Brochure for the Clyde Saint Johns River Line (Fla.), circa 1920

Advertising

Steamboats

Steamboat lines

Sightseeing business

Advertising brochure for the Clyde Saint Johns River line steamship tour, with listed rates and a description of stops and sights along the way.

The Clyde Steamship Company

State Library of Florida, Florida Ephemera Collection

1920 (circa)

brochures

eng-US

text

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Florida Boom and Progressive Era (1900-1926)

Jacksonville (Fla.)

Duval County (Fla.)

Palatka (Fla.)

Putnum County (Fla.)

Welaka (Fla.)

Astor (Fla.)

Lake County (Fla.)

Deland Landing (Fla.)

Volusia County (Fla.)

Benson Springs (Fla.)

Sanford (Fla.)

Seminole County (Fla.)

Enterprise (Fla.)

Saint Johns River (Fla.)

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Tourism and Promotion

City of Jacksonville (steamboat)

Osceola (steamboat)

Clyde Steamship Company

[first panel from left]
SANFORD ROUTE
Between
Jacksonville, Palatka, Welaka,
Astor, DeLand, Enterprise- Benson
Springs, Sanford
and intermediate landings on the St. Johns River
Schedule
Steamer “Osceola”
Southbound, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Northbound, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Steamer “City of Jacksonville”
Southbound, Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Northbound, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Southbound Schedule Northbound
Read Down Subject to change without notice Read Down
Lv. 4:00 P. M. Jacksonville Due 7:00 A. M.
" 9:45 P. M. Palatka Lv. 12:00 Mdt.
" 12:00 Mdt. Welaka " 9:30 P. M.
" 4:00 A. M. Astor " 5:15 P. M.
" 7:00 A. M. DeLand Landing " 3:45 P. M.
Due 10:30 A. M. Benson Springs (Enterprise) " 10:30 A. M.
" 11:00 A. M. Sanford " 12:15 Noon
PASSENGER FARES,
Including Meals and Berth
Between Jacksonville and Sanford or Enterprise..........$7.57
Between Jacksonville and DeLand Landing.......,...... 5.63
Between Jacksonville and Astor.................................5.63
CONNECTIONS
At Jacksonville with ‘‘Clyde Line” for Charleston, New
York and all points North, East and Canada; S. A. L.
Ry.; Florida East Coast Ry.; Atlantic Coast Line; South-
ern Ry. and G.S.&F. Ry.
At Palatka with Florida East Coast Ry.; Atlantic Coast
Line; G. S. & F. Ry. and Ocklawaha River Line Steamers.
At Sanford with Atlantic Coast Line for Orlando. Kissim-
mee, Lakeland, Plant City, Bartow, Punta Gorda, Fort
Myers, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Eustis, Leesburg, etc.
At Benson Springs (Enterprise) with Florida East Coast Ry. for
Titusville, Rockledge, Palm Beach, Miami, Key West,
Havana, etc.
Tourists returning from Havana, Cuba, Key West, and from
all South Florida points will find this a most delightful
route to take, as it will give them a daylight and search-
light trip on the beautiful St. Johns River, ‘The American
Nile.”’
CLYDE ST. JOHNS RIVER LINE
PASSENGER AND TICKET OFFICES
NEW YORK
Miami Line, Ticket Office.............................................. Pier 45 North River
Jacksonville-Charleston Line, Ticket Office, ............... Pier 36 North River
All Lines, Uptown Branch Ticket Office, ...................... 36 W. 40th Street
12 Milk Street............................................................... BOSTON, MASS.
1001 Chestnut Street .................................................. PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Foot of Franklin St........................................................TAMPA, FLA.
Pier Office, Foot of N. E. 11th Street
Uptown Office, 160 S. E. First Street.............................MIAMI, FLA.
Queen St. Wharf.......................................................... CHARLESTON, S. C.
Pier 1, Foot of Liberty Street....................................... JACKSONVILLE, FLA.

