Ponce de Leon Springs State Park in Holmes and Walton counties centers on a clear second-magnitude spring fed by the Floridan Aquifer, which produces about 14 million gallons of water daily and helped make the area a longtime destination for swimming, fishing, drinking, and bathing. Associated before European settlement with Native peoples including the Chatot and Chisca, the springs later drew settlers after a log hotel opened in 1840. During the Civil War, Union troops under Brigadier General Alexander Asboth passed through on September 24, 1864, destroying the hotel and looting nearby homes. Since state acquisition in 1970, the park has served recreation, conservation, and habitat restoration.