Walter Judson Moore

Withlacoochee Trail Walter Judson Moore

Florida's Withlacoochee State Trail is shady, paved 46-mile multi-use state park. The Trail is a walking, jogging, in-line skating and cycling facility near lakes, and is relatively flat. Equestrians ride their horses beside The Trail. People also sail kayak and canoe in the nearby lakes and waterways. This Silver Anniversary Portrait discusses the history of human presence near The Trail that started 10,000 years ago, with the initial settlements some 2,500 years ago. The chronicler for the conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez recorded the first description of a route north to the Apalachicola River. Thirteen years later in 1539, Hernando de Soto used that description to travel along what is now The Trail. The Seminole Indian Wars and Fort Cooper, The Civil War, Phosphate mining, logging, railroad development, historic cemeteries, along with seven towns have been researched and documented. This Portrait includes 349 photographs, made during the past thirteen years. These photos identify 147 species of flowers and plants, 29 species of trees, and 27 bird species. Then there are many mammal (including human), reptile and trail pictures.