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This unassuming little waterway has transported and fed more than its share of Floridians - especially those who lived here in prehistoric times. The entire watery realm of Newnans Lake - Paynes Prairie - Orange and Lochloosa Lakes and their connecting waters (including Prairie Creek) were a haven for all cultures of people who have lived in Florida since the first nomads rambled into the area over 12,000 years ago. Two large village complexes were located on the banks of Prairie Creek. One actually had the creek running through the middle of it! Sadly, "head hunters" (people who plunder ancient archaeological sites for their own collections or profit) know of this site and continue to illegally dig here - stealing the cultural heritage that rightfully belongs to all of us. The other site was near the outflow of the creek into Paynes Prairie, where the natives could readily take advantage of both productive systems - the creek and the lush savanna. In the mid 1800's, the Kelly family established a mill alongside the creek. The remains of the old structure can still be seen in the nearby woods. In 1881, the Gainesville, Ocala and Charlotte Harbor Railroad Company began laying tracks for a line |
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towards Paynes Prairie and on to Gainesville. By the time the rails reached Prairie Creek and the bridge was erected, the Company had changed names to the Florida Southern. The rails infused an economic boost to settlers in the area, especially the little hamlet of Perry, which sat about a mile east of the creek. In fact, the residents were so grateful for their good fortune, that the renamed the town Gruelle, after the railroads chief engineer. A devastating freeze at the end of the 1800's killed the orange groves that were the communities’ economic base, bringing a sudden end to the boom period. Today, remnants of this old community (now called Rochelle) can be seen, frozen in time, along the dusty back roads that were once the pulsing central arteries of a frontier boom town. Prairie Creek, while being an interesting and fun little creek, bears the scars of heavy abuse. But it makes an interesting example of how important even the smallest component of a system can be. In the 1930's, the natural flow of Prairie Creek onto |
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Paynes Prairie was blocked by a dam and redirected to River Styx and on to Orange Lake. Later, the head of the stream, where the water entered from Newnans Lake, was dammed to keep water levels high in the lake. It wasn't until the '70's and '80's that it became clear how harmful these alterations were to all of the systems involved - especially the Prairie. The dam at the Newnan's Lake end was removed, but removing the dam and canal at Paynes Prairie has proved to be more of a challenge. With two highways and a number of private properties around the basin, letting the water levels rise and fall, uncontrolled, will require a lot of changes and preparations. |
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Cultural and Historical Resources The Newnans Lake Conservation Area has a long human history. The area was first utilized approximately 11,000 years ago by Paleo-Indian nomadic hunters. The Cades Pond culture first permanently settled the area between 100 and 200 AD. Several Cades sites, including villages and mounds have been documented in the Newnans Lake area. The Cades Pond people thrived in the area for the next 800 years, until other Native American cultures began to migrate to the area and eventually absorbed the remaining populations of the Cades Pond culture. Spanish explorers first visited the area in 1528 and began to build missions |
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in the area by 1600. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish, the Timucuan inhabited the area. Eventually, the Timucuan disappeared and the Seminoles became the dominant tribe in the area. The Seminole name for Newnans Lake was Lake Pithlachocco, translated as “long boat” or “lake where boats are made”. The lake was renamed after Colonel Daniel Newnan, in the mid 1800’s. The name, Pithlachocco, has taken on more significance since the summer of 2000. Low-water level associated with a long drought throughout Florida led to the discovery of over 120 canoes. Radiocarbon dates ranged from 500 to 5000 years old for the canoes. Prior to this discovery, only 250 to 300 canoes had been documented in all of Florida. The site is the largest prehistoric canoe site documented in North America. Archeologists believe that the canoes are associated with a large village site that may have existed along the north shore of the lake. In addition to several documented sites at NLCA, the lake has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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In the Spring and early Summer of 2000, drought conditions across north-central Florida lowered water levels in many lakes, ponds, and streams, including Newnan's Lake, just east of Gainesville in Alachua County. Local residents exploring the dried up lake bed discovered the remains of nineteenth and early twentieth century skiffs, and further investigation by archaeologists revealed that these relatively modern boats were alongside much older, prehistoric canoes. While low water levels have often led to the discovery of prehistoric and historic period canoes, and in some cases groups of canoes, the Newnan's Lake find appeared unique in having such a large number of canoes. Up until this time, about 250 to 300 canoes in total have been reported from Florida. By early June, 2000 at least 20 canoes had been reported along the northern rim of Newnan's Lake. The Bureau of Archaeological Research sent a team led by archaeologist Melissa Memory to identify the location of as many canoes as possible, and to document in detail at least 50 of the ancient boats. With help from volunteers and students 86 canoes were recorded along two-mile stretch of the exposed lake bed—the largest group of prehistoric canoes found to date in North America. Walking along the dried lake bottom, the crew could identify the canoes by recognizing traces of the wood from the sides and ends of the boat protruding from the bottom mud. Careful excavation of 53 of the canoes revealed some interesting similarities and differences. The Newnan's Lake canoes are similar in shape and construction to other prehistoric canoes known from Florida. Each canoe is hewn from one tree trunk, using stone or shell tools, as well as fire charring to remove the bulk of the wood from the center of the tree trunk. These construction techniques were still being used when the French and Spanish arrived in the Southeast in the sixteenth century. The sizes of the canoes at Newnan's Lake range considerably, with the shortest at 4.57 meters (15 feet) and the longest at over 9.5 meters (31 feet). One interesting feature found on many of the Newnan's Lake canoes is a "thwart" or bulkhead, creating a partition between sections of the boat. These were often present in the stern and/or center of the canoes. This feature has been noted on other canoes from Florida, but was fairly uncommon. In general, the ends of the canoes were blunted or slightly rounded, though some had distinctive overhanging platforms. The Newnan's Lake canoes may have been associated with a large village site located along the northern shore of the lake. Some artifacts associated with this village were found, and suggest that the area was occupied from around 3000 years ago up until at least 1000 years ago. The canoes, many of which were broken and degraded, probably represent those boats abandoned along the shoreline adjacent to the village. Because the boats were often in poor condition no attempts were made during this project to remove any of the canoes, and after excavation they were reburied. The Newnan's Lake canoes are an exciting archaeological discovery, and analysis of the data collected will provide a better understanding of the construction and use of prehistoric canoes in Florida. In March, 2001, the outstanding significance of the site was officially recognized by its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
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The Okahumkee, a small steamer with an enclosed paddlewheel that was used to take passengers from the Ocklawaha river, making stops at Micanopy, Gainesville and at the beautiful Silver Springs, one of the world's most recognizable tourist destinations in the late 1800's. |