Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Jonathan Dickinson State Park | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Location | Martin County, Florida, United States |
Nearest city | Hobe Sound / Tequesta, Florida |
Coordinates | 27°00′22″N 80°07′44″W / 27.00611°N 80.12889°W |
Area | 11,500 acres (47 km2) |
Established | 1950 |
Visitors | 172,000 (in 2004) |
Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Jonathan Dickinson State Park is a
History
The park is named after
A man known as Trapper Nelson homesteaded on the banks of the Loxahatchee River after coming to the area in the 1930s, living off the land trapping and selling furs. He soon became known as the Wildman of the Loxahatchee. After he died in 1968 the state acquired his land, and deeded it to the park.
The United States Army established Camp Murphy, a top-secret radar training school, in the area that is now the park, in 1942. The camp included over 1,000 buildings, and housed more than 6,000 officers and soldiers. The camp was deactivated in 1944, after only two years of operation. Most of the camp buildings were torn down, but some of the building foundations remain. The property was transferred to the State of Florida in 1947, and opened as a state park in 1950.
Recreational activities
The park has such amenities as
In film
Jonathan Dickinson State Park was used to film the first segment of the second episode of
Popular Mountain bike channels on YouTube such as BKXC and BCPOV have featured the park's Camp Murphy Mountain Bike trails.
Gallery
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Two white-tailed bucks on the Loxahatchee River
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Yellow-crowned night heron on Kitching Creek
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Ibis on the Loxahatchee
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Pileated woodpecker on Kitching Creek
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Great blue heron on the Loxahatchee
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A raccoon
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An alligator on the Loxahatchee
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Jonathan Dickinson Missile Tracking Annex
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A dirt trail in the park
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Trail through scrubby woods
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Trail between pine trees
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Aftermath of wildfire
References and external links
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park at Florida State Parks
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park at State Parks of the United States
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park at Absolutely Florida