Silver Springs is a group of artesian springs that feed into the Silver River in Marion County, Florida. It is the largest artesian spring in the world and the site of the oldest commercial tourist attraction in Florida, and was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Its main features are the glass-bottom boat tours on the river, which have operated there, in various forms, since 1878. Long privately owned and operated, the springs area was formerly the site of a small amusement park, Silver Springs Nature Theme Park.
The springs became a destination for tourists traveling up the St. Johns and Silver rivers via steamboat in the late 19th century. It changed hands several times over the years, with various operators introducing boat rides and related attractions. One such planned attraction introduced a group of rhesus macaques to an island in the Silver River; the monkeys quickly escaped and formed freeranging troops still present in the area. Starting in 1916 Silver Springs became a shooting location for Hollywood films; films shot there include Tarzan Finds a Son (1939) and five subsequent Tarzan movies and Revenge of the Creature, the sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon.
In the 1990s the first thorough scientific studies of the springs were conducted and wildlife rehabilitation was started. That year, the State of Florida bought the underlying land, while private businesses continued to operate the attractions and concessions. Environmental issues such as nitrate runoff, related to development in the region, adversely affected the park's health and tourist revenues declined. On January 23, 2013, the Florida Cabinet announced the state would take over the facility after the end of the 2013 summer season, and that the park operators would receive a $4 million buyout of their lease. In October 2013, the State of Florida took over operations of Silver Springs Nature Theme Park and combined the property with the adjacent Silver River State Park to form Silver Springs State Park.
History 1800s The springs were the first tourist attraction in Florida. In the 1860s, Samuel O. Howse bought the 242 acres surrounding the headwaters of the Silver River. Several years after the American Civil War, the springs began to attract tourists from the North via steamboats up the Silver River. Silver Springs gained national attention through journals and guidebooks, and became a mandatory stop on the "grand tour" of Florida.
In the late 1870s, Hullam Jones and Phillip Morell developed the glass-bottom boat and the glass-bottom rowboat, respectively; these were used to take visitors on the river to give them a unique view of the springs. The first railroad to reach Silver Springs, the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad, went into operation by the end of 1879 and transported people and goods from the river landing at the headspring area to the nearby town of Ocala. In 1880, former president Ulysses S. Grant visited the area. In the 1890s, commercial-sized glass-bottom boats were developed. H.L. Anderson purchased Silver Springs and the surrounding area from Howse in 1898.
1900-1961 C. Carmichael bought 80 acres of land from Anderson in 1909 for less than $3,000. He soon refitted the tour boats with cushioned seats and canopies to enhance their comfort. The Seven Swans was filmed on location at Silver Springs in 1916; it was the first known use of the Springs as a setting for cinematography. President Calvin Coolidge visited the Springs in the 1920s.
Ocalans W. Carl Ray and W. M. "Shorty" Davidson became partners and leased the land around the Springs in 1924. They incorporated improvements for the tour boats, adding gasoline engines in 1925. Ross Allen, a noted herpetologist, opened the "Ross Allen Reptile Institute" on some of the land near the head of the Springs. It attracted thousands of tourists to the site for many decades. In 1932 the glass-bottom boats were equipped with electric motors. The 'Princess Donna' built in 1934 still exists and is the only remaining operational boat from this era. The 'Princess Donna' currently tours on Jug Creek in Bokeelia, FL. It's also the oldest commercial tour boat in the state.
In the 1930s Colonel Tooey, a concessionaire who operated the "Jungle Cruise" boat ride, established the first troop of wild rhesus monkeys on an island in the Silver River. He planned to use the attraction of the colony as one of the sights on his Jungle Cruise, but did not know that the rhesus monkeys were excellent swimmers. They quickly escaped the island, forming their own feral troops along the river. Rhesus monkeys are still seen along the river.
The Seven Swans was filmed at Silver Springs in 1916, but it was not until 1932 that the location become popular as a filming hot-spot. It was the location for filming of Tarzan the Ape Man, featuring Johnny Weissmuller. During the 1930s and early 1940s, five more of these original Tarzan movies were filmed at Silver Springs. In 1954 Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed there.
The Silver Springs attraction was restricted to white patrons only until 1969. Carl Ray and W.M. Davidson opened a nearby attraction, Paradise Park, which was "for colored people only", in 1949. Paradise Park became a popular attraction for Black American tourists, and closed in 1969 after Silver Springs became integrated.
By 1950 the number of guests annually at Silver Springs was more than 800,000 people. On June 17, 1955, a fire destroyed many buildings by the entrance of Silver Springs, including ticket offices, the gift shop, the cafe, and a storage building. The buildings were rebuilt, and a new building was added across from the dock, with space for retail stores and restaurants. It survives today. In 1958, episodes of the television series Sea Hunt were filmed at Silver Springs, continuing to the end of the series in 1961.
