Thursday, July 07, 2005
Monday, March 07, 2005
Fort Caroline, a story of French, Spanish and Colonialization in Florida
493 years ago Juan Ponce de Leon, commanding a fleet of three Spanish caravels, rowed ashore to what he believed to be an island. He recorded the location as 30 degrees eight minutes north
latitude. He had arrived at what we now know as
Fast-forward 49 years to 1562. Jean Ribault, a Frenchman and a Huguenot (protestant), landed a party at the mouth of a large river. It being the 1st of May, they named it the
States
Jean Ribault’s first trip to
The French began demolishing some of the homes in the fort for the purpose of building a ship and returning home. Miraculously, an English sea-rover captained by Sir John Hawkins, was making its way up the
After a brief skirmish at sea between French and Spanish ships, Jean Ribault concluded that preemptive action against the Spanish was the only reasonable course of action. Hadn’t the Spanish signaled their intent a few days earlier by attempting to lure the French ships into a compromising position, only then to attack? Clearly, Spanish intentions were not to be trusted. Ribault gathered all able fighting men and sailed the 30 miles to
One might ask why the Spanish were in
the hurricane.
On the morning of September 27, 1565, Menendez’ men rush into Ft Caroline, which was mostly occupied by older men, women, and children (the fighting men having all left), and began a systematic slaughter of all but 70 women and young children. About 180 French were killed. No Spanish suffered more than a minor injury. Laudonnierre, the leader of the French, managed to escape into the woods. The Spanish had satisfactorily erased the presence of Ft Caroline which was ironically on the edge of abandonment anyway. But this story is a long way from over, more treachery is in store…
After capturing Ft Caroline, Menendez hanged many of those captured. The story spread among the French that Menendez had placarded those hung with a sign reading that he hanged them not as Frenchman, but as Lutherans. Thought it is well proven that this story circulated, it is not well proven that Menedez actually posted this sign. Nonetheless, the story served its purpose by inflaming French passions. But the Spanish atrocities were not over.
Menedez left 300 men at Ft Caroline and returned to
Meanwhile, the Spanish which occupied Ft Caroline continued with the natives where the French had left off. The Indians, however, were not as easily slaughtered or tricked as the French had been. In time it was too dangerous for any Spaniard to leave the fort. Spanish remained in
One piece of this story remains: the retribution of the French in the person of Dominic de Gourges…
Dominic de Gourgues, a French soldier of fortune, took it upon himself to defend French (and Huguenot) honor. He sold his estate and prevailed up friends for loans and gifts, eventually raising enough to outfit three ships equipped for the purpose of retribution. Arriving at the River May (
The Spanish aside from Ft Caroline, had two other outposts on the river. Detail exists about the flow of the battle, but the bottom line is this: all Spanish were killed or captured, with the Indians gleefully taking part in apprehending those attempting escape through the woods. Gourgues lectured the captives and hung them, placarding them with a sigh which read, “I do this not as unto Spaniards nor Mariners, but as unto thieves, traitors, and murderers,” and so answered the placarding of French by Menedez.
Once the raid became known in
American students are often taught about Jamestown colony, Plymouth Colony, Spanish missions in California, but few know the first significant interaction between Europeans and American Indians and each other (in what is now the United States) was right here in Jacksonville. You may draw your own conclusions as to the brutality of the age. I often wonder what it means that this is our heritage here? Does that spirit of conquest and murder still exist? Hmmm, stories I could tell????
Friday, February 25, 2005
Guana State Park and the Timucuan Nature Preserve
I come at nature from this perspective: growing up and traveling extensively in the eastern United States, I was never far from civilization. In fact, most of my life I have spent in the hubbub of everyday existence. When I discovered that there were yet a few places left that were both wild and natural as well as somewhat remote, I wanted to be in those places.
Guana is such a place. With a dense swamp guarding its northern approach, the Guana river on its eastern edge and the Intracostal waterway on its western side, it sits isolated, unbothered by the hum of the busy northeastern Florida life.
The panorama above is the crushed coral road that leads across a low dam into the entrance of the nature preserve. Beyond are trails and wildlife. Lets go take a look.
Even Guana is preparing for the future onslaught of city dwelling refugees. A new shelterhouse and new restrooms are being built near the parking lot at the entrance. This is where the real trails begin.
Up ahead the trail narrows. Barely visible on the right hand side in the distance is a meadow.
An interpretive nature station sits at the edge of the meadow, offering basic descriptions of what might be seen here.
The difference between a Cracker (native born Floridian) and a Yankee (anyone from anywhere else) is that the Yankee would take a look at this serene meadow and, deciding that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, would cross it in a direct fashion, and in all likelihood would become dinner for an eight foot (2 meters for you metric-types) lizard. A Cracker would walk around.
Now we continue on, crossing the peninsula and arriving at its western edge. Here is a small beach on the Intracoastal Waterway known as Shell Bluff Landing.
The view opens up to the wide expanse across not only the Intracoastal, but the adjacent marsh areas as well. This is a view worth walking for.
We now turn south and make our destination the point where the Guana River on the east flows into the Intracoastal Waterway on the west. On the way we turn inland a bit and come across scenes like this:
These small inland ponds are sanctuaries for wildlife. No doubt there's a 'gator in there somewhere. But today we don't see one.
Its hard to describe the large views that open up along the trail. Here the trail moves along a marsh which abuts the Intracoastal. I offer this panorama as an understated way of showing you how grand the vistas are here.
A total of 3 miles (about 5km for you metric-types) brings us to the point of the peninsula. We pop out of the woods and find ourselves on a narrow beach.
Rounding the corner and looking back, we see the wooded hammock from which we emerged.
Having reached the zenith of the trip all that is left is to hike back the 3 miles or so. But we don't take the same trail. We'll walk back the other side of the peninsula and see what there is to see.