The purchase of the forest began in 1977 under the Environmentally Endangered Lands Program then expansion in 1994, 1998 and even 2003. Some of the area is conservation land for wildlife which is endangered or rare. Roaming the area is the Bald Eagle, Black Bear, Alligators, Wild Turkey, Wood Storks, Wading Birds, White Tailed Deer, Bachman Sparrows, Wild Boar, Fox, Possums, Coons and Rattlesnakes. So alot of wild life within the forest but one of my main interest with investigated this forest would be to possible encounter a big cat or maybe even bigfoot. When you sit down and take a look at 27,000 acres of thick forest and swamp their are areas probably unexplored here that's how secluded this place is. 

Then we have many lakes and ponds within the forest such as Indian Lake, Scoggin Lake, Coon Pond, Rattlesnake Pond, Ranch and Woody Pond. Most of them are natural but their are some manmade ponds here to. The one thing you have to be careful of in the state of Florida is when your in the swamp many dangers do lurk especially if you are real close to these bodies of water.

The forest has many historical features perhaps that is one reason why I enjoyed investigating this place. Most of the historical sites sit along the Rima Ridge Trail which loops around for two miles deep in the woods through various eco systems. Some of the historical features here are the Tiger Bay Canal, Dukes Island Canal, and some portions of the Pershing Highway which was a brick road connecting DeLand and Daytona Beach in 1917. Their was also a boy scout camp located near Indian Lake in the 1920s. Along the trail is a site where a homestead once stood many years ago not much remains but glass and stones but we could not find any signs. Their is also another site where a Turpentine Camp and sawmills stood back in the 1930s I believe. Their is pottery, glass and stone foundations left over which are remnants of the past. Their are also archaeological records of possible Native American settlements along the Indian Lake area. 

In 1998 a firestorm broke out destroying 15,000 acres of forest here. These wildfires are often caused by a dry spell and the sun igniting brush. Since half of the forest had burned it has taken a few years but restoration is almost complete. But if you walk along the trail or drive along the edge of the forest you can clearly see some of the dead trees with no limbs or leaves. 

They do allow hunting, fishing, picnicking  and hiking here. Their is even an area where you can camp at near one of the three entrances into the forest. But then their are many dirt roads which lead to practically nowhere. On one of the tracts is a small community of residents. We know all about the seclusion of this area as our first time here Lee popped it into four wheel drive and we drove down a treacherous road with hills, mud, water and deep treads near a swampy bog. The area has an eerie feeling and their is also a strange base with many buildings and even an antenna. 

The possibility of Indian ghost are not so impossible the body of water called Indian Lake was named that for a reason probably because the Timucuan Indian Tribe fished and thrived off this land. The Timucuan's were in Florida a 1000 years B.C. so the ghost which roam the trails are very old probably very advanced as Lee described what is in these woods perhaps is a Sentinel or Guardian of the Forest. When your dealing with native American land you also deal with the mythological beast that come with it such as Bigfoot. We believe we came very close to a Skunk Ape or Bigfoot while journeying deep in the forest on our first investigation. Actually being that we heard more then one as if they were communicating really made this investigation so much more stellar and we do hope to return a few more times. 
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Rick-AngelOfThyNight