[second and third panels from left]
Tropical Florida in the Heart of the South
Clyde St. Johns River Line
[Illustration of a steamboat underway at Sunset, with a spotlight shining on the bank]
Jacksonville Palatka DeLand Sanford Enterprise and Intermediate Landings

[fourth panel from left]
The Clyde Steamship Company Maintains the "Highest Standard" of Excellence in Equipment and Service
[Illustration of the steamer "Osceola" under way]

[fifth panel from left]
Stateroom Plan Steamer "Osceola"
[Floor plan of the promenade deck and saloon deck of the "Osceola" featuring numbered staterooms, the smoking room, the captain's location, the dining saloon, the social hall, the purser's office, the steward and stewardess, and the restrooms.]

[sixth panel from left]
Stateroom plan Steamer "City of Jacksonville"
[Floor plan of the boat deck and saloon deck of the "City of Jacksonville" featuring numbered staterooms, the dining saloon, the purser's office, the purser's quarters, the pantry, the restrooms, the captain's quarters, and the pilot house.]

[first panel from left
[Map of the route along the St. Johns River]

[second panel from left]
[Photographs of the steamers and the views along the way down each side of the fold out]
THROUGH THE HEART OF TROPICAL FLORIDA
Where the St. John's River Flows
STARTING in the northwest corner of the Everglades, the tropical waters of the St. John’s River, turn and twist seaward to freedom in the broad Atlantic. Past fan-like palms and huge moss draped oaks, glowing orange and towering cypress trees; past strange woodland animal and stranger bird life; past all the dense foliage of a jungle forest, this brilliant waterway takes its course.
So rich is this section in startling verdure, so riotous in vivid coloring, that the traveler stands speechless in wonderment. Painters and poets, artists and writers, unite in calling this river country the most fascinating in the United States. They speak of the St. John’s as “The American Nile.” It is here that Ponce de Leon sought the springs of eternal youth. It is here that history of the Spanish, the British, the Seminole Indians and our own Civil War is imperishably preserved.
An Introduction to the St. Johns
If you journey southward to Florida by steamship, your first sight of the St. John’s River is obtained at Mayport, twenty-five miles east of Jacksonville. From here on the river mingles its tropical waters with the mighty sweep of the ocean and forms a strata of sand that is known as the St. John’s Bar. From there you sail west to Jacksonville past shimmering, shrub-lined shores. There are open vistas of wide river-country where little islands of all shades of green nod the plumed-heads of their tropical foliage to every whisper of the vagrant wind. So this voyage varies to Jacksonville—a curtain-raiser—a suggestion of the glories to be enjoyed in the upper reaches of St. John’s River.
Starting from Jacksonville
If you reach Florida by train from the north or west, this famous river trip is of even greater interest. From Jacksonville you sail southward, surrounded by all the satisfying comforts of a luxurious oil-burning steamer. There are appetizing, well cooked meals. Each stateroom is conveniently and pleasantly located. The steamer is electrically lighted and the brilliant searchlight at the bow brings out the startling beauty of the shore at night. To these pleasure giving features are added the many modern safety appliances that are known to only the highest type of river-craft. And, above everything, you are conscious of careful and courteous, but unobtrusive service.
Beauty and History
The sixty-mile course from Jacksonville to Palatka, the first stop, is beautiful and historical. The river opens in a wide expanse of velvety royal green. Sometimes the foliage of the distant banks seems to be part of the water. At other times stately pines, standing sentinel to some secluded stream, are sharply defined against the sky. Again, bold headlands jut out from the surrounding country like the forward-thrust jaw of an aggressive fighter. Now, little villages begin to dot the neighboring shores, Mandarin —the location of Harriett Beecher Stowe’s former winter home; Orange Park, the island town of Hibernia, Magnolia Point and Springs—with Popo Point opposite, Green Cove Spring with its broad bay and crystal waters, Old Field Point, with San Patricio on the opposite bank and Picolata and its historic narrows. Close by Picolata the Spanish erected a fort and built a settlement, about two hundred years ago. The fort was wrested from them in a sharp battle with the British in 1740. The latter abandoned it and the next time we hear of it is during the Seminole Indian War when our own government took over the fort as a military post. It was also famous during the Civil War. After Picolata, you pass Federal Point, Forrester Point and finally reach the city of Palatka.
