Ditch of Dreams
- Jeff King
- Jun 6, 2017
- 2 min read
The idea of creating a short-cut across Florida for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico has existed since the Spanish ruled Florida. An inland ditch across the northern part of the state could save days of travel time and thousands in fuel costs. It could also create an environmental nightmare.
My travels took me to the sleepy, west coast hamlet of Yankeetown and to one of the few pieces of the Cross Florida Barge Canal to actually be completed. It is a monument to both government stubbornness and environmental defenders.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the U.S. Corp of Engineers to begin construction on the Florida Sea Level Canal. Plans were drawn up and construction began. WWII slowed construction and funds and interest in the project ran out. Construction halted in 1943.
The 1960's brought the Space Race to Florida, and the idea of the canal being an economic boom to the area and a benefit to the space industry resurrected the project. Work started on the canal again in 1964.
The proposed route would have made the wild Ocklawaha and Withlacoochee Rivers into straight, 12 foot deep ditches. Barges would pass through inland florida non-stop, day and night. The landscape would change forever. While many local Chambers of Commerce embraced the idea, many people were concerned about the long-term affects the canal would have on the environment.
after years of lawsuits and political wrangling, and $70 million later, the project was cancelled. The Environmental Defense Fund and the Florida Defenders of the Environment led a grass-roots effort to defeat the Corp of Engineers. An unlikely hero named Marjoram Harris Carr became the face of the environmentalists. A housewife from Palatka, Carr organized local and national groups to fight against the destruction of some of Florida's most pristine waterways. In 1971, President Richard Nixon canceled the project. It was only 1/3 completed.
In 1990, then President Bush de-authorized the federal project and gave 110 miles of canal land back to Florida. Today, the Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation Area takes the place of what would have been an ugly scar across the state. There is hiking, camping, biking, boating and many other great outdoor activities available at points along the greenway.
The part of the greenway I visited is the Withlacoochee Bay Trail. If you go, plan on bringing a bike or skateboard or skates. Or horses! The trail that parallels the completed portion of the barge canal is very quiet and beautiful. You can also picnic and fish along the way. But swimming is not allowed.
Here's a link to the bike path:
And I always recommend that you wear a good hiking hat:
Live the Wayfarer Life. What's your next adventure?
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