Maritime Heritage Background 
Transportation
Several lighthouses stand watch along the Big Bend coast. The St. Marks Lighthouse, dating to 1829, was rebuilt several times due to poor construction, beach erosion, and hurricane damage. Standing 85 feet high on a 12-foot base of limestone rocks from nearby Fort San Marcos de Apalache, the light was automated in 1960 and still guides mariners. The Crooked River Lighthouse, erected on Dog Island in 1895 with a 100-foot tower and a lens built by Henri-LaPaute of Paris, later was moved inland near Carrabelle.
At one time, three steamboats plied the Suwannee: The City of Jacksonville, Belle of the Suwannee, and City of Hawkinsville. The latter, built in 1896, lies submerged near the Suwannee River bridge at Old Town. Now designated the City of Hawkinsville Underwater Archaeological Preserve by the state of Florida, the shipwreck offers divers a firsthand look at a paddlewheel steamer.
By the first half of the 20th century, almost everyone in the Big Bend had a model bow skiff. Built of 16-foot old-growth cypress lumber, these vessels became the standard for commercial fishermen. People rowed, poled, sailed, and paddled them through creeks, bayous, and coastal waters. Think about the environment The loss of coastal wetlands affects the availability of seafood. |
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A salt marsh may not be much to look at, but it provides a remarkable environmental service. These vast stretches of grasses produce large amounts of dead plant matter that nourish many young fish and shellfish species. Blue crabs, shrimp, mullet, sea trout, and bass spend part of their lives in the marshes of the Big Bend estuaries. 
