By Victor Block
Crystal River, Florida, a village perched on the state's west coast, has a human population of about 3,400 people. During the winter months they're joined by more than 400 manatees. Those large, droll-looking mammals — sometimes referred to as sea cows — are attracted by the proliferation of warm spring-fed waters in the area.
Tourism based on watching the manatees loll about in their natural habitat has grown into the area's major business, and the manatees are fascinating and fun. But visitors focused on manatee moments are often unaware of a number of other attributes that warrant a visit to the destination.
One is its prehistoric past. Scientists have discovered the bones of rhinoceroses and mastodons that lived there during the Pleistocene era — the geological time span that lasted from about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. They also have uncovered shells of a giant armadillo and an unusually large land tortoise.
Much more recently, around 500 B.C., those life forms were followed by Native Americans who hung out along the Crystal River. They're recalled at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park, which is one of the longest continuously occupied sites in Florida, having served as an Indigenous ceremonial center for 1,600 years. People traveled there from far away to conduct trade and bury their dead. Reminders of that time include pre-Columbian burial mounds, temple sites and a plaza area.
Fast-forward to the mid-1800s, when immigrant settlers began to set up homesteads. Following the Civil War, an influx of people from states to the north who were attracted by the mild climate began to arrive, build plantation houses and plant citrus-tree groves. When the railroad arrived in 1888, so did tourists, many of whom were attracted by the outstanding sport fishing in the area.
Today, in addition to the resident manatees, a variety of other attractions also await discovery. Along with its Native American lore, the Crystal River park borders a large area of pinewoods, hardwood forests, salt marshes and mangrove islands. This is one of Florida's most biologically diverse estuaries, where fresh water from spring-fed rivers mixes with the Gulf of Mexico's saltwater.
Much of the park remains unchanged, and what I experienced offers a glimpse of what this area of Florida looked like centuries ago. A visit to the Heritage Village complex is like a journey back through time. Each cottage, shop and other building has its own tale to tell, showcasing the lifestyle of different historical periods — predominantly as a fishing village characterized by "cracker" architecture.
That style was popular during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Typical design features included low wood-frame houses, large wraparound porches and shuttered windows to help cool the rooms. It is believed that the term "cracker" refers to either the sound that was made by whips used by early settlers to herd their cattle or cracked corn, which was an ingredient in distilling moonshine whiskey.
Along with manatees, inhabitants of the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park include whooping cranes, black bears, bobcats, red wolves and the endangered Florida panther. An amazing variety of fish also congregate there, and visitors can view them from an underwater observatory.
It's a troop of monkeys that occupies a tiny island in the Homosassa River and entertains humans watching from shore or on passing boats. This pint-sized paradise for primates has a small lighthouse and other structures and is strewn with toys for its residents.
The lifestyle of a typical agricultural estate comes alive at the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park. The site once was part of a 5,000-acre sugar plantation operated with the labor of enslaved people during the 1800s. The park features remnants of a steam-driven mill that processed sugarcane into syrup, molasses and rum: a 40-foot limestone masonry chimney, iron gears and a cane press. The mill operated from 1851 to 1864, served as a supplier of sugar products for Southern troops during the Civil War and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This page of history joins many others, along with a long list of naturally beautiful attractions and appealing activities, to augment reasons to visit Crystal River. And oh, yes, the amusing aquatic creatures for which the area is most well-known are there too.
WHEN YOU GO
For more information: crystalriverfl.org.
Victor Block is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
"Cracker houses" are popular dwellings in Crystal River, Florida. Photo courtesy of Miroslav Liska/Dreamsrtime.com.
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