64 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY—THIRD ANNUAL REPORT. 
visited by Bartram in 1776 this basin was known as “Alachua 
savannah” and served as grazing ground for stock belonging to the 
Indians.* The basin was visited by James Pierce in 1824 and was 
dry at that time. The water in the basin is said by W. W. Cameron 
who lives near its margin to have been very low in 1861. When 
visited by Dr. E, A. Smith in 1880 the basin was comparatively full, 
forming a lake. The basin in fact is reported to have continued 
as a lake from 1871 or 1873 to 1891. In the fall of 1891 the basin 
became dry, and, with the exception of temporary overflows has 
been dry much of time since that date. It is possible that the higher 
water stage in the basin during the years from 1871 to 1891 was 
due to partial clogging of the sink. The records of rainfall during 
these years for this section is unfortunately lacking. 
The following account of the disappearance of Alachua Lake 
appeared in the Providence Journal for September 14, 1891. The 
account is given with some omissions as quoted by Dr. W. H. Dali 
in Bull. 84, U. S. Geol. Survey p. 94, 1892. 
“A curious spectacle was to be seen on the outskirts of Gainesville, Florida, 
recently. Alachua Lake * * * is no more. On its banks were lying thou¬ 
sands of dead fish * * * and the atmosphere was heavy with noxious 
gases. Men and boys were there in throngs with hoes and rakes, dragging to 
shore hundreds of fish which had sought the pools for refuge. The waters 
were fairly alive with their struggles for existence. Except for a small stream 
known as Payne’s Creek flowing from Newnan’s Lake into the Sink, the two 
main basins of the Sink, and a few stagnant pools, no> water is now to be 
seen where a few years ago steamers were ploughing their way. This is tne 
second time since 1823 that a similar occurrence has taken place. At that 
time the bed of the lake was a large prairie—Payne’s Prairie—having in it a 
body of water called the Sink and a small creek. In 1868 heavy rains filled up 
the prairie, but the water disappeared after a short time and the prairie was 
again dry land. In 1873, after a series of heavy rains, the Sink overflowed 
and the creek swelled to the dimensions of a lake. During several years the 
waters increased till a larger lake was formed, and for fully fifteen years 
sufficient depth of water stood over the prairie to allow of small steamers. 
During the last two years, however, the waters have been gradually low¬ 
ering, and about four weeks ago they commenced going down with surprising 
rapidity, the lake falling about eight feet in ten days, until now nothing is left 
of Alachua Lake but the memory of it. The Sink is considered the cause of 
this change. There is evidently an underground passage connected, and for 
some reason not understood, this underground passage has been acting as a 
drain until all the water in the lake has been drawn off.” 
In this account the fact is noted as is usually the case that after 
the lake became somewhat restricted the water seemed to escape 
*Bartram’s Travels, First Edition, page 203, 1791. Philadelphia. 
