Dr. Robert Norman, Clinical Professor, Dermatology, Nova Southeastern University
On a trip north to Georgia, I stopped on route to O’Leno State Park to camp and explore. I knew that O’Leno State Park was one of Florida’s first state parks and was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a public work relief program created during the Great Depression in the 1930’s.
I have been to all the CCC-built parks in Florida and have studied the CCC in detail. O’Leno State Park has over 6,000-acres and is located along the banks of the scenic Santa Fe River, a tributary of the Suwannee River. I had time to hike many of its great trails and explored along the river, hardwood hammocks, river swamps, and sandhills.
Hiking the mile and a half River Trail is like stepping back in time. I crossed the coffee-colored Santa Fe River over a large wooden suspension bridge built by the CCC and followed the Santa Fe River. The river flows towards the River Sink where the Santa Fe River begins its flow underground for approximately three miles and reemerges in River Rise Preserve State Park.
As I hiked on the trail as it turns away from the river, the landscape changed to an open savannah of scrubby flatwoods and sandhill. The landscape next shifts into floodplain swamp and forest, where sinkholes and creeks are covered with an overstore of various trees. I hiked along Ogden Lake, a prime example of the sinkhole lakes that form above the underground river, and then I returned to the bridge.
Paraner’s Branch Trail offers a wonderful journey that loops through the park for nearly four miles. As I hiked, I investigated a variety of natural communities, viewed wildlife, and saw several sinkhole ponds which provide a window into the Santa Fe River’s underground travels. The Dogwood Trail meanders along the park drive and features the upland forests.
Among my favorite trails was the Limestone Trail. The path leads to an abandoned lime rock quarry that played a significant role in providing building materials for construction during the CCC era. The area is now a great example of ecological restoration, with nature gaining back control. According to Truman Young, Professor and Restoration Ecologist, University of California, Davis, California, “Ecological restoration is the process of repairing sites in nature whose biological communities (that is, interacting groups of various species in a common location) and ecosystems have been degraded or destroyed. In many ecosystems, humans have altered local native populations of plants and animals, introduced invasive species, converted natural communities to extractive use (such as agriculture or mining), fouled waters, and degraded soil resources. Ecological restoration focuses on repairing the damage human activities have caused to natural ecosystems and seeks to return them to an earlier state or to another state that is closely related to one unaltered by human activities. Ecological restoration is distinguished from the practice of conservation, which is primarily concerned with preventing further losses to ecosystems.”
I launched my kayak into the invigorating afternoon waters and pushed upstream against a mighty current. What a workout!
I battled against the power of the fast-moving water and felt like I had made little progress. Maybe I should have gotten the message when I saw sticks and leaves on the water’s surface flashing by me faster than I could ever paddle. After paddling along the river’s edge. I found a less turbulent respite and parked my kayak.
I got out and explored. I always enjoy finding a new area to look for signs of activity and to read the landscape.
I came back to my kayak and filmed a portion of the river rushing along under a canopy of cypress and oak. Over the last year, I have been creating short movies called “Moments in Nature” (posted on You Tube) and continue to seek good opportunities to film in wild nature.
Here is some history of this wonderful park.
The town of Leno (1840–1896) was founded along the banks of the Santa Fe River in the mid-1800’s and was first settled by Henry Matier and named Keno for a then-popular wagering game. In 1876, general store operator Colonel G. M. Whetstone applied for a post office for the town of Keno and was denied due to the name and its relationship with gambling. After he had the name changed to Leno (pronounced lean-oh), he was granted the post office.
For a small town, Leno was quite industrious, consisting of two grist mills, a saw mill, and six cotton gins and also had a general store, a hotel, a livery stable, and a doctor’s office. In 1894, things would change when the SF&W (Savannah, Florida, and Western Railway) was diverted to pass through Fort White instead of Leno. The action led to the eventual demise of the town, and everyone had moved away by 1896. The area remained a popular place for residents of nearby towns and farms to meet for picnics and swimming and was often referred to as Old Leno. This name was eventually shortened to O’Leno, the name that is still used today.
The Florida Forest Service purchased the property in 1935 where the town had been located and was initially chosen as the location of a Florida Forest Service camp. The goal was to provide forestry training and education and development started as a Works Progress Administration project using unemployed labor from the High Springs area.
In July 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps installed workers from Company 418, Camp P-67, who assisted WPA workers to help create O’Leno State Park. The site construction progressed rapidly, and between 1935 and 1936 the CCC cleared land, built roads, trails, and bridges, and constructed a dining hall, pavilion, and museum/tower building.
In 1938, Camp O’Leno opened as a Florida Forest Service camp to train employees and youth groups interested in forestry and operated the training camp for two summers before turning it over to another division within the Board of Forestry and Parks, the Florida Park Service. O’Leno State Park opened in 1940 and became one of the original nine state parks in the Florida Park Service.
At O’Leno State Park, whether you are biking, walking, or riding, you can experience the best nature that Florida has to offer! Pavilions are located along the river’s edge and you can picnic, relax and fish.
O’Leno State Park
410 SE O’Leno Park Road
High Springs FL 32643
386-454-1853
Get outside in the Great Florida Outdoors!
Dr. Norman is an advanced master naturalist graduate of the FMNP program from UF and a board-certified dermatologist based in Tampa and Riverview. He can be reached at 813-880-7546.