"La Florida" Became Part of World Commerce [panel 1] 1507 • Explorer Ponce de Leon claims "La Florida" for Spain and recommends canal to King to protect gold carrying ships to Spain. 1763-1802 • Eastern Florida passes from Spain . . . — — Map (db m166900) HM
Roosevelt EraThe Cross Florida Canal got its start during the Great Depression years. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's efforts to revive the nation's ailing economy involved a wide array of projects and jobs funded by tax-payers. The . . . — — Map (db m237438) HM
"Your majesty: In order to protect your interests [land and gold] in La Florida, we must discover or construct a passage across this peninsula." The Essence of an Historic Communication by Spanish Explorer Pedro Menendez Aviles to Spain's King . . . — — Map (db m166901) HM
"The Island is flat and sandy with abundant wildlife. Numerous lakes and stands of trees also mark the landscape." Alvar Hunez Cabeza deVace Journal Entry, 1536 The geographic area that comprises the present-day Cross Florida Greenway has been . . . — — Map (db m166902) HM
"...Requesting the assistance and cooperation of every available federal agency in order to make possible, at an early date, commencement of construction on a ship canal across the peninsula." Message from Florida's Legislature to President . . . — — Map (db m166903) HM
"Even a shallow canal would pollute the aquifer because of the porosity of the underlying rock structure… barge traffic would jeopardize both surface and ground water with the threat of oil spills and leakage from vessels and the wash-off of . . . — — Map (db m166904) HM
"Incited by selfish interests and from a purely mercenary motive, an effort is now being made, through construction of a cross-state canal, to mar and at least, in part, destroy the region's beauty, fertility and health." Hillsborough County Board . . . — — Map (db m166905) HM
"In view of this unprecedented expression of opposition to continuing the Cross Florida Barge Canal by candidates for public office in Florida [petitions and resolutions] we respectfully call on you to implement a moratorium on construction of the . . . — — Map (db m166906) HM
"...the key to success in any conservation effort: Get the facts and then act… If you get the facts, the press will tell your story, government agencies will take action, legal suits will be documented, and presidents may intervene on your behalf." . . . — — Map (db m166908) HM
"I am today ordering a halt to further construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal to prevent serious environmental damage. "The Council on Environmental Quality has recommended to me that the project be halted, and I accept its advice. The . . . — — Map (db m166909) HM
What Changed? For nearly 500 years, the idea for a Cross Florida Ship and Barge Canal had been kept alive. There were several driving forces. • Hiding Caribbean gold shipments from pirates until fleets of protected ships sailed to . . . — — Map (db m166910) HM
History of Santos Founders and Families In 1882, John A. Cole and his family (black Americans) established Santos, naming it after a village in Brazil (South America) where they had gone to start a new life following the American Civil War. . . . — — Map (db m166911) HM
Explorer Ponce de Leon called the panhandle between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico "La Florida" which means "the flowery place." What he saw was untamed wilderness. "Untamed" is a good indicator of the way green things grow here. What . . . — — Map (db m166912) HM
The Crusher Green life was a major factor between those who opposed the Cross Florida Canal and those who backed it. The sharpest point of contention was the Ocklawaha River basin, as well as the environmental catastrophe that evolved after . . . — — Map (db m166914) HM
Early Migrants More Than Snowbirds The earliest migrants to Florida, determined by archeological evidence, date back to 500 A. D. Among them were the Deptford People, the Weeden Island People, the St. John's People and the Timican . . . — — Map (db m167202) HM
Florida Seminole. After the Third Seminole War (1858), nearly 3,000 Indians were forcibly sent to the Oklahoma Territory. A small number of Seminoles continued to live in relative isolation in southern Florida into the 1900s. Flood control and . . . — — Map (db m167203) HM
Oklahoma Seminoles. The Seminole Nation in the State of Oklahoma is the largest of the three recognized Seminole governments in the United States. They are descendants of the 3,000 Seminoles who were forcibly removed from Florida in the middle . . . — — Map (db m167204) HM
Some of the early migrants to the Greenway were known for whips and storytelling. Discover what happened. Discover The Island. Florida’s Crackers were mostly, it's said to be, English pioneer settlers and their descendants who began coming to . . . — — Map (db m167205) HM
Who were "Americans" first? At least several hundred years before Crackers migrated from England and Scotland to the USA, and then wandered down the eastern seaboard to Florida in the 1800s Well before the Seminoles sought refuge in Florida . . . — — Map (db m167206) HM
World Reputation. The Greenway region has been referred to historically as the "Agricultural Heart of the South." It was also called the "Breadbasket of the Confederacy" and the "Breadbasket of Florida." Farm products from this region are still . . . — — Map (db m167207) HM
What do you think about when you see a long-leaf pine tree? If you had lived in North Carolina 100 or more years ago, pine trees might have caused you to think about turpentine and the Original Vicks Vapo-Rub. Household cleaners, medicine for . . . — — Map (db m167208) HM
A Long Way from Home. Explorer Ponce de Leon brought horses on his second journey from Spain to La Florida. The horses were to be used by his officers, scouts and livestock herders. Spanish equines were known for their speed and agility, . . . — — Map (db m167209) HM
Tarzan Did It. A legend has been passed along over the decades that the wild monkeys around Silver Spring State Park got there because of competition swimmer-actor Johnny Weismuller. He starred in Tarzan Finds a Son! (1939), which was . . . — — Map (db m167210) HM