Florida's Waterways: Digital Resources

The collections selected for this project document early plans for draining the Everglades in the 1880s and 1890s, the dredging of canals and subsequent development of the destroyed wetlands at the start of the 20th century, as well as early attempts by conservationists to preserve the natural resources of the Everglades.

The Everglades Digital Library is an evolving library of information resources relating to the South Florida environment. The scope of our collections includes scientific and technical reports, natural history writings, educational and interpretive materials, datasets, maps, photos, and a directory of other Internet sites relating to the greater Everglades.

In 2000, Congress approved the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration (CERP) to restore, preserve, and protect the South Florida Ecosystem, while providing for other water-related needs of the region.

Published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District

Some digitized material and the paper collection of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, author of "The Everglades: River of Grass, a Natural and Historical Guide to the Famed Florida Wetlands," which raised public consciousness about the need to conserve and reclaim the Everglades as a priceless and critically balanced natural environment.

Matthew C. Godfrey and Theodore Catton. Published for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2011.

1940; compiled by workers of the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Florida.

three-part series of blogs exploring the State Archives’ recent accession of records concerning the Cross Florida Barge Canal and its eventual conversion into the Cross Florida Greenway.

Leaflet published by C. Lyman Spencer arguing against the Florida Ship Canal, which was at that time under consideration. Using maps and statistics, Spencer points out that a small number of canal proponents have been ramming through the measure without adequately addressing the potential risks for damage and harm to the St. Johns River corridor.

This leaflet was published around 1941 by the Florida Water Conservation League of Bradenton.

This series is comprised of records that reflect the overarching administrative functions of the Cross Florida Barge Canal project. Documentation spans from the inception of the Canal Authority of the State of Florida in 1933 and the Florida Ship Canal Navigation District in 1935 to the project's 1991 deauthorization and subsequent transfer to the Florida Department of Natural Resources

Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 83:no.1 (2004); originally presented at the Third Biennial Allen Morris Conference in February 2004, the articles in this special issue of the Florida Historical Quarterly examine the history of three related riverine environments in north central Florida- the St. Johns River, the Ocklawaha River, and the Withlacoochee River basins-from the mid-nineteenth century through the 1990s (Sherry Johnson, introduction).

Journal of Florida Studies, v.1, no.1 (2011), by Steven Noll, University of Florida, and David Tegeder, Santa Fe College

Florida Historical Quarterly, v.45, no.2 (1966); The story of the canal and the men who have dreamed of its great potential is one of the most exciting and rich dramas of Florida history. Long-serving Florida Representative Charles Bennett breaks down the story.

A 2003 document outlining the history of the dreams to cross Florida, from Pre-Columbian populations to the preservation of the route as a greenway.

by Albert Hazen Wright, 1937.

1976 report by the United States Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.

Containing over two million pages, the collection includes his official correspondence, speeches, legislative, committee, and campaign files. In addition, there are files of his personal correspondence, speeches, photographs, recordings, and memorabilia. Also included are the personal papers, photographs, recordings, and memorabilia of his wife. A large part of the Claude Pepper Photograph Collection is now available in the FSU Digital Library.

The five Water Management Districts of the State of Florida have agreed to cooperate and fund a project to develop and maintain a "History of Water Management in Florida." The long-range goal of the project is to develop and maintain an archive of documents, photographs, maps, plans and other materials important to the history of water management in Florida.

searchable database of documents relating to projects in Florida and around the nation.