U.S. Department of the Interior/Geological Survey As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the River Basins of the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and na­ United States: tural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and The Suwannee providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in Island Territories under U.S. administration. River Basins of the United States: The Suwannee by A. A. Garrett and C. S. Conover the coastal, very swampy part of the Su­ This leaflet, one of a series on the river wannee River basin. In 1539, De Soto probed basins of the United States, contains informa­ the interior part of the basin along a route tion on the Suwannee River basin, including ultimately known as the "Spanish Trail" and a brief early history, a description of the crossed the Suwannee River about 5 miles physical characteristics, and other statistical downstream from the site of Dowling Park. data. At present, other river basins included About 1600, construction of a series of mis­ in the series are The Colorado, The Colum­ sions was started and linked by an east-west bia, The Delaware, The Hudson, The route, the Spanish Trail, which in Florida Potomac, and The Wabash. ultimately extended from St. Augustine to Pensacola. All the missions, about 30, were Early Exploration and Settlement destroyed during the persistent conflict between the Spaniards and the Indians that There is no indication that pre-Columbian extended well into the 18th century and little inhabitants developed more than a rudi­ trace of the missions remains. mentary culture in the basin. At the time of From the time of Spanish exploration into contact with outside exploration, the basin the early 1800's, the Suwannee River basin was inhabited by the Timucuan Indians. In was essentially an unexplored wilderness. 1528 (1526?), Panfilo de Narvaez, in traveling The Spanish Trail was virtually the only northward along the west coast of Florida evidence of outside influence. Only after the from what is now Tampa to St. Marks, crossed lands in Florida were given over to civilian control and were made available for settle­ Cover Photo: Suwannee River looking downriver from ment did a population influx occur, chiefly Swift Creek (Photo by Mrs. Carl E. Shifflette). from the north. The first civilian settlement Run from Hart Springs flowing into the Suwannee River (Photo by Mrs. Cart E. Shifflette). relevant to the development of the basin dwindle by 1905 and disappeared by the started in 1842 at Cedar Key. Although Cedar early 1920's. Key is outside the basin, its position on the The Suwannee River has been immortal­ Gulf was strategic and the settlement became ized by Stephen Foster through his song a transshipment point for sailing ships enter­ "Old Folks at Home," written in 1851. The ing the Suwannee and a trading center for the song, better known as "Swanee River" entire Gulf Coast for many years as many as (Foster's spelling), is Florida's state song. 200 vessels engaged in coastwise traffic. The Although Foster never lived in or visited first recorded steamer traffic on the Suwan­ Florida, his song over the years has conjured nee began in 1836. During high water, the up a romanticism of plantation life in north river could be navigated as far upstream as Florida prior to the War Between the States. Ellaville, at other times as far as Branford, a trip of 110 miles. The Santa Fe was navigable Headwaters to Fort White, 8 miles upstream from its con­ Big Alligator Creek, a tributary to the fluence with the Suwannee. In 1845, mail Suwannee, heads about 13 miles west- service was established from Cedar Key to southwest of Waycross, Ga. The Suwannee Ellaville; the steamers entered the river by River proper begins in the Okefenokee way of East Pass. River traffic was greatest Swamp, a vast wetland wilderness in south­ during the period 1880-90. Flat-bottomed east Georgia and northeast Florida. Most of paddlewheel boats, 200 teet long and wood the swamp's 666 square miles drain to the fired, were common. Steamer traffic began to Gulf of Mexico by way of the Suwannee River; the remainder of the swamp drains to the Suwannee River proper is 235 miles long, of Atlantic Ocean by way of the St. Marys River. which 207 miles are in Florida. The first 7 The entire swamp area, approximately 115 to miles of the Suwannee are ill defined and 120 feet above sea level, is an expanse of barely distinguishable from the Okefenokee emergent vegetation