If you look around here today, you wouldn't know this place was
once a booming area for commerce. Shortly after the end of the
Second Seminole War, a trading post was built on the southwest
shore of Lake Winder near the ruins of Fort Taylor and an old
Indian mound. It was an ideal spot for cattle herders, because
there were only of the few places you could easily cross the St.
Johns River to get to nearby towns like Rockledge and Cocoa. During
the steamboat era, it became the last stop on the river. A post
office was even built here, but it didn't stay open for long. Once
Henry Flagler started building his railroad empire, the boom was
over.
A fellow by the name of Leonard Bumby purchased the land with
the trading post and the Indian mound in the late 1920's and called
it Bumby Camp. A beautiful house was built on the site, but
unfortunately it burned down including the remains of the trading
post. A few years later the house was rebuilt. You might be able to
see it from the lake near coordinates N28° 15.093 W80° 51.950.
If you are interested in learning more about this place, I
highly recommend reading My Florida Soul by Ed Winn. He has
some very interesting and funny stories to tell. Some of the pages
from his book can be viewed on Google Books.
Historic Time Line
1835 - Second Seminole War began
1838 - Fort Taylor was built and abandoned shortly
afterwards
1842 - Second Seminole War ended
1850 - Savage Trading Post was built
1879 - First steamboat arrived
1899 - Post Office opened
1904 - Post Office closed
1915 - Savage Trading Post closed
1928 - Leonard Bumby and an associate purchased the land
1942 - Last person to cross the river in a horse and wagon
1947 - The Bumby Camp burned down
Details
You are seeking a camouflaged ammo-can hidden in a beautiful oak
hammock on the St. Johns River. You can get to this place either by
boat, horseback, bike riding or on foot. If you're planning on
coming in thru the River Lakes entrance at the end of Wickham Road
(N 28° 13.813 W 80° 45.356), give yourself at least a couple of
hours to find the cache and make sure you leave by 7:00 P.M. The
gate closes promptly and it doesn't reopen until 7:00 A.M. the next
day. The parking area is located at N 28° 13.797 W 80° 48.663.
Initial Contents
First Aid Kit, Snake Bite Kit, Mosquito Repellent, Water
Purification Tablets, Camping Toilet Paper, Emergency Lights, Mini
Maglite, Campfire Starter, Mosquito Head Net, Orange Hunting Vest,
Book on the Early History of the St. John's River by Ed Winn and a
lot of Custom Made Geo-Buttons.
Updates
11/29/2008 - Camera pictures are now online at this
site.