The weather was beautiful March 10th. We packed some snacks and headed to Fort Caroline National Monument, the site of a short-lived French settlement on the bank of the St. Johns River. It is located in north Jacksonville and is part of the Timuquan Ecological and Historic Park.
The French explorer Jean Ribault first sailed up the St. Johns River in 1562 looking for likely sites to establish an economic foothold for France in the New World. The colony was founded in 1564 by a group of French Huguenot settlers who were seeking religions freedom.
The Timuquan Indians lived in the area for over 4000 years before the arrival of Europeans. They initially befriended the French colonists, assisting with construction of the fort and providing food to keep the colonists from starving.
When the Spaniards, who had already settled in Florida, heard of the French settlement, they attacked. Jean Ribault's fleet was wiped outn and the settlement was destroyed in 1565.
The Timuquans fared no better than the French. The Spanish demanded tribute from them and attempted to convert them. From a population spread across north and central Florida and southeast Georgia before the European invasion, they dwindled to less than 550 people by 1698. There are no Native Americans that identify themselves as Timuquans today.
We walked the mile-long Hammock Nature Trail and visited the monument to Jean Ribault, then headed to Neptune Beach for a short walk on the beach.
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