divest ourselves of prejudice and think freely. As moral men they certainly stand in no need of European civilization.” , William Bartram, Travels, The Rattlesnake , Puc-Puggy (“Flower Hunter,” the Native Americans’ name for Bartram) was enticed from his flower-drawing one day to help the local tribe get rid of a large rattlesnake which was alarming the village. They approached Bartram because it was his “pleasure to collect all their animals,” and they wanted this one “collected.”, “…I approached the reptile, who instantly collected himself in a vast coil (their attitude of defence) I cast my missile weapon at him, which luckily taking his head, dispatched him instantly, and laid him trembling at my feet; I took out my knife, severed his head from his body, then turning about, the Indians complimented me…I carried off the head of the serpent bleeding in my hand as a trophy of victory, and taking out the mortal fangs, deposited them carefully amongst my collection.” , William Bartram, Travels, The Long Warrior , This portrait of Micco Chlucco, the Long Warrior, is the frontispiece to >b>Travels. Bartram was sympathetic to the Native Americans he encountered, and promoted a humane attitude towards them., The full title of Travels is: “Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the Extensive Territories of the Muscogulges or Creek Confederacy, and the Country of the Choctaws. Containing an Account of the Soil and Natural Productions of Those Regions; Together with Observations on the Manners of the Indians.” , (side 2) , “This world, as a glorious apartment of the boundless palace of the sovereign Creator, is furnished with an infinite variety of animated scenes, inexpressibly beautiful and pleasing, equally free to the inspection and enjoyment of all his creatures.” , William Bartram, Travels, William Bartram accompanied his father John Bartram, a botanist, to Florida in 1765 for King George III., In 1774, he returned to the Florida he had fallen in love with. His assignment was to research the land for Dr. Fothergill of England. Bartram’s resulting book, Travels, became recognized as one of the pivotal scientific books of his time, also heralded for its poetic language and vivid illustrations. , Bartram was a renaissance man who melded art and science into an indelible record of his passionate encounters with the world., Now you can follow in Bartram’s footsteps and boat trails here in Florida, and experience much of the same wildlife and scenic beauty he encountered in the 1700s.