and slowly moving water Swamp through which it flows. It ranks 89th interrupted by numerous islands rising in length of 135 rivers in the United States only a few feet above the water level in the that are more than 100 miles long. swamp. Width Mouth From the mouth upstream to about The Suwannee River enters the Gulf of Ellaville, Fla., the river ranges in width from Mexico about 12 miles north of Cedar Key, nearly 1,000 to 250 feet. Beyond Ellaville, the approximately at latitude 29°16' north, width gradually decreases to only a few tens longitude 83°08' west. The two main channels of feet at Fargo, Ga. to tidewater are East Pass and West Pass. Mean tidal range at the mouth is about 2.4 feet; extreme range is about 3.4 feet. Depth The river depth is generally more than 7 feet from tidewater upstream to Ellaville, Major Tributaries except for scattered shoals. The channel at In Georgia, the major tributaries in the the mouth is dredged to prevent shoaling. basin are the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Upstream from Ellaville, the depth may be as Rivers which join the Suwannee River in great as 6 feet, but 1 foot or less over shoals Florida. In Florida, the major tributary is the during dry periods. Santa Fe River. Rate of Flow Course NearWilcox, Fla., 33 miles upstream from From the Okefenokee Swamp, the river flows the mouth, the long-term average flow is generally southward nearly to White Springs, about 4.7 million gallons per minute. At Fla., then westward where its valley crosses a Fargo, Ga., just downstream from the bed of hard, calcareous clay. About 25 miles Okefenokee Swamp, the average flow is farther downstream, the river returns to its about 0.5 milion gallons per minute. generally southward course to the Gulf. Because of its low gradient about 0.5 foot Highest and Lowest Flows per mile the river flows through large meanders, deeply entrenched in the central At the gaging station near Wilcox, the part of its reach, and through extensive wet­ highest recorded flow was 38.0 million lands near its mouth. Oxbow lakes, repre­ gallons per minute on April 14, 1948. Mini­ senting segments of former courses, are mum flow was 1.5 milion gallons per minute common. on February 24, 1957. Upstream from White Springs, minimum flows of less than 9,000 gallons per minute occur occasionally. Below Length White Springs, base flow is maintained at The Suwannee River is 280 miles long, high levels because of some 80 individual including Big Alligator Creek in Georgia. The springs that discharge to the Suwannee or to Suwannee River Basin WAYCROSS .GEORGIA FLORI~DA \ ^IJASPER^ ALAfi TALLAHASSEE JACKSONVILLE 'LIVE OAK DOWLING PARK i . ST. MARKS LAKE CITY lsT~?\ . > ICHETUCKNEE * \ SPRING BRAN FORDV. ,^ /STARK < ' HILDRETH ^"" - ' N Jr ST. AUGUSTINE ' V A^ ALACHUA* -x^i^X \*<I ui 7 '^ If GAINESVILLE |r-.5 ) WILCOX GULF OF MEXICO lw, SUWANNEE . WEST PASS EASJ PASS 0 10 20 30 40 50 MILES CEDAR KEY its tributaries. Nine of the springs are of first reach, the river crosses extensive marsh magnitude (flow greater than 44,900 gallons lands. per minute) and 25 are of second magnitude (flow 4,490 to 44,900 gallons per minute). About one-fourth of the better known springs Drainage Area in Florida emerge in the Suwannee River The basin drainage area is 9,950 square basin. Alapaha Rise, the largest spring in the miles, of which 5,720 square miles are in Suwannee River basin and fifth largest in southern Georgia. The basin area of the Florida, discharges 273,000 gallons per Withlacoochee River, the largest tributary, is minute to the river about 12 miles northwest 2,360 square miles, of which 2,090 square of Live Oak. Ichetucknee Spring, in miles are in Georgia. The basin area of the Ichetucknee Springs State Park, is the second Alapaha River is 1,840 square miles, of which largest spring in the Suwannee River basin 1,726 are in Georgia. and ninth largest in Florida. It discharges 161,700 gallons per minute to the river near Hildreth from a group of nine named and Average Rainfall many unnamed springs along both sides of Rainfall varies substantially from place to the upper 2.5-mile reach of the Ichetucknee place during individual storms. It is generally River. about 48 inches per year in the north part of the basin and 47 inches at the mouth; however, average for the entire basin is about Dams, Reservoirs, and Canals 54 inches per year. The average runoff from At some places, the river bank has been the basin is about 15 inches per year.