Discovering Lake George & The St John's River
St. Johns River Timeline
Before the Timucuan peoples settled in northeastern Florida, the St. Johns River flowed north from deep inside the region to the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after Florida became part of the United States, a handful of men laid out Jacksonville to be on the river. The river meant transportation: carrying goods and passengers upstream into the state, and downstream for coastal trading and across the sea and facilitated commerce, enhanced security, and provided food and recreation for tourists.
100,000 Years Ago
The St. Johns was formed approximately 100,000 years ago after land rose along the coast and trapped a portion of the sea inland. However, the river did not take on its current form until only about 5,000-7,500 years ago, after the sea began to rise at the end of the last ice age. The hydrological cycle of the arid peninsula was transformed, resulting in rains that fed the surface flow of the St. Johns and its underground springs. Before the arrival of Europeans to Florida, Native American groups, including the Timucua, had called the river home for thousands of years.
6,000 Years Ago
Some of the earliest pottery ever uncovered in North America was discovered on Tick Island, in the river near DeLeon Springs. The pottery, burials and clay sculptures all show that a fairly complex society existed.
Original article from St. Johns Riverkeeper
