Georgia Natural Wonder #120 – Satilla River. 1,039

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #120 – Satilla River

Looking for one last good swamp area of South Georgia and I found the Satilla River with several descriptions of floats along 17 Mile Creek and several boardwalks in two separate State Parks. I may have to break the State Parks down one day into separate GNW’s. It will be too much to tangent on any of the 15 counties impacted by the Satilla and its tributaries. We will tangent a bit on the State Parks but let’s get started.



The Satilla River rises in Ben Hill County, Georgia, near the town of Fitzgerald, and flows in a mostly easterly direction to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its approximately 235-mile course are the cities of Waycross, Waynesville, and Woodbine.



The Satilla drains almost 4,000 square miles of land, all of it in the coastal plain of southeastern Georgia.



"The Satilla River has the distinction of being the largest black water river situated entirely within Georgia. With a dignified and tranquil pace, it oozes along beneath a wooded canopy, bypassing Waycross and the Okefenokee Swamp before looping south to meet the Atlantic at St. Andrew Sound.



Undergrowth is thick and luxurious, with swamp cyrilla and azalea setting the reflective river aflame with color in the early spring. Glistening white sandbars occupy the insides of turns and provide resting spots for the traveler, while birds, reptiles, and other animals hurry about their business in the swamp."



The Little Satilla River runs through a forest of swamp black gum, sweet bay, pine, and cypress confine this brownish-red stream as it winds an intricate southeastwardly path to the main Satilla. Unlike its larger namesake, which displays massive white-sand bars at low water, the Little Satilla charms by displaying the same scenery on a more intimate scale—making it ideal for paddle craft and little else.



Over 10 miles of the river pass through state-owned lands, resulting in an isolated wilderness paddling experience. Small bluffs grace the streamside from time to time and provide good high-water camping areas. Unlike the main Satilla, sandbars are comparatively rare."



History

The river derives its name from a Spanish officer named Saint Illa, and over time the name was corrupted to form the word Satilla.



In early times, the Satilla River Basin was known for abundant game, and fur trappers tried their skills along the riverbanks.



A pre-Revolutionary War fort, known as Burnt Fort, is located where the GA 252 bridge crosses the Satilla River. Burnt Fort Church and Cemetery are still there.



Historically, the river was part of a large transportation and subsistence network for the expansive Creek Indian Nation.

Georgraphy

The Satilla River Basin is composed primarily of the Satilla River, Little Satilla River, and Turtle River. Some major waterways in the basin include the Alapaha River, Seventeen Mile Creek and Hurricane Creek.



The Satilla River Basin includes part or all of 15 Georgia counties; however, only two are entirely within the basin. Waycross and Wray are two cities located in the basin.

Ecology

The Satilla River is a blackwater stream consisting of tannins and other natural leachates, which cause the river to have a darkly stained appearance and have unique physical and chemical characteristics and dissolved oxygen characteristics.



There are 52 species of fish that live in the Satilla River Basin and together they represent 16 families. Species diversity is limited by acidic water, low alkalinity, extreme variation in flows, and the relatively homogenous habitat present through most of the river.The Satilla River supplies major fisheries for redbreast sunfish and catfish.



The banded top minnow is a rare species that occurs in the basin.

Energy Uses

Georgia Power Company operates its fossil-fueled Plant McManus by withdrawing water from the Turtle River in the Satilla River Basin.


Plant McManus comes tumbling down in May 2017. Imploded in a huge cloud of dust and smoke is more like it. A series of explosives detonated promptly at 9 a.m. and in just a few seconds, a building and the adjacent 180-foot-high smoke stack that had stood for 65 years at the end of Crispen Boulevard in Glynn County was a pile of rubble.

Impoundments

The Satilla River is a free-flowing river, unimpeded by dams.



State Parks

The Laura Walker State Park’s namesake was a Georgia writer, teacher, civic leader and naturalist who loved trees and worked for their preservation.

   

One of Waycross’ most distinguished citizens, Mrs. Laura S. Walker, was known for her literary ability, profound interest in mankind, and crusading spirit that launched many movements for the betterment of her community and state. Walker wrote four books about the land and history of her home. They are:

History of Ware County, Georgia 
About "Old Okefenåok"
Doctors of Primitive Times
Horse and Buggy Days of Ware County

Mrs. Walker was born of Colonial ancestry in Milledgeville Georgia, February 28, 1861. She came to Waycross in 1886 as the wife of Dr. J. L. Walker, the former mayor.



