Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
A video of the Wacissa River Slave Canal funded by the Jefferson County Tourist Development Council and produced by the Aucilla Research Institute is garnering no few views and a lot of praise.
“Fabulous video!” enthused Kevin McGorty, land conservancy director at Tall Timbers.
“ Great job by all involved! A Jefferson County and Florida treasure!” emailed Neil Fleckenstein, planning coordinator at Tall Timbers.
“Absolutely mesmerizing and extremely compelling,” wrote Daphne Wood, a member of the board of director of the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, among other organizations.
As of earlier this week, the 14-minute video – which is based on a book written by George M. Cole and John E. Ladson III and titled The Wacissa Slave Canal – had 8,499 views, and they continued growing.
Narrated by naturalist David Ward, the video follows Cole, Ladson and Ward as they kayak the Wacissa River south to the Slave Canal and eventually to the Aucilla River.
As the trio paddles along leisurely, Ward points out the natural and historical attributes of the area, including Big Blue – one of the largest of the two dozen or so springs that feed the Wacissa River – and the submerged bones of mastodons and other prehistoric animals that once roamed the region.
All the while, alligators, egrets, turtles and other wildlife abound around them, and mounds from prehistoric inhabitants are visible along the river banks in some areas.
Ward warns that those who miss the entrance to the Slave Canal are apt to end up lost forever, or so the legend holds. But in truth, those who miss the entrance to the Slave Canal end up at The Race, where the Wacissa River drops into the Aucilla River, which itself eventually disappears underground at Half Mile Rise.
It then requires backtracking – or better said, back-paddling – to return to the Slave Canal entrance, which is partially blocked by islands that Ward describes as the remnants of a dam built in the mid 1800s in an effort to divert the Wacissa into a navigable waterway for purposes of commerce. Namely, the early settlers wanted to get their cotton and timber products to the Gulf and to market.
Built by slave labor – hence the name – the canal largely travels through deep wetlands that sometimes flood and obliterate the channel. But even in the best of times, the channel is often blocked by downed trees and other obstacles, forcing canoeists and kayakers to have to portage for short distances.
As the trip progresses, Ward points out the natural wonders, including the huge limestone rocks that line the embankment and testify to the slaves' arduous labor to deepen the channel. He also notes a sunken barge, evidence of the attempts at commerce, and talks at length about the area's history, its early and later inhabitants, and the efforts to conduct commerce on the two bodies of water.
The Wacissa eventually spills into the Aucilla, which then runs another five miles through large expanses of sawgrass marsh before emptying into the Gulf.
Ward notes that despite its long history of usage by human, the river and canal remain natural wonders. And although paddling them is physically challenging, he calls the experience spiritual, especially for those familiar with the area's rich history.
To view the video, go to aucillaresearchinstitute.org/the-wacissa-slave-canal.html