HEADWATERS OF THE ST. JOHN'S. 197 



Three enlargements, termed lakes, are traversed by 

 the river. The lower and larger of these is Lake 

 George, about forty miles above Palatka, which has 

 an extreme length of thirteen miles, and a breadth of 

 six to eight miles. The others, Lakes Monroe and 

 Harney, are a little less than half this size. At pres- 

 ent the larger river steamers ascend only to San- 

 ford and Enterprise on the shores of Lake Monroe. 



Besides the lakes mentioned, through which the 

 river passes, a number of others of considerable size 

 lie a few miles distant from it, and their overflow- 

 ing waters enter its channel through tributaries. The 

 chief ones of these are Dunn's Lake, Lake Dexter, 

 Lake Beresford and Lake Jessup. 



The headwaters of the St. John's, according to 

 Prof. Wyman, are a in Lakes Washington, Winder 

 and Poinsett and the adjoining swamps south of these, 

 to which must be added the swamps between the 

 lakes just mentioned and Lake -Harney, all of which 

 together have an area of several hundred square 

 miles, and form great reservoirs in which the summer 

 rains are collected. These head waters are separated 

 by low land, rising but little above their level, from an 

 extensive chain of lakes which have an outlet south- 

 ward into the Kissimmee and thence into the great 

 lake of Okeechobee. When the river is at its highest 

 level, just after the rainy season, it is said that the 

 sources of the two rivers flowing north and south, viz., 



