Aucilla River facts for kids
The Aucilla River starts in Brooks County, Georgia, near Thomasville. It flows through the Big Bend area of Florida and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay. Some old maps called it the Ocilla River.
The river is about 89 miles (143 km) long. Its drainage basin (the area of land where water drains into the river) covers about 747 square miles (1,935 km2). Smaller rivers like the Little Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers flow into it. In Florida, the Aucilla River forms the eastern edge of Jefferson County. It separates Jefferson County from Madison County to the north and Taylor County to the south.
During the first Spanish period in Florida, the Aucilla River was a border. It separated the Apalachee people from the Timucua-speaking Yustaga people. The name "Aucilla" comes from an old Timucua village.
River's Journey and Features
The Aucilla River flows through a karst landscape. This means the ground is made of soft rock like limestone. Water can easily carve out caves and underground passages. Because of this, the river often disappears underground and then reappears. This happens first near Boston, Georgia, and then about 30 more times in an area called the Aucilla River Sinks.
Between the Florida-Georgia border and U.S. Highway 90, the river flows through an area with many springs, sinkholes, and marshes. It doesn't have one clear main channel here. From U.S. 90 to a few miles south of Lamont, the river flows in a deep valley. It has whitewater rapids, which are fast-moving, bumpy sections.
The Aucilla River Sinks area starts north of Goose Pasture Road. It continues until the Wacissa River joins the Aucilla. In this section, many parts of the river flow underground. The last few miles of the Aucilla, after the Wacissa joins it, flow over a wide floodplain. This is a flat area of land next to the river that can flood.
The Wacissa River is the biggest river that flows into the Aucilla. However, before it reaches the Aucilla, it splits into many smaller, braided channels. In the early 1800s, cotton farmers wanted to ship their cotton to sea ports. But the Aucilla River's underground parts and the Wacissa's narrow channels made it hard for boats to pass.
So, in 1831, a company was formed to dig a canal. This "Slave Canal" was meant to connect the Wacissa River to a part of the Aucilla that stayed above ground. Construction started in 1851. Workers dug the canal through limestone. Work stopped in 1856 because railroads became a better way to transport goods. Today, the Slave Canal is a popular place for paddling.
Ancient Discoveries
The Aucilla River is a great place to find old animal bones and human tools. These items date back to the late Pleistocene (Ice Age) and early Holocene periods. Scientists have found nearly 40 underwater archaeological sites in the river.
The Florida Museum of Natural History studied several of these sites for 15 years. One important site is the Page/Ladson site. It was studied again from 2012-2014. This site is one of the oldest and best-documented places in North America that shows signs of people living there before the Clovis culture.
Another important site is called Sloth Hole. In the early 2000s, it was thought to be one of the three oldest Clovis sites in the Americas. More than half of the "worked ivory" (ivory shaped by humans) found in the New World has come from Sloth Hole.
Scientists have also explored the ancient Aucilla River channel. This channel is now underwater in Apalachee Bay because sea levels have risen since the Ice Age. Two important sites, the J&J Hunt and Ontolo sites, have been found there. Today, Dr. Jessi Halligan from Florida State University continues to study the Aucilla River's past.
Images for kids
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The Aucilla River bridge carrying US 19 and US 27 near Lamont, Florida.
See also
In Spanish: Río Aucilla para niños
