Prairie Creek History

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

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

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.

 By Lars Anderson