Mrs. Walker’s friends included presidents, governors, military leaders and the great leaders of the South. Her home at 502 Gilmore Street was the most visited in Waycross. Mrs. Walker was a teacher, writer and civic leader. She worked tirelessly for land conservation and tried in vain to persuade Ware County officials to buy land for that purpose. Had her advice been followed, the county probably would have never been in debt. She not only advanced the interest of forestry by her talks, but also by writings in the local paper. In the Waycross Journal Herald of December 24, 1924, Mrs. Walker outlined a comprehensive program of forestry activities including forest parks, road side beautification, forestry programs for schools, activities for civic organizations in forestry, and forestry legislation.



Her work in Waycross made history. In 1924, she planned a ceremony on the banks of the Suwannee River marking the centennial of General Floyd’s victorious march through the Okefenokee Swamp. In 1934, she produced a pageant with 800 characters marking the 100th anniversary of Ware County and depicting the historical significance of Waycross. She erected markers and monuments at old trails and historic sites so that history and romance would not be forgotten.



Agricultural developments in Ware County advanced because of her interest. She was responsible for Ware County securing a home demonstration agent and a 4-H club. She also engaged herself in school and church welfare.



Interested in issues faced by African-Americans, she lent her efforts to their progress. She was responsible for the Negro Library. She was a member of the First Methodist Church, Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Waycross Woman’s Club, and other groups.



In the 1930s, the federal government bought land under Depression – Era programs, where some of the eroded, worn out and uneconomical land was purchased from farmers and developed for recreational purposes. The land that became Laura S. Walker State Park; was purchased under a Federal land Use Areas project, and was the first park in Georgia named for a woman. Laura Walker was a National Park until around 1941 when it became the 13th state park of Georgia. It had been built in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps. She died on April 9,1955 following a lengthy illness.



It is the only publicly owned lake in the Satilla River Basin. This blackwater lake is approximately 110 acres in size and has fisheries for largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish, chain pickerel, and flier.



Located near the northern edge of the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp, this park is home to many fascinating creatures and plants. The park’s lake offers opportunities for fishing, swimming and boating, and kayaks and bicycles are available for rent.



Walking along the lake shore and nature trail, visitors may see alligators, carnivorous pitcher plants, the shy gopher tortoise, numerous oak varieties and saw palmettos. More than 100 bird species have been seen at Laura Walker, with the best birding spot being the lakeside trail. Yellow billed cuckoos are common in summer, and yellow shafted flickers, warblers, owls, cattle egrets, little blue herons, glossy ibis and numerous other species also populate the park. It is not uncommon to see 50 wood ducks within an hour.



The Lakes, a championship 18 hole golf course, features a clubhouse, golf pro and junior/senior rates. Greens are undulating rather than tiered. Each fairway and landing area is defined with gentle, links-style mounds that accent the course’s three large lakes.



New Sportsman's Cabins sleep six.



General Coffee State Park is known for interpretation of agricultural history. The park was donated to the state by a group of Coffee County citizens in 1970 and is named after General John Coffee, a planter, U.S. Congressman and military leader. He is sometimes confused by researchers with his first cousin John Coffee, who served as a general in the Tennessee militia with Andrew Jackson and was prominent in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend against the Creeks and the Battle of New Orleans against the British.


Georgia John vs. Tennessee - Alabama John

John E. Coffee (December 3, 1782 – September 25, 1836) was a military leader and a Congressman for the state of Georgia.

Early life

John E. Coffee was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia in 1782. He was a grandson of Peter Coffee, Sr. and Susannah Mathews. Coffee was eighteen when he moved with his family to Hancock County, Georgia, in 1800. His parents developed a cotton plantation near Powelton. In 1807, the younger Coffee settled in Telfair County, Georgia, where he developed his own plantation.

Military career

John E. Coffee of Georgia, just as much a Jackson partisan as his cousin, named the town where he settled Jacksonville. He fought with Jackson in the Seminole wars in Florida and was also Agent for Indian Affairs for the State of Georgia.



As a general in the Georgia state militia, Coffee supervised construction in the 1820s of a supply road through the state of Georgia. It was called "Coffee Road" and enabled the transportation of munitions to the Florida Territory to fight the Indians during the Creek Wars. The road was built from his home in Jacksonville, Georgia, to present-day Madison, Florida, and is still known as The Old Coffee Road.

