In the summer of 1967, when we were living in Atlanta, we decided to take a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia. I had read about the swamp and the critters and loved the comic strip "Pogo" - which included critters from the swamp. I worked for a Dr. at the Communicable Disease Center (1957-67), who had an artist friend, Athos Menaboni, who painted birds and loved to go to the swamp to see the egrets and great blue herons. Not only did I see the big snowy egrets and big blue herons, but many other wildlife - including alligators swimming in the dark murky waters of the canals in the swamp. Click the green map to enlarge it and you will see the West Entrance and the park area.My dad came from Elba, AL brought a friend, Frances, to Atlanta and they went with us to the Okefenokee swamp. We stayed in a cabin at the western gate to the park, at the Stephen Foster National Park. Our oldest son Ron is pictured above playing with the tame deer that roamed the area, along with lots of racoons who liked to empty the garage cans. (Note: Daddy and Frances got married in August 1967. He had brought her up for us to meet her.)
We arrived at the entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and were informed that we should make sure that we had everything we needed since the park gate would be locked at 7 p.m. and not opened again until 8 the next morning. We felt safe from people but I wasn't so sure about all the wild animals. We checked in at our cabin and after dark we drove through the park with only parking lights on to observe the critters roaming around in the evening. They were not afraid of us. You could see the eyes of the animals before you were able to identify them.
The next day Jim and I rented a small boat with trolling motor and set out with a map to see the area, aiming for Billy's Island where people used to live. The narrow canal connected the marina to the swamp area. The water was so dark, almost black from the peat and decaying vegetation. The water was like a mirror, reflecting the sky, trees, and things around it. You couldn't see down into the water.
What was to be a two hour trip took most of the day because of problems we encountered along the way. I was not too happy about the movement of the water around us at times when alligators were swimming along with us. Once one stuck his
head up out of the water and I dropped the movie camera and screamed. As the waterway narrowed and entered a small canal, all I could think of was snakes dropping out of the trees into our boat (I had seen this happen in jungle movies). We had a map of the area but everything began to look the same and we had no idea where were heading - except to follow the sun for directions. The boat motor didn't work too much of the time since it kept getting tangled among the aquatic plants. Jim would lift the motor out of 
the water and we would paddle until the water was clear of vegetation. We thought we would reach Billy's Island in a short time but it was more like hours. We spotted the boat landing at Billy's Island around noon. We didn't bring any lunch and all I could think of was there's nothing to eat, and it would take us a long time to get back. But we had come this far and we wanted to explore the island and look for old settlements. Just as we set off on a trail, a sudden shower came up and at least it cooled us off.
head up out of the water and I dropped the movie camera and screamed. As the waterway narrowed and entered a small canal, all I could think of was snakes dropping out of the trees into our boat (I had seen this happen in jungle movies). We had a map of the area but everything began to look the same and we had no idea where were heading - except to follow the sun for directions. The boat motor didn't work too much of the time since it kept getting tangled among the aquatic plants. Jim would lift the motor out of 
the water and we would paddle until the water was clear of vegetation. We thought we would reach Billy's Island in a short time but it was more like hours. We spotted the boat landing at Billy's Island around noon. We didn't bring any lunch and all I could think of was there's nothing to eat, and it would take us a long time to get back. But we had come this far and we wanted to explore the island and look for old settlements. Just as we set off on a trail, a sudden shower came up and at least it cooled us off.We explored the island for awhile and decided we needed to head back. As we came near the boat landing, our boat was nowhere in sight. My heart sank; I would NOT spend the night on that island. We walked out on the landing and saw that our boat had drifted underneath. We got in the boat and started back to the park marina. We got back late in the afternoon and everybody was getting worried about us. The Okefenokee Swamp was a great experience and truly the "land of the trembling earth". It was like walking in a bog; when you walked you could sometimes feel the earth move or tremble underneath you.
I went back 28 years later and things had changed a lot; much more developed, etc. I took an air boat trip to the Suwanee river (and it rained on the way). This wasn't nearly as exciting as the little flat bottom boat Jim and I traveled in earlier. The park is still a remote area, far from civilization. In 2007 there were wildfires out of control in the swamp and I shudder to think of all the wildlife that either died or lost their homes. If you want to learn more about Okefenokee Swamp, go to this website and read all about it. http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/places/okefenokee.html
