A Rocky Past Today, the old railroad bed beneath the Dunnellon Trail carries walkers and bicyclists. In the late 1800s, it moved train cars laden with phosphate rock. Prospectors discovered the valuable mineral here in 1889, sparking an . . . — — Map (db m167502) HM
It’s August 11, 1539…
Hernando de Soto has taken a small force of 60 cavalry and 100 foot soldiers north through Timucuan territory towards the land of the Apalachee -
I have entrusted Captain Moscoso to lead the army north, while I . . . — — Map (db m126580) HM
Human Hands Changed the Land A mile east of here, you will encounter some rugged terrain. It's left over from a ship canal dug during the Great Depression. Some 8,000 men shoveled tons of sand and dirt onto mule-drawn carts and trucks, swatting . . . — — Map (db m167503) HM
It’s July 29, 1539…
De Soto’s weary and starving army arrives at the village of Ocale -
We found the village abandoned but full of food and supplies. I ordered my men to rest and then gather enough provisions for the next several . . . — — Map (db m126579) HM
Welcome to the Summit Ross Prairie is a wetland surrounded by a high-and-dry ecosystem known as sandhills. The plants and animals here live on ancient sand dunes, leftovers from when the ocean was higher. This area's topography presented a . . . — — Map (db m167505) HM
One block to the south is the site of the discovery of hard rock phosphate in Florida by Albertus Vogt in 1889. It made Dunnellon a boom town and first center of the industry. The Tiger Rag, Early Bird and Eagle mines were among the most valuable. . . . — — Map (db m67058) HM
