The advocate., June 14, 1930, Page 3, Image 7

«
II.LUSTKA i M ) KKATUKftS ^ ( 1 ION— Ju n e
M . r.M U
f
■
I VIK H I 'H A M i . ( O U N T K I i | ( ‘AK I M I K
m r iit i» u r < f
in I h r »lory ar< otniM iiying I h k p ictu re.
T H IS BFAK was raptured tvhrn a rub near the Suwanre River in Florida. In
19??. Beam are o ften found in the swamp» .«lone the banks of the D ream y
R im .
On
the
Banks
of
the
Languorous
Suwanee
The Story of W illiam Jones, the Singing Merchant, is as Romantically Interesting as
Florida's Dreamy River
E
VKK since “ Way Down Upon de S w anee Kibber” was y e a rs ag o I tow n to w a rd s th e G u lf,
composed by S tephen Colli* Foster many y ears ajro, it d e e r g raze a n d w ild tu rk e y s s c ra tc h
has been the best medium of expressing the longing of to r tid b its on Its b u n k s In 1937.
tw e n ty - n in e b e a rs w ere killed along
a homesick heart. No g roup of singers can re n d e r it more
t h e S u w an ee In F lo rid a , n e a r th e
e o rg ia lino iuu th is Is o n e of th e
artistically or more expressively th an the colored singers of G
oldest se ttle m e n t« In t h e s ta te l i m ­
l.ive Oak, J a s p e r, and l.ake City, Florida, all of which are in b e r o tie ra tlo n s In O k eefeenokee
S w a m p d ro v e th e a n im a ls ac ro ss th e
th e Suwanee Itiver territory.
line
A nd of th e N egro so n g ster* o f th e
M u»m ire te rrllo rv . rv m r c» n s in s It
w illi m o re g en u in e e x p re ssio n th a n
WlltMun Ju n e s s N egro m e r c h a n t of
th e Muurance r l r r r c o u n trv . a n d h is
tw o d a n s I ite rs, for W illiam w as b o rn
a n d re a re d on U tr la n g u o ro u s b a n k s
of th e S u w an ee a n d o n e r knew In Its
m o st a c u te fo rm th e n o sta lg ia , or
h o m e sic k n e ss fo r th e h o m e of hla
T lie w a te r of th e s tr e a m Is d a rk
. 11.1 d ream y -lo o k in g
stte a m e r* an d
w re a th s of S p a n is h m oss from th e
o v e r h a n a ln . tre e s a lm o st to u c h th e
w a te r; w ild h u ck le b e rrie s, b lu e b rrrlrs .
ilrw b errles. p ecans, a n d cab b ag e p a l­
m etto * grow o n It* b an k s; h e re an d
th e r e la a coav a n d
p eace fu l little
fa rm w ith h a p p v IttU r c h ild re n p lav -
Ing o n It* ban k * T lie riv er possesses
a ll of tlie lu re a n d hom elik e q u ail-
B efore we te ll W illiam Jo n e s's tie* th e song Im plies.
sto ry , it 1» well to le a rn a b it a b o u t
E v en If th e riv e r h a d n o t been
tills fa sc in a tin g n a r t of th e S o u th m a d e fam o u s bv th e song. Its h istu rlc
E v eryone know s th e song a n d every*
o n e h a s u n ro iia rlo u alv fo rm ed pic*
to r e s in h is o r h e r m in d of th e ro ­
m a n tic stre a m
It h a s b een p ic tu re d
a s a place w here life Is easv -g o ln g .
th e su n w arm th e a ir soft a n d Italm v;
w ild flow ers a n d fru ita on Its ban k s,
g o rg eo u s b ird s in th e w avslde tre e s
a n d th e d a rk w a te r m oving lazily
to w a rd s th e s u n n y Q u it of Mexico.
W h e n p ic tu re d th p s It la a tru e p ic ­
tu re.
In Ih e song, th e riv e r la spelled
"M wanee"
b ecau se
th e
eom ixtaer
w a n te d a w ord of tw o sy llab les; w hile
on llie in a p t It ts stielled "S u w a n e e ,''
a n d In S u w a n n e e C o u n ty . F lo rid a,
w h ich Is h o u n d ed o n all sid e s ex cep t
Ih e e a s t, bv th e to rtu o u s co n v o lu ­
tio n s of Ih e stre a m It la sp elled w ith
tw o "n s." "S u w a n e e " ts a n I n d ia n
w ord m e a n in g , w inding riv er
T h e S u w an ee rise s In th e O k eefee-
n okee S w a m p a la rg e sw a m p In th e
.so u th east p a r t of U e o rg la . a n d a d -
lolnlng F lo rid a
O n Ihe old m aps.
Ih e n a m e " S u w a n a h o o c h le " la given
( h a t p a r t of th e riv e r b etw een tlie
F lo rid a line a n d O k eefeen o k ee sw am p.
I t w inds lla crooked w av In a s o u th ­
w esterly d ire c tio n th r o u g h F lo rid a to
Ih e th i l f of M exico, n e a r C e d a r K evs,
Ih e g re a t fishing g ro u n d of th e d u l l
M uch of th e c o u n try
th ro u g h
w hich th e S u w a n e e flow* la still
p rim itiv e a n d u n s e ttle d , w hile som e
of It w as In c u ltiv a tio n a h u n d re d
boyhood
MR. JO NES, the sin gin g m erchant of
thr Suw anee Country, and his tw o
■laughters. T h e d au gh ters arr w ell
ed u cated a n d a r e splendid m usicians
NEAR THE MOCTH uf th e Suwanee. alligators may be seen. This one did
not seem at all pleased at haying h i picture snapped.
asso ciatio n * a r e well w o rth m en tio n .
W h ite S p rin g s, a n a tu r a l fo u n ta in
w ith g r e a t h e a lth -g iv in g pow er o n
th e b a n k of tlie S u w a n e e in N o rth
F lo rid a , ts re p u te d to be th e fo u n ta in
of e te r n a l y o u th t h a t P o n ce De Leon
so u g h t N ear W h ite S p rin g s a s tre a m
called th e S a ln m rle a f t e r th e colored
w ife of < isceola. tlie g r e a t S em in o le
I n d ia n ch ief, flows in to th e riv er. Ac­
c o rd in g to lo cal tr a d itio n , i t w as
acro ss th e riv e r fro m W h ite S p rin g s
t h a t O sceola w as s ittin g w h en h is
little c h ild w as m y sterio u sly sh o t
In its back, w h ile p la y in g
A cco rd -
Continued on P age Four