It seems that over the years the river has changed more than the creek. Why? Well, since we have more current in the river she is always building and moving sandbars. When a new bar is formed, the willows take over and the river will move over to make room for the new growth. Once the creek only had creek water in it. Today the river has changed and now flows down the creek.
Years ago the Boynton cut-off was just a slew that dumped a small amount of river water into the creek. Only a handful of river water runs around the west side of Boynton Island. Today all the water runs through the cut off into the creek above Potter's Spring Run. Most of the island comes from the dead river and seven runs on the Walton Co. side.
Now that the river uses the creek to run through, the river has all but dried up with very little water. The river has become dry land and filled in with trees growing everywhere. In my sixty six years, I have
watched in awe at the changes.
Well now you know all I know and you still don’t know anything about the price of gas! Back in 1905 the owner of the steam boat ‘The Minnie Lee,’ A Mr. Quince Casey had the boat changed from steam power to gasoline. When gasoline jumped to .10 cents per gallon out went the gasoline engine and in went a wood-fired steam engine.
Did you know that a truck can move 59 tons one mile on a gallon of fuel? A train can move 202 tons one mile on a gallon of fuel. A tugboat can move 550 tons one mile on a gallon of fuel this is why coal burned at a steam plant cost 2 ½ times more when hauled in by train. Now that we know what is cheaper why don’t we use boats and barges? Why not give us tax payers a break.
Before you go buy yourself a tugboat to move this freight and put the trucks and trains out of business, you better figure the cost of maintaining one mile of river channel. First you need a snag boat to remove all the debris and trees so a dredge boat can pump the sand. A fair sized boat will draw 6-7 feet of water and for a tow boat company to make a profit they need a channel 9 feet or better.
To keep this depth for one mile would cost the tax payer an arm and leg. Within a year we would all be belly up and the river would still be full of sand and snags. Well for a minute or two I thought I could save us some money but look around and you will see trains and trucks, no tug boats. Now you know why.
A lot of people might think that a Captain of a steam boat had it make but a captain Zack Crook, master of the schooner, Etta Lee was injured when a timber rolled down on him and broke his thigh as he was inspecting moorings on the dock at Point Washington. This date was Jan 23, 1913 and on March 17, 1923, Captain Zack Crook died in the Marine hospital at Mobile AL. Death was due to complication from the accident.
June 16 1910
“The Captain Fritz is making two trips a week to Pensacola; Leaving Monday morning and returning Thursday. Then leaving Friday and returning Sunday morning. The boat is 99.8’ long and 21.6’ wide with a pay load of 57 tons. She was built in Misspent Miss. in 1892. She was 
moored at Cedar Tree Landing, Sept 1930 when fire broke out and she burned. At the time, Captain J.D. Sharon, Jeff Sharon, King Bell, Jack Jones and three deckhands were on shore.”
In 1920 she carried 340 passengers. By 1924 due to better roads and rail roads her trips were few and far between. She only had 172 passengers in 1924. When the river is dead low and clear, you can see her super structure resting on the muddy bottom down stream of Cedar Tree
Landing. (Post card dated possibly around 1930- Capt Fritz at Point Washington Log Lake. Anyone with info about Point Washington contact H.L. Brown)
