Ponce de Leon Springs State Recreation Area is a Florida State Park in Holmes County, Florida, United States, located in the town of Ponce de Leon. The initial acquisition of the park on September 4, 1970, used funds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund It is rumored that the objective of Ponce de Leon's expedition was to search for a spring that, according to a Taino Indian legend, would restore youth to those who bathed in their waters. The legend contributes to the Ponce de Leon Springs’ unofficial title, “The Fountain of Youth”.
It is believed that the Chisca were once the Yuchi. Hailing from Tennessee, the Yuchi left the Appalachian Highlands due to colonial wars in the 1650s. With a little record of them afterwards, it is believed that the tribe split into distinct groups; those that settled near the Choctawhatchee River became the Chisca, who are now extinct.
The Chatot lived west of the Apalachicola River and Chipola River basins. They once had territory spanning from the Chattahoochee River to the Choctawhatchee River. The Chatot were fierce defenders of their land, and are mentioned in a 1639 letter from the governor of Florida, in which he expresses surprise about a peace agreement between the Chatot and another tribe as "[the Chatot] never maintained peace with anybody".
The Civil War
Following the migration of Spanish settlers to Florida, the springs quickly generated considerable attraction. The clear waters were popular for fishing, drinking, and swimming. In 1840, a log hotel was established, drawing several families into this area. The water is approximately 20 ft. deep at the spring's head, where a vent concentrates groundwater discharge to the surface. Like other parts of the Floridan aquifer, the water remains a constant 68 °F.
The springs' topography ranges from sloping to level, with streams collecting their drainage from the slopes, these stream systems of the Choctawhatchee River, River Valley Province, and the Coastal Lowlands Province. This system is a part of the principal artesian aquifer, "the largest, oldest, and deepest aquifer in the southeastern U.S". The aquifer spans 100,000 mi<sup>2</sup>, across four states in the southeast U.S.
Flora
The state park protects the habitat of four rare species of pitcher plants—the parrot, purple, red, and trumpet-leaf—along the wetland areas. It also protects the habitats of other plant species, including the flame azalea, the mountain laurel, and the longleaf pine, while simultaneously preserving 40+ acres of historic turpentine woodlands. Plants found in the upland portions include rhododendron, red chokeberry, milkweed, hickory, huckleberry, blazing star, aster, oaks, pines, and blueberry.
(b) Capturing, trapping, or injuring a wild animal.
(c) Collecting plant or animal specimens.
(d) Leaving the designated public roads in a vehicle.
(e) Hunting.
Accessibility
Access to Ponce De León Springs is from north of Interstate 10 in Ponce de León, Florida, off Holmes County Road 181A, which is accessed by way of U.S. 90. These tours are bike accessible, as well as walkable.
See also
- Juan Ponce de León
- The Fountain of Youth
- Spring (hydrology)
- Floridan Aquifer