St Johns River, Florida
N 29° 38.670 W 081° 37.049
17R E 440233 N 3279553
A scenic overlook of the St Johns River. Perhaps if we still lived in Biblical times John the Baptist would Baptize people here.
Waymark Code: WM2NMW
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2007
Views: 64
More than 100,000 years ago, the area of land that now comprises the river was connected to the Atlantic Ocean for most, if not all, of its length, making the river nothing more than an extended system of lagoons and tributaries. As the ocean levels dropped, barrier islands and reef formations effectively walled off the system of lagoons from the ocean, forming the river. This unusual geologic past explains why a river of this size arose with such little drop in elevation from source to mouth (30 feet over 310 miles).
The river basin was the home to the native Timucua tribes, who called it Welaka, or "river of lakes".
In the early 1500s, Spanish explorers called the river Río de Corrientes, or "river of currents".
An expedition of French Huguenots landed at the mouth of the river on May 1, 1562, and thus called it Rivière du Mai, or "river of May". In 1564, a bluff overlooking this site (St. Johns Bluff) became the location of Fort Caroline, the first French colony in North America.
A Catholic mission named San Juan del Puerto was founded on Fort George Island near the river's mouth around 1578, and in time the river came to be known as Río de San Juan. This was translated St. Johns River in English, and this name has remained intact through colonization, war, and the creation of the United States.
Bible verse: Mark Chapter 1 verse 1-11
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Visit Instructions:
Photos of the visitor with the waymarked feature in the background are strongly encouraged. If you're camera shy, nice photos of just the waymark target are fine.