Georgia Natural Wonder #112 - Banks Lake - Lanier County. 1,638

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Georgia Natural Wonder #112 - Banks Lake - Lanier County

The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 4,049 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Lanier County, Georgia. Banks Lake is a natural pocosin or sink of ancient geologic origin. The refuge was established in 1985 for the protection and conservation of this unique environment as well as migratory and resident wildlife.



An estimated 20,000 people visit the refuge each year. There is no dedicated budget or staff for the refuge; it is administered completely by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

History

Banks Lake is a natural pocosin or mill pond probably created by tidal action of the ocean and shaped by a more temperate climate thousands of years ago.



In the mid-19th century, Joshua Lee built a low-level dam across the drainage creek on his property and utilized the impounded running water to power a grist mill to grind corn, wheat, and rice. The impounded lake and accompanying mill established the area as a trade center along the early stagecoach route between Waycross, Georgia and Thomasville, Georgia.



Joshua Lee was born in Georgetown South Carolina. His parents were Moses Lee and Sarah Guilford. Joshua married Martha Ford born 1780 in South Carolina. It is said that Joshua's parents moved to Wilkes Ga. At this time burial records for them cannot be located. Joshua and Martha moved to Georgia in 1808. Their first residence in Georgia was in Pulaski Co. Joshua served in the war of 1812 as Captain. He joined a militia stationed at Fort Green.



After the war Martha and Joshua moved to Lowndes Co. They were some of the first settlers in the area. They built a large plantation and grist mill. In older years the plantation was sold and Joshua and Martha moved to Clinch Co. They had 6 children.



In the 1920s, the Eurith Dickinson Rivers family attempted to develop the area around the lake for electric power and land development.



In the 1970s, the E.D. Rivers Estate threatened to drain the lake and harvest the "lightered stumps" and cypress trees.



The Nature Conservancy purchased the land from the E.D. Rivers Estate on March 14, 1980. In April, 1980, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a lease agreement with The Nature Conservancy for management and operation of Banks Lake. On February 22, 1985, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased Banks Lake from The Nature Conservancy and redesignated it as the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Topography

Of the 4,049 acres of Banks lake Refuge, approximately 1,000 acres is open water. The remainder consists of marsh, hardwood swamp, and uplands.



Facilities

Fishing is permitted year-round on the lake in accordance with Georgia State fishing laws. Sportfish most caught include largemouth bass, chain pickerel, crappie, bluegill, warmouth perch, flier, and catfish.





A short walking trail, boardwalk and platform are provided for wildlife viewing opportunities.





A concession, the Banks Lake Outdoors, rents canoes and kayaks and sells fishing and hunting licenses, bait and tackle, gifts, and snacks.

From the Official Site

The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1985 under the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965.  The refuge lies in the Grand Bay–Banks Lake (GBBL) ecosystem, an area that comprises the second-largest freshwater wetland system in Georgia. The GBBL area contains a number of unique ecological systems that support a variety of plants and animals, including freshwater and terrestrial federal- and state-listed species.



The refuge’s most notable feature is Banks Lake, a shallow blackwater lake studded with cypress trees that supports many fish species, as well as other aquatic animals. It was formed when the Carolina Bay that makes up most of the refuge was dammed over 150 years ago.  The refuge contains a variety of habitat types, including cypress swamp, freshwater marsh, uplands, and open water. 


Banks Lake is a premiere place to watch the rising moon, or the setting sun.


The Banks Lake Youth Fishing Derby gives young anglers a chance to snag a big fish and a trophy, as well as have fun with activities afterwards.


An alligator's eyes glow red under a flashlight at night.  Alligators typically hunt at night in the warm months, but they are opportunistic and will take whatever comes their way.


Ospreys were among the raptors losing populations due to the pesticide DDT in the 1960's and 1970's.  Their populations have rebounded since DDT was banned, and these magnificent birds of prey are commonly seen and heard near shallow water.


Sandhill cranes migrate from their breeding grounds in northern states, and can sometimes congregate in large groups.  Typically, though, they are seen around Banks Lake in small family groups.


The presence of cypress in a lake indicates areas of shallower water, and Banks Lake is rimmed with 1,644 acres of cypress swamp. White water lilies dot these shallow waters in the warm months, their fragrant flowers opening in the morning and closing by mid-afternoon.


