The St. Johns River: Past, Present & Future

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Although the geological history of the St. Johns River reaches back hundreds of millions of years, its interplay with humans can be traced to about 12,000 years ago, with semi-permanent settlements along the river dating to about 4,000 years ago. When Spanish and French explorers first sailed parts of the river in the early and mid 16th century, the Timucuan people called the river “Welaka,” meaning “chain of lakes.”

The river’s name changed as different European powers controlled the waterway, but the Spanish Rio de San Juan first appeared around 1700 and was adopted and anglicized by British settlers around 1800.

Among the earliest Euro-Americans to explore the length of the 310-mile St. Johns River were John and William Bartram, father and son naturalists whose extensive travel journals in 1765-1766 provided some of the best descriptions of the river’s flora and fauna. Other early scientists and writers frequently used their published journals.

The river served as a vital transportation route that opened inland Florida, first for canoes, then for sailing ships and finally for steamboats in the 19th century. Steamboat travel increased the development of riverside plantations, making them more habitable and profitable. A reported 300 steamboats plied the waters of the St. Johns River between the 1830s and early 1900s, carrying not only crops and supplies but tourists to destinations such as Green Cove Springs and Palatka in the lower basin (northern section) of the river.

For most of its history, the St. Johns River was little impacted by human contact. But beginning with planters’ first efforts to clear land along its banks, that contact has had dramatic—and often abusive—effects on the ecologically crucial river.

Efforts to drain and develop the headwaters of the upper basin (southern section) in the early 20th century were not only unchecked but encouraged by government officials.

Between 1900 and 1970 the headwaters decreased from 30 square miles to one square mile. At the same time, pesticides, fertilizers, animal waste and treated and untreated sewage filtered into the river as population growth in central and northern Florida skyrocketed. The aborted attempt to build a Cross Florida Barge Canal in the 1960s could have had a devastating impact on the St. Johns River and the Floridian aquifer if it had been completed.

In the 1970s, degradation of the St. Johns River was increasingly apparent. Efforts—slowly at first—to reverse that damage began to be made by scientists, outdoor enthusiasts and local and state agencies.  Water management districts, including the St. Johns River Water Management District, were created by the State of Florida in 1972, reflecting a national trend toward environmental awareness.

In 1996, the first St. Johns River Celebration saw residents in counties along the river volunteer to learn about and clean up the river. In 1998, the St. Johns River became designated as an American Heritage River. Soon after, a river restoration plan was created to increase the overall health of the river as well as preserve the cultural, historical and economical aspects of the river.

Today, the river is still suffering. However, there are many groups working hard to make sure this important river is not neglected. The significance of the “Mighty St. Johns” is too great. The St. Johns River Alliance is hoping to work together with governments, nonprofits, agencies and scientists to continue to promote, protect and preserve the St. Johns River for the future the generations.