The Ochlockonee River ( ) is a fast running river, except where it has been dammed to form Lake Talquin in Florida, originating in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

and flowing for before terminating in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

Background

The name is from the Hitchiti language words for yellow river. The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

in Worth County in southwest Georgia and empties into

Ochlockonee Bay The Ochlockonee River ( ) is a fast running river, except where it has been dammed to form Lake Talquin in Florida, originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida. Background The name is from the Hitchiti language words ...

and then

Apalachee Bay Apalachee Bay is a bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico occupying an indentation of the Florida coast to the west of where the Florida peninsula joins the United States mainland. It is bordered by Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla, and Franklin c ...

. The river forms the western boundaries of Leon County and Wakulla County and eastern boundaries of

Gadsden County Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826. Its county seat is Quincy. Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

, Liberty County, and Franklin County in Florida. It flows through the Red Hills, the Jackson Bluff Dam,

Talquin State Forest Lake Talquin is a reservoir located on the Ochlockonee River between Leon County and Gadsden County in north Florida. The lake, located about 10 miles (15 km) west of Tallahassee, is south of Interstate 10 and bordered by State Road 20 on t ...

, Lake Talquin State Park and the Apalachicola National Forest, and past Ochlockonee River State Park, where it is tidally influenced and a mixture of fresh, brackish, and salt water, on the way to its terminus in Ochlockonee Bay, which then empties into

, with tidal influences extending upstream over from the river's mouth.Boning, Charles R. 2007. ''Florida's Rivers''. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc.

History

When the Spanish arrived in northern Florida, the Ochlockonee River formed the western boundary of their

Apalachee Province Apalachee Province was the area in the Panhandle of the present-day U.S. state of Florida inhabited by the Native American peoples known as the Apalachee at the time of European contact. The southernmost extent of the Mississippian culture, the ...

. Late 17th-century Spanish documents refer to the river as Claraquachine and Amarillo (Spanish for "yellow"). A 1716 Spanish document called it Rio de Lagna (''lagna'' is probably Apalachee for "yellow"). An English map from 1720 identifies it as the Yellow River. A 1778 map spells the river's name "Okalockney", while one from 1856 has it as "Oklokonee". The modern name probably derives from the Hitchiti/Mikasuki ''Oki'' (water) and ''Lagana'' (yellow). From 1839 to 1842, Fort Virginia Braden was established on the river located at Fort Braden in

. The fort was named after the commander's wife who died of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

The Civil War

The Ochlockonee River saw action during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. On 15 July 1863, the screw steamer gunboat USS ''Stars and Stripes'' and wooden side-wheel steam ferryboat USS ''Somerset'' attacked the

salt works A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The Salt pans are shallow and large of size because it will be easier for sunlight to travel and reach the sea water. Natural sa ...

at Mashes Sands. On 29 December 1863, ''Stars and Stripes'' sank the blockade-running

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

''Caroline Gertrude'', aground on the sandbar at the mouth of the Ochlockonee. ''Stars and Stripes'' also captured the blockade-running steamer ''Laura'' off the Ochlockonee on 18 January 1864. On 19 and 20 October 1864, ''Stars and Stripes'' destroyed an extensive Confederate fishery at Mashes Island and captured the troops stationed there as guards.

Jackson Bluff Dam

In 1927 the Jackson Bluff Dam was constructed on the Ochlockonee River to produce hydroelectric power. The waters held back by the dam formed Lake Talquin.

Importance

The Ochlockonee River corridor is home to many threatened fish, wildlife and plant species. It has been designated under the State of Florida's Outstanding Florida Waters program and has been identified by the

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers a ...

as a Strategic Habitat Conservation Area. Rare animals that can be found along the Ochlockonee include red-cockaded woodpecker, least tern, and the

Apalachicola dusky salamander The Apalachicola dusky salamander (''Desmognathus apalachicolae'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is threatened by habitat loss. Distribution The species is endemic to Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, in the So ...

. The river is especially rich in rare freshwater

mussel Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, whic ...

s (

Unionidae The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids. The range of distribution for this family is world-wide. It is at its most dive ...

), including three federally listed endangered species: the Ochlockonee moccasinshell, the Shinyrayed pocketbook, and the

Oval pigtoe The oval pigtoe (''Pleurobema pyriforme'') is a federally endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This species is endemic to the United States in the states of Georgia, F ...

.Hemming, Jon M. ''et al.'', 2006, Water and sediment quality at mussel (Unionidae) habitats in the Ochlockonee River of Florida and Georgia. Endangered Species Research 2: 37-49. "The Florida maybell tree can be found only along the Ochlockonee and Chipola Rivers. The Ochlockonee is connected to and a source of water for Lake Iamonia, especially during flooding.

Recreation

Fishing for

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, b ...

black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black ...

Bream Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including '' Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), '' Acanthopagrus'', '' Argyrops'', '' Blicca'', '' Brama'', '' Chilotilapia'', ''Etelis'', ' ...

striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has ...

and

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

can be excellent on the Ochlockonee River, and a state-designated canoe trail can be found both upstream and downstream of Lake Talquin.

Telogia Creek Telogia Creek is a waterway in Florida. It is a major tributary of the Ochlockonee River. It is used for canoeing. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) monitors its discharge near Bristol. The stream's water quality is monitored at a site ne ...

and the Little River near State Road 12 are also popular for canoeing. The

Florida National Scenic Trail The Florida Trail is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States. It currently runs , from Big Cypress National Preserve (between Miami and Naples, Florida along the Tamiami Trail) to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashor ...

follows the river for two miles. The Ochlockonee is a vital link in the production of

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus a ...

. During floods, the river transports organic matter downstream into the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

where the shallows of the bay were created by the great volume of sand and clay brought down by the river. This estuary serves as a nursery for numerous species of fish and

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater env ...

which are the basis for recreational and commercial fishing as well as the seafood that this area is known for. Fishing on the Ochlockonee Bay is excellent for

Flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, tho ...

, Redfish, Black Drum, Spotted Sea Trout, Blue Crab and sharks.

Crossings

A number of major highways cross the Ochlockonee River along its course, including

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally ...

and U.S. highways 19, 27, U.S. Route 84 and

319 __NOTOC__ Year 319 ( CCCXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinius (or, less frequently, year 1 ...

Notes

References

External links

Ochlockonee River and Bay
profile and documents from the Northwest Florida Water Management District * {{Authority control American Heritage Rivers Rivers of Florida Rivers of Georgia (U.S. state) Rivers of Franklin County, Florida Bodies of water of Leon County, Florida Rivers of Wakulla County, Florida Bodies of water of Gadsden County, Florida Bodies of water of Liberty County, Florida Rivers of Grady County, Georgia Rivers of Thomas County, Georgia Rivers of Colquitt County, Georgia Rivers of Worth County, Georgia