Political career

John Coffee served as a member of the Georgia Senate from 1819 to 1827. He served in the US Congress during both terms of the Jackson administration. He was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth U.S. Congresses and served from March 4, 1833, until his death on September 25, 1836. He was re-elected to the Twenty-fifth United States Congress on October 3, 1836, after his death, the news of his death not having been received. Coffee died on his plantation near Jacksonville, Georgia, on September 25, 1836, and was buried there. In 1921 his remains were re-interred in McRae Cemetery, McRae, Georgia.



In the 1920s some ignorant busybody DAR ladies, conflating the history of the two generals, had the remains dug up (he was buried on his Jacksonville plantation) and re-interred in McRae, 20 miles to the north, where they erected an elaborate marker which claims that Gen. John E. Coffee of Georgia was a member of the Tennessee Volunteers and took part in the Battle of New Orleans!

Legacy and Honors

In addition to Old Coffee Road, Coffee County, Georgia, and General Coffee State Park were named in honor of John E. Coffee.



Back to Coffee State Park

One of southern Georgia’s “best kept secrets,” this park is known for agricultural history shown at Heritage Farm, with log cabins, a corn crib, tobacco barn, cane mill and other exhibits. Children enjoy feeding the park's farm animals, which usually include goats, sheep, chickens, pigs and donkeys.



Overnight accommodations include camping, cottages and the Burnham House, an elegantly decorated 19th-century cabin perfect for romantic getaways. For horse lovers, the park offers 13.4 miles of equestrian trails. Ride-in campsites are primitive, offering exceptional privacy surrounded by nature. Drive-in campsites offer nearby water spigots, pit toilets, grills, fire rings and picnic tables. Stables are not provided.



Seventeen-Mile River and a boardwalk wind through cypress swamp where rare and endangered plants grow. Pitcher plants, shy indigo snakes and gopher tortoises make their homes in this wiregrass community. Birding and nature photography are exceptional.

Tangent Seventeen Mile River

The blackwater Seventeen Mile River can be hard to find, largely due to the fact that it’s considered an “ephemeral river”. This means that  it’s dry as often as it’s wet, often more so. Much of it is located on private property, as well. The best place to see this natural wonder is at General Coffee State Park.



If you’re a fisherman, the best time to visit is after a good period of rain. As a navigable stream, the Seventeen Mile River is nearly impenetrable, but several open “lakes” provide good places to fish.



Gar Lake, seen here, is one of the easiest to access.



The park prides itself on being one of the best kept secrets in the state. Its protection has enabled rare plants with limited ranges like the Green-fly Orchid (Epidendrum magnoliae) and Narrow-leaf Barbara’s Buttons (Marshallia tenuifolia) to survive.



Several long boardwalks provide easy access to the river and swamps and make for one of the most peaceful walks in South Georgia.



Many would just call this a swamp. I think of it as a piece of paradise.



Cypress is dominant here.





The knees are visible everywhere, especially in the dry beds interspersed throughout the landscape.



Back to the Satilla River

I am through with Web info but have all these pictures still left.



This is what I was looking for in South Georgia Swamps.



TRD is just overwhelmed by these Satilla River images.







Not so sure about swimming in here, gators prevalent.



One moment your there, the next moment poof...



The float gets tight.



Then it opens up.



It really is quite gorgeous, these photos. This deserves Natural Wonder status.



In May 2010, the city of Waycross purchased the Bandalong Litter Trap and installed it in Tebeau Creek, a tributary of the Satilla River. The trap was invented in Australia, but is manufactured in the United States by Storm Water Systems. Although the city has maintained a good standing with the Environmental Protection Division, the city wanted to take action to reduce the amount of human generated trash entering the Satilla River and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. Governor Sonny Perdue said, "Water is one of Georgia's most important and precious resources... the litter trap installed by Waycross is a model of stewardship for the state and the nation." The Satilla River litter trap is the first in Georgia and only the second in the nation.



The Satilla flows into St. Andrews Sound and the Atlantic Ocean in Camden County about 10 miles south of Brunswick, at the 31st parallel north. Satilla River Marsh Island is one of the few places in Georgia for observing nesting sites of brown pelicans.



Uncle John gives me this addendum for a history tangent of notable People of Douglas Georgia. Will save that here for future post.

Moe Tucker was the drummer for Velvet Underground in the 60s-70s. She now lives in Douglas, Ga and was the organizer for the Tea Party in that area. He son went to UGA too.

I did ten waterfalls and ten swamps from GNW #101 to GNW #120. I move on to other wonders as we still have plenty worthy spots to cover in Georgia. Nature's Favorite State. Today's GNW gals fishing their tails off on the Satilla.