The Big Bend of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, is an informally named geographic region of

North Florida North Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regi ...

where the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

transitions to the Florida Peninsula south and east of Tallahassee (the area's principal city). The region is known for its vast woodlands and marshlands and its low population density relative to much of the state. The area is home to the largest single spring in the United States, the Alapaha Rise, and the longest surveyed underwater cave in the United States, the Wakulla- Leon Sinks cave system. The related Big Bend Coast region includes the marshy coast without

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

s that extends along the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

from the Ocklockonee River to Anclote Key. Florida's Nature Coast region is included in the Big Bend Coast.

Geography

The Big Bend region is located at the northern end of Apalachee Bay along the broad arc of land where the predominantly east–west coastline of the Florida Panhandle connects to the predominantly north–south geography of the Florida Peninsula. It stretches eastward from the Forgotten Coast past the

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

of the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrog ...

, with some definitions extending the southwestern end as far as the edge of the

Tampa Bay area The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, Clea ...

. Inland areas are often covered with woodlands and marshes around the southward- and southwestward-trending rivers draining towards the Gulf of Mexico. The Big Bend region includes the area between the Apalachicola and Suwannee Rivers historically called Middle Florida. North Florida's portion of the Red Hills Region is located within the Big Bend region. The Big Bend Coast either contains or is coterminous with the Nature Coast. Coastal areas such as the Woodville Karst Plain exhibit drowned

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

topography covered with

salt marsh A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...

es and feature numerous freshwater springs and

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

Sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are also known as shakeholes, and to openings where surface water ...

subterranean river A subterranean river (also known as an underground river) is a river or watercourse that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground, one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow ...

s, and underwater caves (such as the connected Wakulla Cave and Leon Sinks system) are common. The area has little or no sand or mud. No barrier islands exist between the Ocklockonee River and Anclote Key, and the karst topography of the area has produced an irregular, frequently exposed,

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...

surface. Due to the width of the adjacent

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...

(over ), low gradient slope of the coast (1:5000), and shelter from the usual wind direction of storms, the Big Bend Coast is generally subject to low wave energy, but it is subject to storm surges. The region is traversed by numerous rivers, such as the Suwannee,

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

, Santa Fe, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and St. Marks Rivers. A number of these rivers have subterranean stretches, vanishing into the ground before reappearing hundreds or thousands of feet away. In addition to Tallahassee, other significant cities and towns in the region include Apalachicola, St. Marks, Carrabelle,

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

, Steinhatchee, and Cedar Key.

Springs

The Big Bend region is known for its springs. The area's karst topography is conducive to spring formation, and many of the resulting springs are protected by the state, including several designated as Outstanding Florida Springs. The largest single spring in the United States, the Alapaha Rise, is located in the region near the confluence of the Suwannee River and Alapaha River. Other area springs include Wakulla Springs, St. Marks Spring, Wacissa Springs, Aucilla Spring, Madison Blue Springs, Ichetucknee Springs, Suwannee Springs, Hart Springs, Ginnie Springs, Fanning Springs, Manatee Springs, Otter Springs, Troy Spring, Rainbow Springs, Homosassa Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs.

Member counties

Definitions of the Big Bend region vary, with some sources identifying the region as only containing a few Florida

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

near Apalachee Bay and Tallahassee and others extending to include many counties along the coast and some inland counties as well. The Big Bend Coast extends approximately from Ocklockonee River to Anclote Key. Visit Florida, the state's official tourism marketing corporation, uses varying definitions of the region, including just four counties, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties, in one definition, and 12 counties, including Levy, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette, Suwannee, Columbia,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

, Union,

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

, and Putnam counties, in another. Private agencies that self-identify as serving the Big Bend region often include Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon,

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

, Madison, Taylor and Wakulla counties in their service areas.

History

Lake Jackson Braden Style Birdman Plate HRoe 2016

Archeological evidence from the Page–Ladson site on the Aucilla River suggests human presence in the Big Bend region began over 14,000 years ago, during the last ice age when sea level was up to lower than present. Members of the

Clovis culture The Clovis culture is an archaeological culture from the Paleoindian period of North America, spanning around 13,050 to 12,750 years Before Present (BP). The type site is Blackwater Draw locality No. 1 near Clovis, New Mexico, where stone too ...

(known for their distinctive arrow points) and Norwood culture (known for introducing pottery) visited or occupied sites in the area. By the

Woodland period In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact i ...

around 1,000 BCE, many burial mounds and shell middens had been constructed, such as at Lake Jackson. There is evidence of habitation at the Crystal River Site by 500 BCE, and the site was possibly inhabited for 1,600 years – one of the longest continually occupied sites in Florida. The Big Bend region includes the Apalachee Province, home of the Apalachee people, the southernmost extent of the

Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a collection of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building la ...

