relic hunter attacked by alligator

[smallfoot]

Lots of NA stuff around there too...Some of my collection came from the area on the map you showed.

 

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[Flipperfla]

Did you happen to cross the old RR berm on your way to those places? There was a Railroad that ran from Silver Springs roughly parallel to the river over to Palatka that was used for transporting timber. It was the Oklawaha Valley Railroad, formerly known as the Ocala Northern Railroad. Some signs of that still exist.
Some old photos of log rafts from earlier times:

Apparently there was a whole string of these sites down the east side of the river. This is the oldest topo I could find anything earlier is blacked out

 

[smallfoot]

Here's a good read:

The Rentz Lumber Co and the Ocala Northern RR

 

[smallfoot]

RR Route map:

 

[Flipperfla]

Here's a good read:

The Rentz Lumber Co and the Ocala Northern RR

They could have been harvesting the lumber east of the river using these as large holding ponds then rafting them up to Silver Springs to the RR

 

[smallfoot]

Very likely! Logging and turpentine were some of the biggest industry here around 1900.

 

[CASPER-2]

Dumb ass, it is gator mating season, they are very aggressive this time of year.

What he said...
Winter is time to go dummy

 

[smallfoot]

Ya'll are pretty hard on a guy that's just doing what he loves to do. Gators are here all day long, every day, all year long, every year...he might make some poor decisions but he's out hunting. I doubt very seriously that he swam up to the gator and offered his head!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Mating season is not the time to be in waters known to have gators alone in Florida. When we were detecting in the lake searching for signs of an early fort location we had spotters on shore with binoculars and whistles to watch for gators and give warnings as it was mating season and we were only knee deep.

 

[Flipperfla]

RR Route map:

I think you nailed it. Found a connector line at Sharps Ferry, now 314, that is where I had the 2 buildings marked and there are 2 of the holding ponds right there.

 

[Blak bart]

Ya'll are pretty hard on a guy that's just doing what he loves to do. Gators are here all day long, every day, all year long, every year...he might make some poor decisions but he's out hunting. I doubt very seriously that he swam up to the gator and offered his head!

Doin what flawda boys do.....he spends more time in the water than most will in a career...if you do it as your main gig in life your gonna interact with these animals everyday....you may get bit !! Swim with sharks...you could get bit....juggle flaming swords...you might get stuck and burnt....drive race cars and fly planes...you could crash !! Hes a good dude...he wasn't trying to get bit !! He gives a percentage of profit to shark conservation. He was a bit discouraged when he found out I was a commercial shark finner....I had to explain how it works and that we don't fin sharks and throw them back....once he knew that we sell every part of the shark and are federally permitted we got on pretty good...he's depressed because the good dive season is slipping by and he'll be out of the water for a long time !!

 

[Blak bart]

Even though we get along he was very happy that the US has banned the sale of shark fins. Effectively putting me out of a job as of yesterday !! I was already shifting to the sportfish/diving world already, and was doing less and less shark fishing, so not the end of the world for me. He was happy and posting about it and I was sad and cleaning out my locker on the commercial shark boat....time for me to write the book on what it was like to be a commercial shark finner!! What a job it was...mortal combat every day !!

 

[smallfoot]

"Doin what flawda boys do."...

 

[smallfoot]

Sometimes I just have to shake my head at what people fear. If you drove to the body of water you wanted to play in, you probably survived a more dangerous adventure than the dive...

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Not more than 3 miles from my home as the crow flies a lady was swimming in little Wekiva river with people in kayaks and canoes with in 30 feet when she was attacked by gator, by the time the people around her were able to get her out of the water the gator had taken her arm.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/new...gator-bite-wekiwa-springs-20150808-story.html

Another woman attacked today, gators love eatinge dogs, it us dangerous to walk dogs near ponds and lakes that have gators.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cl...cks-florida-woman-walking-dog/?outputType=amp


List of gator attacks.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States

 

[Flipperfla]

Not more than 3 miles from my home as the crow flies a lady was swimming in little Wekiva river with people in kayaks and canoes with in 30 feet when she was attacked by gator, by the time the people around her were able to get her out of the water the gator had taken her arm.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/new...gator-bite-wekiwa-springs-20150808-story.html

Another woman attacked today, gators love eatinge dogs, it us dangerous to walk dogs near ponds and lakes that have gators.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cl...cks-florida-woman-walking-dog/?outputType=amp


List of gator attacks.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States

We must live pretty close if your near Wekiwa. Longwood here.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

We must live pretty close if your near Wekiwa. Longwood here.

I'm NW Orlando, almost in Apopka, yes we are very close, I'm in Longwood often. I live on a Lake, the lake is in my back yard, there is a lot behind my house but it stays under water most of the year and it is also a flood plain so builders can not dump any top soil in the lot, there is no access roads to the lots either. I have lake view as far as property taxes go, but for all practical purposes it is lake front as I mow down to the water line and maintain it, I just don't pay taxes on it.

It turns out I guessed wrong, I am 6.5 miles as the crow flies from the Wekiva marina where the attack took place.. I am very close to the Hiawassee and 414 interchange.


From my back porch.

 

[ARC]

Yep... there's gotta be some big lizards in that water TH.

 

[ARC]

Years ago a lady who lived in the neighborhood was at the dock on Lake Tarpon after getting off their little houseboat... she had a hanging plant on board and she leaned over edge of dock to dunk it in the water to water it... gator lunged and grabbed her arm and pulled her in... then it grabbed her head... husband who was still on boat jumped in and wrestled it off.

 

[Flipperfla]

I’m more concerned with the wild hogs more than the gators. 3 close encounters in the last year. Too close. One on the east side of Lake George and two at Mosquito Lagoon. We have come across some good size gators in the Lagoon exploring.