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The expedition was led by one
of two men who may be the
only living persons who have
seen the site of the so-called
volcano. J. N. Kirkland of Tal-
lahassee, advisor of Explorer
Post 100 and an expert woods-
man, led the Explorer Scouts
into the wild forest-swamp
lands.
Also on the trip were Kirk-
land's son, Billy, an FSU stu-
dent, and David Swindell of Per-
ry, State Game and Fresh Water
Fish Commission forester.
Explorer Scouts of Post 100,
sponsored by the First Baptist
Church, who went of the ex-
pedition were Duke Vickery,
William Smith, Bob Maxwell,
Hughey Wilder, David Harde-
quin, Dale Pichard and Brent
Pichard.
The journey failed to produce
the lost "volcano" but it turned
out to be a worthwhile nature
experience for the scouts. They
killed a rattlesnake, stumbled
across a friendly five and one-
half foot king snake and ob-
served and alligator nest con-
taining about 40 eggs.
About 15 or 20 years ago Kirk-
land and Wakulla County Judge
A. L. Porter came across a
rocky upheaval and a fissure
opening in the ground in the
vicinity of the Wakulla-Leon-
Jefferson county lines. A mys-
terious column of smoke rising
from the woodlands of that area
has fascinated Big Bend resi-
dents for more than 135 years.
The smoke was last seen in
World War I days.
The explorers went into the
"jungle," as Kirkland calls it,
at Newport and walked several
miles to the Pinhook River area
and began their search in the
Double Sinks-Cane Creek region.
Kirkland said they found the
large chain of rocks where he
and Porter found their strange
fissure. But he said he saw
nothing that looked like the
"volcano" he and Porter once
found.
"We're going to try it again,"
Kirkland said. "I doubt if I
would recognize the place again
right off because of the change
in the undergrowth." He said the
rock chain they explored did not
appear to be the same one he
saw years ago. He said the area
is covered wit numerous out-
croppings of rock.
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