The rivers included in this 173-page book
are the Choctawhatchee, the Apalachicola,
the Suwannee, the St. Johns and the Peace.
Spring-fed waters include Coldwater Creek,
Holmes Creek, Econfi na Creek, Chipola
Creek, Wakulla Creek, St. Marks, Wacissa,
Ichetucknee, Santa Fe, Homosassa, Chaz,
Weeki Wachee, Rainbow, Silver and Rock
Springs Run and Wekiva. Some of the swamp
streams included are Perdido, Blackwater,
Ochlockonee, Sopchoppy, Aucilla and
Fisheating Creek, but there are many more.
The amount of interesting information
about these rivers is vast in this book. For
instance, each water body name is broken
down to its original roots, and a brief history
is given. In speaking of the Loxahatchee,
Alderson describes the name as being
Native American in origin, originally “Loh-juhhatchee”
in Seminole which means “Turtle
River.” However, that may not be exactly
correct, as one of the late Seminole leaders
named Betty Mae Jumper wrote that during
the second Seminole War her ancestors
were camped on the river, thinking a peace
agreement called the Macomb Treaty was
still in effect. One day when the men from
the group were out hunting soldiers came
and surrounded the remaining women and
children and took them away. After that, she
said, the river was called “Lo-tsa-hatchee,” or
“River of Lies.”
The Peace River, named by the Spanish
“Rio de la Paz,” begins at the Green Swamp
in Polk County and fl ows more than
100 miles through mostly undeveloped
riverbanks. It was also used by Florida’s First
Nations people and they called the river
“Tallackchopo,” or “River of Long Peas.” That
name was derived from the large amount
of wild peas that grew along the river’s
banks.
The Santa Fe River has a very unusual
history, as told by Alderson in the book. One
of the more unique highlights of his writing
on this river includes the smaller tributaries
that feed from the big river, including
one called Lily Spring. Its self-proclaimed
caretaker for many years is a man called
“Naked Ed,” who was considered to be one
of Florida’s last hermits. He is notorious
for wearing either a loincloth or, weather
permitting, nothing at all.
Most of Alderson’s 15 published books
focus on the water and wildlife from Florida,
including “America’s Alligator,”“Wild Florida
Waters,” “Waters Less Traveled,” “New Dawn
for the Kissimmee River,”“The Ghost Orchid
Ghost and Other Tales From the Swamp,”
“New Dawn for the Kissimmee River,”
“Seminole Freedom,” “The Vision Keepers:
Walking for Native Americans and the Earth”
and “Encounters with Florida’s Endangered
Wildlife.”He has also written an interesting
award-winning book called“A New Guide
to Old Florida Attractions,” which discusses
some of the lesser known (and better known)
attractions that have drawn tourists to Florida
for decades.
Aside from his books, Alderson’s list of
writings for magazines and periodicals
worldwide is extensive, and he has been a
featured speaker and writer for The New York
Times, National Geographic and the Boston
Globe. He has not only traveled more than
1,500 miles of Florida kayak trails by water to
do his research; he has also hiked the entire
Appalachian Trail (In 2015, Paddle Florida
awarded him their fi rst ever Environmental
p p y Leadership Award).
from of wild peas that the p )
Peace River