“Now our knees began to feel weak, and tremble beneath the weight upon them; and indeed, we became so thoroughly exhausted that we trudged on and on, with the greatest indifference as to danger of any kind. At one time one of the party trod on a moccasin, and his comrade next behind called to him that he was on a snake, but he did not seem to care, and moved slowly on without looking back, and carelessly asked if he had hurt it!
“This was an actual occurrence, and the man shudders now when he thinks of his own carelessness and of the danger of being bitten by that deadly serpent in that dismal wild far from home, and from physicians! If there were any objects of interest in this most hideous part of the swamp, I was too near “wearied unto death” to appreciate it. No, we longed to place our feet again upon terra firma, and our sole idea was to this end.”
– The Atlanta Constitution, September 23, 1875.
In 1875, The Atlanta Constitution published the dramatic headline: “We now announce to our readers, and the people of Georgia, that we are fitting up an expedition for a complete and thorough exploration of Okefinokee. The full details of the plan and expedition will be published soon – if they come out alive.” Over the next months, the paper released many exciting stories from the Okefenokee Swamp.
Okefenokee Photography Project by William Wise 