Tag Archives: Withlacoochee River

Old maps of north central Lowndes County

Some old roads from a century ago are still in the woods in north central Lowndes County.

[1917 and 2023 maps compared]
1917 and 2023 maps compared

On this 1917 soil map of Lowndes County, Hambrick Road runs east from Hagan Bridge to Cat Creek Road, as it still does today. In the center of the map, running south from Hambrick Road, is an old road that I keep open in my woods. The other day we used a bit of it for a firebreak in a prescribed burn.

[1917--hambrick-road-loco-soil-map]
Soil Map, Georgia, Lowndes County Sheet, Record ID cmf0373, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1917, in County Maps, Surveyor General, RG 3-9-66, Georgia Archives.

The house marked just north across Hambrick Road from that old road is still there. That was probably Fisher Gaskins’ house. I will ask his descendants.

That old woods road is between two creeks that are still there: Redeye Creek to its west, and Toms Branch to its right. They both end up in the Withlacoochee River floodplain.

Toms Branch is just east of the east part of Quarterman Road. Most of the rest of that road was already there in some form or other, although the south part of it, that currently runs straight east and west, did not run like that.

And notice all the other roads that are no longer open to the public. Continue reading

Mushroom on log 2023-05-11

Two views of mushrooms on a log.

[Mushrooms on a log]
Mushrooms on a log

Anybody know what kind of mushroom this is?

It’s in a wet area near Redeye Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River.

Looks like Pleurotus ostreatus is the consensus. Apparently, “Cleaned mushrooms can be sautéed, stir-fried, braised, roasted, fried, or grilled. Use the mushrooms whole, sliced, or simply torn into appropriately sized pieces.”

-jsq

Swamp rosemallow 2022-06-19

Some wild hibiscus, summer of 2022.

This is Yellow Dog’s rosemallow, the last one she saw, a year before.

[Yellow Dog's rosemallow, six petals, 2022-06-21]
Yellow Dog’s rosemallow, six petals, 2022-06-21

This year it has six petals.

Here she is Continue reading

B.W. Sinclair Dry Lake Road sawmill and Coffee Road 2019-02-10

“B W Sinclair also owned at one point some land along the Coffee Road,” says Wiregrass Region Digital History Project (WRDHP):

Coffee Road @ Jackson Road, Morven
WRDHP photograph, apparently from Lowndes County records

43
Magnetic variation 4° East Continue reading

Chalcedony from the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County

Who knew one of our local rivers was famous for pretty shiny rocks?

Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau wrote, apparently in 2012, Withlacoochee River Lowndes County, Georgia, USA
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
Group 4 – Oxides and Hydroxides Quartz var: Chalcedony 4.DA.05 SiO2

-jsq

Lowndes County state of emergency; Valdosta flooded

County Chairman declares emergency so county can use local ordinances.

Valdosta flooded; residents canoing around streets.

I wonder if anybody will draw a connection between all the tree cutting and paving of recent years and this flooding, which is at least partly due to increased runoff because of those things.