Beards of Spanish moss hang from the cypress, giving a primeval and oh-so-Southern feel to this swampy lake.


The center of the lake is much deeper, and 900 acres of it is open water with very few trees and several small, floating islands.


It tends to be windier on the open water, but you can get good views of the A-10 Thunderbolt Warthogs firing Gatling guns at ground targets from nearby Moody Air Force Base.

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Lanier County has long been known as a “Fisherman’s Paradise.” Whether your choice is 12,000 acre Banks Lake or any part of the 60-miles of the Alapaha River that travels through the county on its way to the Suwannee River you will not be disappointed.

Robert Simpson Nature Trail

Robert Simpson Nature Trail area is a pristine environment with abundant plant life, natural bogs and fishing opportunities on Lake Irma. The Robert Simpson III Nature Trail was dedicated in August 2001 in Lakeland, Georgia in recognition of the contributions made by the late Robert Simpson to the community and across the state. Mr. Simpson was a farmer and local businessman who frequently served his community. Prior to his death, Mr. Simpson initiated plans to develop the 75 acre tract as a multi-purpose park to provide environmental and conservation education to schools, the community, and tourists.



The trail is located within the city limits of Lakeland and is immediately downstream from Lake Irma, another public area. The nearly pristine bottomland site has mixed pine and hardwood species, many which are well over 100 years old and a diverse under story. The project is a result of the joint efforts of many individuals, groups, and local state and federal agencies. Funding for the project was approved from several grant proposals developed by Seven Rivers RC&D, the local NRCS staff, and the South Georgia RDC, as well as individual and business contributions. The walking trail entrance is at the Lake Irma dam one block from downtown on N Temple Street.Daily dawn-dusk. Admission is Free. Phone: 229-482-9755 Address: N Temple St., Lakeland Georgia 31635

Robert Simpson Mountain Bike Trail

Located on GA 135 just north of downtown Lakeland. The property backs up to the Nature Trail on Temple St. The trail is open daily from dawn to dusk. For more information call the Chamber at 482-9755.



Alapaha River Canoe and Kayak Trail

A concrete boat ramp is located on east of Lakeland on GA 37 gives boaters access to the river. The entrance is on the south side of the highway.



Tangent Lanier County

Lanier County, in southern Georgia, is the state's 157th county. Named for the Georgia poet Sidney Lanier, we already did tangents on Sidney Lanier with Brunswick GNW # 63 and Macon GNW #66 (Part 2) and White County GNW #77 (Part 2).



This County created by Acts of the Legislature of Aug. 11, 1919 & Aug. 7, 1920 is named for Sidney Lanier, poet of Georgia. Lanier was born in Macon Feb. 3, 1842 and practiced law there with his father after graduating from Oglethorpe Univ. then at Milledgeville. He married Mary Day of Macon in ‘67 after serving in the Confederate Army and being captured while commanding a blockade runner. In ‘73 he moved to Baltimore and lectured at Johns Hopkins.



He died at Lynn, N.C. Sept. 7, 1881. Among his famous poems are “The Marshes of Glynn” & “Song of the Chattahoochee.”



The county was created in 1920 with land taken from Berrien, Clinch, and Lowndes counties. Its 187 square miles were formerly held by Creek Indians. The county is home to several lakes, including Banks Lake, Grand Bay Lake, and Lake Irma.


A woman drives a carriage in Lanier County, circa 1900. Industrialization drove the development of the county's two main communities during the nineteenth century. Alapaha (later Lakeland, the county seat) began as a mill village, while Registerville (later Stockton) was a railroad town.

In the first part of the nineteenth century, settler Joshua Lee built a dam on his land across Banks Lake's drainage creek to power a gristmill. Lee's mill, a three-story building, became the center of trade along the stagecoach route between Thomasville and Waycross. As other mills and businesses grew up around Lee's mill, a village developed that was named Alapaha by residents, after the nearby Alapaha River. In 1832 the community took the name Milltown because of the number of mills nearby.


Milltown, Georgia, circa 1906. Main street looking east from the corner of Mies Street (Valdosta Road).

