This cache is an easy walk and the view from the bridge is great!..... Go and enjoy the springs while there....... . I grew up around here so I think it is some of the most beautiful scenery around! Canoeing the river is relaxing and you may not see another person for miles. Rentals are close by.
Spring is usually crowded on hot weekends, but there is a nice sandbar for swimming in the river.
Text from Johnson & Faircloth:
Suwannee Springs was a prime tourist destination from 1890 to 1925 as people from all over the
country came to bathe in the medicinal sulfur water thought to cure kidney problems, rheumatism,
gout, constipation, and many other common ailments of the day. Three hotels and 18 private
residences were located on the site during its heyday. The Atlantic Coastline Railroad stopped at
Suwannee Station, a mile north of the springs, and ran a spur line down to the hotels. In 1925 the
last hotel burned down and Suwannee Springs ceased to be a year-round resort. The spring house
and railroad pylons can still be seen today. Years of unmanaged use caused erosion and a decline in
the spring's natural beauty. A major restoration to restore the spring and to provide better
recreational opportunities was completed in 1996. Work included stabilizing the back-filling areas
around the spring; constructing additional parking areas and walkways; and replanting with native
plants (1996, p. 38).
There is a notorious murder associated with Suwannee Springs. In 1941, a young (17) black man was
beaten by a white mob, tied in chains, and thrown into the spring where he drowned. The youth had
supposedly sent a greeting card to a white girl in the community. No one was ever arrested or
punished for the crime. In late 2000, a radio reporter tracked down the aged but still-living
mother of the victim, who had moved away from the Suwannee Springs area shortly after the
murder. The mother refused to speak with the reporter about the crime; other relatives told the
reporter that the mother still feared retribution from the community after 60 years.
Spring Description
A rectangular stone floodwall surrounds the spring on three sides-on one side, white sand has filled in to
make a small beach. A lower stone wall encloses the spring itself. On the wall facing the Suwannee are
three arched openings, two of them big enough to walk through when the river is low. The pool is about 40
feet in diameter. The spring is attractive, with clear greenish-yellow water that has a marked sulfurous
odor. The spring has two vents and a limestone ledge beneath the water but clearly visible. One flow is
from under the SE corner of the wall from limestone openings. There is another flow near the center of
the pool from beneath the limestone ledge, creating a mild slick on the surface that is about 3 feet in
diameter. Suwannee Spring flows through a hole in the floodwall directly into the river.
There are two other vents just outside the enclosure at its base. These vents are inundated in times of
high water, but are easy to spot when water levels are low. In addition, there is another vent about 45
feet east of the structure at the edge of the river, and at least three other flow points at points from
40-60 feet west of the structure, all at the edge of the bank. On date of visit (March 2001), all were
flowing and had strong or otherwise clearly visible boils.
A concrete walkway leads down to the ruins.