Palatka
An important railway center in the middle section of Florida, Palatka is also one of the principal freight and passenger transfer points on the St. John’s River. To numerous Northern visitors, as well as to many of the Southland, this charming place offers many attractions. For the business man there are numerous commercial facilities.
A Tropical Wonderland
From Palatka, you continue into the upper regions of the St. John's River—for Georgetown, where beautiful Lake George begin —through the narrow confines of a twisting, tropical stream. Now the banks creep in closer. The steamer pushes through solid masses of beautiful hyacinthes. Strange birds preen their many-colored wings on nearby branches or pour out their souls in throbbing, high-pitched notes. Sleepy turtles sun themselves with half-closed eyes. The whirring wings of a heron blot the sun for an instant. Over all Nature is the hidden hum of the unseen life of the wildwood. Occasional tiny towns and golden orange groves burst out from the dark green vegetation. Then the heavy jungle closes in again to form a tunnel through which the river fights its way. At times it seems as if there is no further outlet for your steamer, until a sudden turn discloses a new strip of waterway. Olive trees and the twisted trunks of gigantic oaks are almost near enough to touch, their branches in silvery mass, play in countless patterns. Tropical blooms blaze in splashes of riotious splendor amid the dense jungle. Over this ever-changing scenery the soft rays of Florida sunshine lends enchantment to the wondrous beauty of nature.
What the Searchlight Shows
If the trip by day was marvelous, at night it is even more so. Then it is that the jungle assumes an eerie charm which is indescribable. From the black velvet of the dark, the huge searchlight plucks out the fantastic designs of Spanish moss on tree and shrubbery. The wild creatures of the forest are caught in their native haunt—standing motionless as statues in the dazzling white light. Weird cries are heard from the dense undergrowth. The river whispers below. Night takes you to the heart of a mysterious land untouched by the hand of man.
Where the Upper River Runs
From the breath-taking glories of this fascinating section of Florida your steamer emerges into the broad expanse of beautiful Lake George, a lake that holds one enraptured. Twelve miles long and as many miles in width; ' located midway between Palatka and Sanford. As you leave by way of Volusia Bar, the river again becomes a narrow, winding stream. Friendly villages and homey groups of houses now appear on either bank. Docks and landing stages dot the shore. It is from them that fish, fruits and vegetables of Florida start on their journey to the dining tables of thousands of Americans. Stops are made in turn at Astor, St. Francis and De Land Landing.
De Land
A well known and important city of beautiful winter homes. The seat of Stetson University. A busy commercial center. From De Land Landing, or the city proper, you may avail yourself of the excellent automobile service to Lake Helen, Orange City, Daytona and many other nearby points.
Sanford
Finally, you reach Sanford, on Lake Monroe, the terminus of the Clyde St. John’s River Line and one of Florida’s thriving cities; possessing a fine location, with a marvelous climate, and within easy travel distance by train for all points in southern and western Florida; such as: Orlando, Eustis, Mt. Dora, Kissimmee, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, etc. Steamers also call at Enterprise-Benson Springs, directly opposite Sanford, where train connection is made for east coast points.
Hunting and Fishing
The region beyond Sanford is one of the best hunting and fishing sections in all Florida. Small pleasure craft can navigate the St. John’s River one hundred miles further south, and during four to five months of the year, flocks of duck and snipe wing their way over river and nearby lowlands, inviting the crack of the hunter’s gun. In the deep forests, congregate numbers of turkey and quail. Occasionally a deer, a wildcat or a bear is bagged. Black bass, small mouth bass, pickerel, catfish, grinnel and perch of many varieties throng the upper reaches of the river. With this prodigality of game to be had by hunter and fisherman alike, it is no wonder that hundreds of northern sportsmen are drawn to this locality each winter.