1962-1983 On May 1, 1962, Ray and Davidson were talking to the American Broadcasting Company about selling Silver Springs for $7.5 million, but Ray's son W. C. (Buck) Ray Jr., general manager of the park, denied it. On May 29, representatives announced that Silver Springs was being sold to ABC-Paramount. The sale was completed on October 31, 1962. The sale included the "lease of the Springs, all of the buildings and about 3,900 acres of land from the head of the Springs to the Ocklawaha River". The sale did not include independent concessions such as the Ross Allen Reptile Institute and Tommy Bartlett's Deer Ranch.
ABC wanted to control all the attractions, and in June 1963 gave Bartlett a 30-day notice to move his business or sell it to them. Media attention was drawn, as Bartlett said his lease had been extended to January 29, 1967, before Ray and Davidson sold the park to ABC. The parties had a pre-trial conference planned for April 15, 1965, but settled on April 9, 1965; Bartlett turned over the Deer Ranch and all of its contents to ABC. Allen also eventually made a deal with Silver Springs Inc. and sold his Institute. Their agreement allowed him to stay as director of the institute, which he did for years until his retirement.
In October 1971, the natural Silver Springs were declared a National Natural Landmark, recognized as a national resource. In 1973 Silver Springs started a wildlife rehabilitation program.
From 1974 to 1978 ABC expanded development at Silver Springs and the surrounding area. In 1974 they started to renovate a 5-acre island. Cypress Island opened as an attraction in November 1974, with formal opening in the spring. Developments included the Cypress Gift Shop and an open-air beer pavilion. Activities and exhibits on the island included a new facility for the Ross Allen Reptile Institute, with three large wooden amphitheaters for reptile shows, and some animal exhibits. The Jungle Cruise loading dock was moved to the island.
ABC developed a sister water park, Wild Waters, giving 450 press representatives a tour of all the Silver Springs facilities on April 28, 1978, before opening the next day to the public.
1984-1999 In 1984, ABC sold the land occupied by Silver Springs and Wild Waters to Florida Leisure Attractions. In 1989 Florida Leisure Acquisition Corporation bought the land. It opened a 35-acre "Jeep Safari" in 1990. Visitors are taken into the forest to see wild animals, such as the rhesus monkeys, or entertainment artifacts, such as the tree house built for use in filming the 1930s Tarzan movies. In 1991 "Lost River Voyage" opened to the public. The boat dock was located where the TV series Sea Hunt was filmed. The boat tour took guests 1 mile down the Silver River to a small island where zookeepers showcased native animals. The boat then returned to dock with its passengers.
In 1993 the first comprehensive scientific study of Silver Springs' main spring was conducted, including geological, paleontological and biological studies of the spring. It is the largest artesian spring in the United States. In early 1993 Florida Leisure Acquisition Corporation (FLAC) sold the land occupied by Silver Springs and Wild Waters to the State of Florida, but continued to manage the parks under a long-term lease. A weekend concert series was begun, featuring the top Country and Pop musical acts of the era. The concerts were staged on a twelve-acre portion of the park known as "The Great Lawn", and were later relocated to the newly built Twin Oaks Mansion, which served as the stage for the events, leaving the entire Great Lawn area for audience seating. The annual concert series showcased 35 to 40 concert events per year for 16 years, until the park was released back to the state of Florida. All shows were hosted and emceed by Hall of Fame deejay Freddy Carr, who became known as "The Voice Of Silver Springs".
In 1994, FLAC opened "A Touch of Garlits," a museum of antique cars and race cars. It opened the White Alligator exhibit a year later in 1995. In 1996, Ogden Entertainment of Florida, Inc. acquired the lease for Silver Springs and Wild Waters. It initiated a multimillion-dollar expansion project in 1997, finishing in early 1999. The largest expansion in Silver Springs history, this project developed the attractions of "World of Bears", "Big Gator Lagoon", "Panther Prowl", "Kids Ahoy!", the Twin Oaks Mansion, and other elements in the park. It moved the Giraffe exhibit. In 1999, Steve Irwin visited the park to film segments for his documentary "The Crocodile Hunter: Swimming with Alligators".
2000-present On January 14, 2000, the state renamed Cypress Island as Ross Allen Island in honor of the late herpetologist who directed his institute at the park from the 1930s until the 1970s. On January 14, the "Florida Natives" exhibit was opened to the public. Later in 2000, SmartParks, Inc. acquired the lease to Silver Springs and Wild Waters. In March 2002, SmartParks failed to pay the $1.2 million annual lease payment to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In July 2002, SmartParks sold Silver Springs/Wild Waters to Palace Entertainment. Palace signed a 20-year management agreement with the state. On March 8, 2004, it closed the "Jungle Cruise" and sold all the associated animals to the Micanopy Zoological Preserve. The attraction was redesigned to show guests Florida history, and was named the Fort King River Cruise, opening in the summer of 2004. Also in 2004, Palace built "The Lighthouse" ride and the Fantastic Fountains water show. These three new attractions were opened on July 8, 2004.