This cache is the second in a series that
will lead you through the City of High Springs and teach you
about some of the lesser known facts and history of the
area. This location is near and dear to my heart for many
reasons, first, I have been a staff member here for over 11
years, and secondly, this is where I spent many summers as a
camper!!!
Camp Kulaqua is a Christian "youth camp", but
is better known as a retreat center than a "camp" since it caters
to people of all ages and faiths. The camp offers many
activities and facilities including a waterpark, horseback riding,
zoo and nature center (yep, a real zoo....lion, tiger, bear oh
my!), go carts, canoeing and swimming in Hornsby Spring to name a
few.
What many lifelong residents of High Springs
don't know is that Camp Kulaqua has been a part of this city for
over 50 years. The camp opened it's gates in 1953 and has
continued to grow since then. Originally campers stayed in
tents and ate in the only building on the grounds. The
original purchase was considered a folly by many since most of the
land was considered swamp land. The facility was originally
on less than 200 acres but has grown to over 550.
Hornsby Spring circa 2000
Hornsby Spring circa 1970
Centered in the camp is Hornsby Spring.
Hornsby Spring is the only first magnitude spring in Alachua
County. The spring is located at lat. 29°50'59" N., long.
82°35'36"W and has been the location of choice for local swimmers
since long before Camp Kulaqua was built. There are many
tales of the local folk making the hike through the woods to skinny
dip in Hornsby Spring. Even earlier, circa 1890, the spring
was used as a local bathing place for those who wanted to take a
cool dip. (I have a pic I will try to get a copy up here to
show!!) This spring flows down the spring run, which went dry
during the drought in 1998 - 2001, and flows through a large sink
where the run used to go back underground before it was dredged out
in the early 1950's. You can now continue all the way to
Darby Spring and on to the Santa Fe River.
This spring also dates back to prehistoric
times... Bones from large Pleistocene-era animals have been found
in the spring, including a mastodon bone imbedded with the head of
a spear and dated to 12,000 years ago. Some of the items from the
spring are available for view in the nature center. This
spring is also part of one of the longest underground river systems
in the world. In 2005, Karst Environmental Services conducted
a Dye trace test where they injected a special dye in Mill Creek
Sink and Lee Sink to see where the water goes. 15 days later
the dye showed up in Hornsby spring, almost 10 miles away!!
For more info on the spring visit http://tfn.net/springs/Hornsby.htm
For more information on Camp Kulaqua, visit http://www.campkulaqua.com
This facility is private property, feel free
to visit, but the property owner asks that you stop in at the
office before roaming the grounds. Security is very tight
during the summer, therefore no unregistered guests are allowed
during these times. YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENTER THE FACILITY TO
ACCESS THIS CACHE.
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If you have any information regarding the
history of this, or any other locations in the series, please
e-mail me so I can update the information. Thanks Papa Ru