In 1848, Joshua Lee sold his mill to William Lastinger. In the 1850s, additional mills were established in the area and the population of the community continued to grow.


One of dozens of murals situated throughout the city of Lakeland, this one depicts the mill house built around 1848-50 by William Lastinger.

During the American Civil, William Lastinger sold his mill to Henry Banks. Milltown was incorporated in 1901. In 1919, Milltown was designated seat of the newly formed Lanier County.



When the town incorporated as a city in 1925, its name was changed to Lakeland, reflecting its proximity to several lakes. Today Lakeland is the county seat for Lanier County. The first courthouse, built in 1921, was replaced in 1973 by the current courthouse.



The community of Stockton, incorporated from 1876, when it was still in Clinch County, until 1995, was originally called Registerville. It took its present name from a railroad official who oversaw the grading of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad through the town.



The county's economy has remained rural in nature, but the educational, health, and social service sector was the largest employment category. Factors contributing to this economy include the presence of Moody Air Force Base (shared by Lanier and Lowndes counties), the several lakes and nature reserve, the hospital, and a large state correctional facility.

Notable residents of Lanier County include Eurith Dickinson Rivers, who served as governor of Georgia from 1937 to 1941. See tangent above.



Historic sites include Governor Rivers's house, which was moved from its original spot on Banks Lake to West Main Street in Lakeland in the early 1980s;



Home of Governor E.D. Rivers (1895-1967)

Eurith Dickinson Rivers was governor of Georgia from 1937 to 1941. He actively supported President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Program. Rivers’ innovative leadership produce Georgia’s first Department of Public Welfare, free school books, the State Highway Patrol, and modernization of the state highway system. Born in Arkansas, Rivers married Lucile Lashley in 1914 and moved with his family to Milltown (later Lakeland) in 1920 to practice law. He is buried in Lakeland. Built in 1940 on the shores of Banks lake, the ranch style house, designed by Frank Byrd, was relocated to this site in the early 1980s.



Union Baptist Church, located near Georgia Highway 135;



Union Baptist Church, on the Alapaha River one-half mile West on this road, was constituted October 21, 1825, the first church in the old area of Irwin County.The original members were: William A. Knight, his wife, Sarah; Jonathan Knight, his wife, Elizabeth; Joshua Lee, his wife, Martha; James Patten, his wife, Elizabeth; Mary Knight; Josiah Sirmans, deacon.The Rev. Matthew Albritton served the church as its first minister.



The Lanier County High School (1925) is significant as an unusual and distinctive example…of eclectic early 20th century architecture.



Gabled - Ell House 1905.



Queen Anne Style House.



Jones Hotel 1906. You can’t miss this landmark when you’re in Lakeland. It stands out in a town full of beautiful homes but it’s so lovingly maintained that it doesn’t feel imposing.



And Fender Cemetery, located east of Lakeland at the junction of U.S. 221 and Georgia 37 on land that once belonged to David Fender. The site of the cemetery, in which many of the area's first settlers are buried, was chosen so that mourners would not have to ferry their dead across the river for burial.



Fender Cemetery

A short distance East on this road is Fender Cemetery, in which are buried many of the first settlers of the area of old Lowndes County lying East of the Alapaha River, from Union Church. This location for the Cemetery was chosen because of the inconvenience of ferrying the bodies of the dead across the river for burial. As the grounds were on lands of David Fender, the cemetery was given his family name. The earliest marked grave is that of Josiah Sirmans, one of the organizers of Union Church, who died Jan. 6, 1830. Fender Cemetery was first in Lowndes, then in Clinch, and is now in Lanier County.



Also, the "Murals of Milltown," which depict community life in the 1920s, grace the exteriors of buildings in downtown Lakeland.



According to the 2010 census, the population of Lanier County is 10,078, an increase from the 2000 population of 7,241.



Numerous festivals are held in the county throughout each year, one of which is the Flatlanders Frolic Arts and Crafts Show. This event features bluegrass music, a road race and various other Labor Day weekend events.



Also held in Lanier County is the Living Murals Celebration, held in the spring.





And most recently the Georgia Deep Woods Deerfest, a festival featuring wild game suppers and firearms giveaways.


Our GNW Gals of the day love their venison.