Okefenokee

Today as I paddled off into the swamp, I could not help but think back to my school days in the red dirt country. Sometimes being alone in a small boat has that effect on me, it reminds me of simpler times.

As I was growing up, we could not wait to reach the fourth grade, because in fourth grade, and most especially if you had the right teacher, you got to learn about Georgia history. Now, people now days will be wondering what was so exciting about that. Well, we got to go on field trips to local sites of historical interest, through out that year. As I came from a long line of school teachers, I wound up in the best fourth grade class with the best teacher of that day.

So, what has this to do with a blog on the Okefenokee, well here it is. I still have a copy of my fourth grade history book, which I inherited from my Grandmother, and the following is what us red dirt kids were taught about the Okefenokee.

"++++++OKEFENOKEE SWAMP+++++++++

Okefenokee swamp is the second largest swamp land in the United States, It is a huge jungle land near Waycross. There are twenty one islands in the swamp. Lakes are scattered about. Two prairies spread for miles in the swamp.
Indians named the swamp Okefenokee. Okefenokee means "trembling earth." The swamp land was so wet that the earth trembled when people walked on the land. Huge trees shook as the Indians walked.
Long ago, Indians used the swamp as a hiding place. Whenever they did anything wrong, they went to live in the swamp. It made a safe place for the Indian to stay.
In the swamp, the night is never quite. Voices scream and howl and call to each other. The swamp is alive with animals and birds. Alligators, fish and snakes live in the water. Deer, bears, wildcats, and many other animals live on the islands. After a warm rain the frogs make wild music. The swamp people call the frog music the Song of Okefenokee.
An old tale is told about the swamp. Just before dawn everything is quite and still, for each animal has gone home. This is the hour when "hants" roam in the swamp country. Very few living things dare to come out. But with the coming of the sun, nothing is quite. The animals awake. Buzzing sounds come from the forest. Wild cries are heard. Animals Begin leaving their homes.
A white egret can be seen on her nest. The nest is in the edge of the marsh. A large crane can be seen winging her way across the swamp. An old black bear may be seen wobbling down the banks of a stream looking for his breakfast. On the prairie a blue heron can be seen standing on one leg. An old alligator thunders, and from far down the river is an answer. As the thundering call echoes, there is another answer and still another. A cottonmouth moccasin can be seen coiled on a cypress knee, waiting for a sun bath.
Trees of many kinds grow in the swamp. They stand deep in the water. Many of them have been cut for lumber. There are gums, pines, oaks, hollies, bays, and cypresses. The cypresses are queer looking trees. They look like great bottles rising out of the water. Strange looking knees stick up from the trees above the water to breath for the trees. The trees spread out over the swamp like huge umbrellas. The leaves are so thick that the sun can hardly shine through.
Gray moss hanging from the trees is used by the flower nurseries in packing and shipping plants. People who make furniture use it in making chairs.
Hundreds of plants grow in the swamp. Tall trees grow above the smaller plants. Palm fans grow beneath the trees because they do not need much sun, The palms have long white blooms. They have black fruit. All kinds of berries grow there.
There is a lather bush that is sometimes called a leather bush. Its leaves can be used for soap. When the leaves are crushed, they will lather in water.
Here the Cherokee rose grows. It is here the Seminole brave brought the Cherokee maiden to live. It was this maiden who planted the rose spray from her father's cabin.
Since 1936, the Okefenokee has been a national park. Tourists from all parts of the country visit the swamp.
Some people live in the swamp all year. They make their living by fishing. They have built fishing camps on the larger islands. People may spend the night in the cabins. People who live in the swamp act as their guides,
Scientists go there because it is a reservation for wildlife. They want to study the plants and animals.
The Okefenokee is one of the most interesting places in Georgia. It is on of the Seven Wonders of the state."

The book was titled "Our Georgia" copyrighted 1950.

I can't make this stuff up, and I can't top it, but if you want to see the real deal and learn some real history, get in touch.

Old Captains ends.