Located approximately fourteen miles south of Tallahassee, in Wakulla County, Wakulla Springs is a 2,860 acre preserve with a long history as a resort. The centerpiece of the park is the Wakulla Spring, a first magnitude spring which produces 183 million gallons of water a day and creates the Wakulla River. / Wakulla Springs has known visitors for centuries. Indians camped at the site from the Paleoindian period (15,000-8,000 B.C.) through the Spanish conquest (AD. 1539). During Florida's territorial era, the spring became a popular spot for picnics and parties. Though several schemes for development were proposed, the lack of capital and Wakulla's isolation prevented successful commercialization of the site until it was purchased by Florida business tycoon Edward Ball in the 1930s. Ball turned Wakulla Springs into a tourist attraction, complete with a hotel, glassbottom boats, and a swimming beach. While Ball also emphasized the preservation of wildlife, his efforts met with opposition from local environmentalists, who engaged him in a lengthy court battle over his fence on the Wakulla River. Following Ball's death, the resort was purchased by the state of Florida, and is now officially titled the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. / This dissertation explores the history of Wakulla Springs from the Pleistocene era to the state's purchase of the park in 1986. It also examines the scientific expeditions to Wakulla Springs, Wakulla's role in literature, and the resort's development as a tourist attraction. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-11, Section: A, page: 3880. / Major Professor: William Warren Rogers. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78329 |
| Contributors | Revels, Tracy Jean., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 163 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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