The Falls are falling at Falling Waters

One of my favorite places in the area surrounding Jackson County is Falling Waters State Park near Chipley. Only about 20 minutes from Marianna in neighboring Washington County, the park is the home of Florida's tallest waterfall.

The falls are created by a small stream that tumbles over the edge of an impressive cylindrical sink. The waterfall is 73 feet tall, a rather impressive height for Florida.

Like many small Florida streams, the creek feeding the waterfall flows better at some times of the year than at others. During the hot summer months it is little more than a trickle, but it usually runs nicely during the late winter and early spring or after a period of heavy rains.

Northwest Florida has received a lot of rain over the past week and that means that the falls are running nicely at Falling Waters. So if you would like to see them, this is an ideal time to go.

In addition to the waterfall, the park has picnic areas, a swimming lake, nature trails, a seasonal butterfly garden and more. To reach Falling Waters State Park, just exit Interstate 10 at the Chipley Exit, turn left on State Highway 77 and follow the signs. The turn-off to the park is only a short distance south of the interstate, so if you wind up in Wausau and see the "Possum Monument," you went too far!

Drilling for Oil in Jackson and Washington Counties

A little known part of the history of Jackson County was the effort by wildcat drillers to find oil in the region during the years 1915-1925.

The unique land formations in Jackson and Washington Counties led to speculation that they might be "oil domes" containing rich supplies of crude oil. Wildcatters (independent oil drillers) erected large wooden rigs and drilled holes in a number of places across the two counties.

The site of one such drilling operation (pictured here) has been preserved at Falling Waters State Park just across the line in Washington County. Drillers here reached a depth of 4,912 feet before giving up and capping the well. They struck natural gas and found oil, but not in quantities sufficient to meet the standards of the day.

Similar results were reported at other drill sites in both Jackson and Washington Counties. The results of these explorations are interesting, as they did prove that both natural gas and oil could be found in the area.