Florida National Forests

FROM the Indians, who occupied this region before the white man appeared, comes the sonorous name of the forest—Choctawhatchee (Choc-taw-hat-chee). It is a Creek Indian word which means "River of the Chatot," a small tribe sometimes confused with the Choctaws.

The Choctawhatchee National Forest, with a gross area of 368,048 acres, lies in the extreme western part of Florida between DeFuniak Springs and Pensacola, and includes portions of Walton, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa Counties. The southern boundary extends to Choctawhatchee Bay and is within a few miles of the Gulf coast. The Yellow River is the northern boundary of the forest. The "Old Spanish Trail," U S 90 from Jacksonville to New Orleans, and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad run east and west a few miles north of the forest. The Gulf Coastal Highway 319—98 passes between the forest and the Gulf. Florida Highways 54, 218, and 10 cross the forest. The district ranger's headquarters are at Niceville.

CHOCTAWHATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST (click on image for a PDF version)

The forest is predominantly ridge type, with longleaf pine as the dominant tree, and turkey oak as an understory. The soil supporting this type is an extremely porous, sterile sand so that the growth rate of the timber is very slow. It will, however, produce high-grade saw timber on a long rotation. That portion of the longleaf pine type on the better sites will be managed for naval stores, and the first cups will be hung when the trees are 10 inches in diameter. Thinning for pulpwood will furnish intermediate crops and the final crops will be saw timber and pulpwood. An area of sand-pine type occurs in the southeastern part of the forest. Hardwoods, cypress, and cedar grow in the stream bottoms and swamps. Many of the swamps are dense, impenetrable titi thickets. Mountain laurel, an Appalachian Mountain shrub, on Rocky Creek is of botanical interest.

Experimental work is being conducted on the reestablishment of longleaf pine on the oak ridges. With the aid of C. C. C. crews, much timber-stand-improvement work has been done. Turkey oaks, which are of little or no commercial value, are removed where longleaf saplings are overtopped or subjected to mechanical injury. The first improved naval stores practices known to the industry, many of which are in use today, were developed on the Choctawhatchee National Forest, under Forest Service supervision.

VIRGIN LONGLEAF PINE. THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST CONTAINS ONE OF THE FEW REMNANTS OF THE ORIGINAL STANDS OF VIRGIN LONGLEAF FINE IN THE UNITED STATES F—266764

Since its establishment, this national forest has supported naval stores operations varying from 200,000 to 500,000 cups annually, depending on the economic condition of the industry. After naval stores values are exhausted, the trees are sold for saw timber. This forest has been under intensive management for nearly 30 years, and has an annual sustained yield of more than 4,000,000 feet of saw timber.

The first timber preserve established by the United States Government and the first commercial forestry project in the United States were located on Santa Rosa Island. Sea power in 1828 meant wooden ships, and President John Quincy Adams foresaw that the maintenance of a strong United States Navy depended upon a permanent supply of proper timber. Live oak was the wood par excellence for the framework of ships, so a reconnaissance was made of the live oak supply along the coasts of Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and the Carolinas. The depleted conditions reported prompted President Adams to initiate a project for the growing of this species. He withdrew from the public domain 30,000 acres of land on Santa Rosa Island across the bay from the new Pensacola Naval Station, and in December 1828, live oak acorns were planted on the area. The following year about 76,000 young trees were growing in a flourishing condition. Some of the timber from this plantation, which was cut during the Civil War and stored under water for preservation in Commodore's Pond at the Navy Yard, was removed and used in the reconstruction of the Constitution, better known as Old Ironsides, one of the most famous of the United States Navy's early fighting ships.

ENTRANCE TO LITTLE BAYOU RECREATION AREA F—352830

The Choctawhatchee area is rich in Indian, Spanish, pirate, and Andrew Jackson history. Old Indian mounds are numerous, and almost every stream or cove is featured in some historic Indian or Spanish legend. On the shores of Choctawhatchee Bay, Indian Chief Sam Storrie greeted the first white settlers to the State. The Old Military Road, or Jackson Trail, crosses the eastern portion of the forest. This road was built by Gen. Andrew Jackson's army which marched through west Florida in 1818 subduing the Spaniards and hostile Indians who had been armed by the English and were harassing Alabama and Georgia. Over this same road in 1837 was established the first United States mail route through west Florida from Tallahassee to Pensacola.

While Spain, France, and Great Britain strove for control of the territory of which the Choctawhatchee Forest is a part, the swashbuckling pirates preyed on the commerce of the Gulf of Mexico. These live-oak and pine-bordered bayous were their haven from British and Spanish men-of-war. Here they beached their ships and scraped and caulked the hulls. Tradition tells of buried treasure and the sunken galleons of these freebooters of the sea. Old "pieces of eight" and Spanish doubloons found on Santa Rosa Island have brought parties of diligent searchers to this region in the quest for buried treasure.

RECREATION

The scenic attractions of Choctawhatchee Bay and its indentations and contiguous territory have won high praise, and the irregular water line, as well as the heavily wooded shores, are well known for their beauty and recreation possibilities. Just west of Valparaiso and Fort Walton on the wooded shore of one of these indentations along Florida Highway 10 is the Little Bayou recreation area developed by the Forest Service. Because of its high banks and sheltered waters, Little Bayou for many years has been used as a haven by boats of all kinds during tropical storms. Boating, bathing, picnicking, and salt-water fishing are possible at Little Bayou all the year round. Fishing and swimming may be enjoyed from the white sand beach, boats, or the diving platform which has been constructed from the beach into the waters of the bayou. A bathhouse has been provided with dressing room, toilet, and showers. Swings, see-saws, and sand boxes have been made available for children. There are tables, open fireplaces for cooking, shelters, benches, campfire circles, rustic shelters, incinerators, and other sanitary facilities.

A golf course and several beach and summer resort hotel developments are located on the shores of Choctawhatchee Bay. Forest Service facilities and the beautiful scenic views of the forest are added attractions.

HUNTING AND FISHING

The Choctawhatchee Forest supports a large herd of deer, some wild turkeys, and numerous small game, such as red foxes, squirrels, and quail. In cooperation with the State Commission of Game and Fresh Water Fish, a game preserve was established on the southwest side of the forest in 1925, and when present plans are carried out, hunting and fishing on this forest will be one of the major forms of recreation. To meet the present demand, plans are now formulated for the construction of improved hunting and fishing camps, the first of which will probably be constructed along Lightwood Knot Creek.

Fresh-water fishing is furnished by numerous streams, the most important being Yellow River on the north and west boundaries, and East Bay River, Juniper Creek, and Rocky Creek in the southern portion of the forest. Fishing for salt-water trout, Spanish mackerel, mullet, red fish, flounder, and many other varieties of food and game fish in the bayous and inlets of Choctawhatchee Bay is very popular. Niceville is the base of commercial fishing operations in the Gulf which furnish fish to the inland cities of the North.