Why Am I Doing This?

A few years ago, when I first heard about the Wakulla Volcano legend, I undertook some research on the subject. When I had enough to put two-and-two together, I bought a USGS map of the most likely area, found something that confirmed my previous thinking, and headed out on a bicycle for the Judge Porter site. Yep, a bicycle, a water bottle, some snacks, sunscreen, bug repellent - and a map that showed a road going right by the spot! Note the subtle wonders of modern technology. Not to mention the mostly-excellent limestone roads.

The results were mixed. Right there, at the location Judge Porter's directions pointed to, was a place that looked just as he had described. There was just one problem - the ground had been plowed and planted in pines, who knew how many times? No trace of the hole he described did I find, over the course of three visits. There are numerous outcroppings of white limestone, again matching the description, any of which could now cover the hole, or it could be under plowed dirt. What became clear to me was that further investigation here would take more resources than I would be able to muster.

But I had also become convinced that the putative 'Wakulla Volcano' was not just a legend - something had happened out in those swamps, and I wanted to know what. By this time, the human link with the past had been broken - finding evidence would mean starting from scratch, no old-timer to nod yes, that's the place, from the air-conditioned comfort of some modern-day four wheeler.

And of course the lack of evidence had convinced the geologists that there was nothing to be found there, especially since the idea of such a thing does not fit comfortably into their conclusions about the geology of that area. Worse, even less-radical theories have by now been tarred with the same brush of supposed unprovability.

So there I sat, no chicken and no egg - no evidence so no one wants to go looking for evidence. And precious few other meaningful materials, scattered among many incomplete collections. Then I misplaced my own collection. Dead end time.

Time passes. I find myself publishing on the Internet. The Wakulla Volcano mystery is a natural. I go out and replenish my collection, then it hits me: collecting materials into one place, and augmenting them, could just boil down to creating a place and making it known. Anyone can contribute. It can become as definitive as the community wants it to be.

If this works, a visitor will be able to come to this site and answer any question about the Wakulla Volcano that has an answer, or at least get some opinion or background on the subject. The stories, the maps, and the science will each have a place. I promise eventually to fill this site with enough of my own materials and experiences to cover the basics and entertain you for a while. It's up to the community to do the rest.

Michael L. Wright
June, 1997