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Silver Springs is a natural artesian fresh-water spring whose daily output of 550 million gallons of water forms the Silver River. The Silver River flows into the Oklawaha River, which in turn connects with the St. Johns River.
Founded in the mid-19th century, Silver Springs Park is one of Florida's oldest tourist attractions. Although the modern theme park did not open until the 1920s, steamboats hauled northern tourists to Silver Springs as early as the 1870s. In 1878, local resident Hullum Jones designed the first glass bottom boat. In 1924, developers Carl Ray and W.M. Davidson formed a partnership, bought the property surrounding the headwaters of the Silver River, and opened Silver Springs as a roadside attraction. In 1929, E. Ross Allen (1908-1981), famed herpetologist, opened his Reptile Institute at the park. By the 1940s, Silver Springs was Florida's top tourist attraction, where thousands of yearly visitors rode the gas-engine glass bottom boats, visited a mock Seminole "Indian village," and watched Ross Allen milk rattlesnakes and wrestle alligators.
E. Ross Allen was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1908. Allen was an Eagle Scout and took an early interest in reptiles. In 1929, he opened the Ross Allen Reptile Institute at Silver Springs. In the early years, Allen would milk rattlesnakes and wrestle alligators for audiences. By the 1950s, Allen shifted his focus to research and education. In 1981, he developed Ross Allen's Alligator Town near Lake City as a new theme park, but he died in Gainesville before it opened.
Summary:
The collection contains six promotional black and white photographs for the Silver Springs tourist attraction. Dating from the 1940s, the images document the park's fleet of glass bottom boats, underwater "mermaid" shows, herpetologist Ross Allen wrestling an alligator, and a bird's eye view of the park. These images document the state of Florida's tourist trade during the 1940s, including the utilization of Florida's natural resources for commercial use. The photographs also provide information for the condition of the spring and the surrounding area in the 1940s. In addition, Box 2 contains one charcoal print of Andrew Jackson.
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For a video clip of Ross Allen's alligator wrestling, see the following page on Florida Memory: https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/232386
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General Note:
Florida Photographic Collection Number P1982-123.
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Allen, E. Ross, 1908- Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845
Performing arts Florida Tourism Florida. Tourist trade Florida Recreation Florida. Glass bottom boats. Boats and boating Florida Roadside attractions. Alligators. Amusement parks Florida Attractions.
Photographs. aat
Silver Springs (Fla.) Marion County (Fla.) Silver River (Fla.)
for detailed listing.