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The Okefenokee was formed over the past 6,500 years by the accumulation of peat in a shallow basin on the edge of an ancient Atlantic coastal terrace, the geological relic of a Pleistocene estuary. The swamp is bordered by Trail Ridge, a strip of elevated land believed to have formed as coastal dunes or an offshore barrier island. The St. Marys River and the Suwannee River both originate in the swamp. The Suwannee River originates as stream channels in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp and drains at least 90 percent of the swamp's watershed southwest toward the Gulf of Mexico. The St. Marys River, which drains only 5 to 10 percent of the swamp's southeastern corner, flows south along the western side of Trail Ridge, through the ridge at St. Marys River Shoals, and north again along the eastern side of Trail Ridge before turning east to the Atlantic.
Anhingas are a common sight here around the Okefenokee NWR. Some call these snake birds because of the way they swim with only their head out of the water.
Fernbank Science Center
"Land of the trembling earth" is the English translation of the Indian word "Okefenokee." The thick peat floor is not attached to the underlying mineral soil and often is unstable, so that sudden pressure or movement on it may cause nearby trees to tremble.
The 412,000 acres of this vast bog contain islands, lakes of various sizes, open marsh areas called "prairies," and wooded swamps composed of pond cypress, red bay, loblolly hay, red maple, and swamp black gun. The diversity of the area allows many kinds of animals to live in and around the swarm
Although the swamp is best known for its alligators, other animals are just as common. Turtles, snakes, frogs, salamanders, and fish are abundant in the water. Hawks, owls, ibis, herons, egrets, ducks, and many species of songbirds till the air. Deer, bear, raccoon. opossums, rabbits, and a variety of rodents live on drier land.
The Atlantic Ocean once covered this part of Georgia, and when it receded it left a shallow lagoon behind a narrow sandbar. This bar or crest is known today as trail ridge. Behind it developed the swamp and the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Mary's Rivers.
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On March 16-17, 2011; Jim and Judy took a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. We drove from Valdosta to Fargo and St. George on highway 94. In St. George we turned north on highway 121. We arrived at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge just south of Folkston. We ate lunch in the Okefenokee Adventures Cafe, toured the Visitor Center, and took a 90-minute boat tour in the canal dug around 1895 to 1900 to attempt to haul out cypress timber. The canal didn't work; so, a railroad came and were successful at hauling out timber. We left the refuge and drove north to Folkston and enjoyed visiting the Folkston Funnel, a high-tech shelter for observing, logging, photographing, and videoing north and south bound trains. Finally we drove further north to Waycross to spend the night at a Hampton Inn which had complimentary high-speed Internet that worked. We enjoyed a dinner of blackened fish at Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Waycross.
We spent Wednesday night in Waycross, GA and took a round-a-bout way home. We drove to Blackshear, GA and saw the old home where Jim's grandparents lived. Then we drove to Alma, GA where his first cousin had lived before he died as a teenager. Next we drove through Nicholls and Douglas, GA. We came back home through Pearson, Lakeland, and Hahira. We ate lunch-supper at Smok 'n Pig in Valdosta.