Map of the Upper St. John's River

This map of the upper St. Johns River was included as part of ̢‰â?ÒWhitney's Florida Pathfinder for the Tourist and Invalid. The piece was produced in the year 1876 and highlighted various points of interest in Florida. The guide highlighted the location of various hotels along travel routes, making it easier for tourist to navigate to their destination.

Maps of the St. John's River, such as this one, were included as part of the guide. Cities along the river with attractions and recreational activities were noted, highlighting the fun and vacation type attitude that Florida is known for today. Here is an exert from the guide which describes the St. John's On the banks of the St. John's are to be seen many fine orange groves bedecked with the golden fruit; one may also observed the Magnolia, pride of India, the pine and other species of trees festooned with long skeins of Moss gracefully descending and nearly touching the water's edge.

Notice the way the river is described. It is a grand adventure, full of beautiful trees and fruit around every turn. Obviously, selling the river was a primary goal due to the fact that most tourist attractions or located near its banks. This was right before the Golden age of Florida when tourism really started to boom and Florida became known as a recreation state.

Guides like this were popular in the late 1800s and were designed for travelers to carry with them as they went. As such, they were typically printed on a much smaller scale then a standard wall map, and also contained less detail. However, there were a few cities, such as St. Augustine, that were present within the guide so tourists would find it easy to navigate their way about those towns once they arrived for a visit.

Featured in this map of the Upper St. John's River are tourist towns of note, that dot the river along the way, as well as an access road to the coast, stretching from the river to the Atlantic, near Port Orange.
All sizes are approximate.