Inglis Island Overlook

Inglis Island sits at the center of the Withlacoochee River, Lake Rousseau, and the Cross Florida Barge Canal, where the canal bisected the river. An earth and concrete berm on the opposite bank was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop floodwater from entering the river if Inglis Dam failed, and in the 21st century the Florida Park Service raised the berm and added a concrete wall. The canal also bisected the Ocklawaha River, and because the Withlacoochee and Ocklawaha both emerge from the Green Swamp, Marjorie Harris Carr was alarmed by the canal's effect on the two rivers. In July 1970, during a planned demonstration for reporters and leaders, the 350-foot barge Aiple was sent to navigate the canal, but builders had not realized it was too large to pass through Inglis Lock and the canal, and it became stuck sideways for hours, raising questions about the canal's benefits to the state.

Inglis, Florida · United States