. The Apalachee capital Anhaica was located in what is now Tallahassee. In 1528, the Narváez expedition traveled through the region, and

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...

set up camp at Anhaica in 1539 (driving the inhabitants off in the process). The region became part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

's territory of

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...

. Spanish colonial forces constructed wooden fortifications at Fort San Marcos de Apalache south of modern-day Tallahassee in 1679, and by 1763 had partially completed a stone fortress on the site. The region's transfer to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

by the 1763 Treaty of Paris (becoming part of

East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...

) resulted in the fort gaining the name Fort St. Marks, before returning to Spanish control when they reclaimed the territory between the Apalachicola and Suwannee Rivers in either 1783 or 1785. The fort later fell into

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and then

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

hands (renamed Fort Ward) before being abandoned in 1865. San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park now contains the site. The region was known as a center for chattel slavery prior to the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Fugitive slaves settled along the Apalachicola River and formed a refuge at Negro Fort in the early 19th century; when the fort was attacked and destroyed early in the Seminole War in 1816, all African-American survivors were returned to slavery. Middle Florida, located between the Apalachicola and Suwannee Rivers, had a slavery-dominated agricultural economy. Numerous cotton plantations in Leon County utilized enslaved people as laborers, and by 1860 73% of the county's population was enslaved. In the lead-up to the war Leon County produced more cotton than any other Florida county. Stmarkslh1867

As the site of important seaports and fisheries, the Big Bend Coast saw several lighthouses constructed in the 19th century. St. Marks Light, the second-oldest light station in Florida, originally consisted of a tower constructed between 1829 and 1831; after it was threatened by erosion the surviving second lighthouse was built in 1842. Three successive Dog Island Lights were built between 1839 and 1851, with the last tower collapsing in 1873; the location was ultimately abandoned and the Crooked River Light built at Carrabelle to replace it in 1895. The Cedar Key Light at Seahorse Key was completed and lit in 1854, and is the oldest standing lighthouse on the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. The Big Bend was part of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

's territory during the American Civil War. The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought when Union forces attempted to capture Fort Ward by crossing a natural bridge over the St. Marks River. A small Confederate defending force, including students from the Florida Military and Collegiate Institute (which would later become

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

), held the bridge and prevented Union troops from attacking the fort. Historic industries in the region included forestry, fishing, cotton plantation agriculture, and shipping of these products (from ports such as Cedar Key and St. Marks).

Recreation

The Big Bend region's forested character, numerous waterways, and extensive coastline provide many opportunities for recreation. The Florida Trail passes through the Big Bend region, including portions of the Panhandle and Northern sections. Other trails include the

Nature Coast State Trail The Nature Coast State Trail (NCST) is a 31.7-mile long segment of Florida's Statewide System of Greenways and Trails System built along abandoned railroad tracks, and designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Recreation Tra ...

, the Cross Florida Greenway, the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail, and the

. The Great Florida Birding Trail contains several sites in the region. Portions of

Apalachicola National Forest The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida. It encompasses and is the only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle. The National Forest provides water and land-based outdoors activiti ...

are located within the Big Bend region, along with several of Florida's

National Wildlife Refuge The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior, Department of the Interi ...

s. A number of Florida state parks are located within the region, including Bald Point State Park, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, St. Marks River State Park, Econfina River State Park, Forest Capital Museum State Park, Manatee Springs State Park, Cedar Key Museum State Park, Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park, Crystal River Archaeological State Park, Crystal River Preserve State Park, and Weeki Wachee Springs State Park.

Transportation

Major highways traversing the Big Bend region include

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

, Interstate 75, U.S. Route 19 (and its spur route U.S. Route 319), U.S. Route 27, U.S. Route 90, and U.S. Route 98. The Big Bend Scenic Byway is a marked route through Franklin, Leon, and Wakulla counties, and the Apalachee Savannahs Scenic Byway also traverses the region. Numerous state and local routes serve the region, including Florida State Road 12, Florida State Road 20, Florida State Road 24, Florida State Road 51, Florida State Road 59, and Florida State Road 65. Scheduled airline service is available at Tallahassee International Airport. Smaller

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airports include Apalachicola Regional Airport, Perry-Foley Airport, Carrabelle–Thompson Airport, and George T. Lewis Airport. The Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad is headquartered in Tallahassee and provides freight rail service across part of the Big Bend region.

References