Editing Marion County, Florida (section)

==History==
===Native Americans===
Evidence of ancient indigenous cultures has been found in Marion County, as well as of the earliest encounter between European explorers and historic indigenous peoples. In 1976, an archaeological investigation found ancient artifacts in Marion County that appear to be the oldest in mainland United States. Excavations at an ancient stone [[quarry]] (on the [[Container Corporation of America]] site (8Mf154) in Marion County) yielded "crude stone implements". Thousands of pieces of [[chert]] were found at the site. These showed signs of extensive wear and were found in deposits below those holding [[Paleo-Indian]] artifacts. [[Thermoluminescence dating]] and [[weathering]] analysis independently gave dates of 26,000 to 28,000 Years Before Present (YBP) for the production of these artifacts, prior to [[Clovis points]]. The findings suggested human habitation in this area much earlier than documented by other evidence.<ref name="purdy">[http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00027829/00016/57j Barbara A. Purdy, "Investigations into the Use of Chert Outcrops by Prehistoric Floridians: The Container Corporation of America Site"], ''Florida Anthropologist'', Vol. 34, No. 2, June 1981, pp. 90-</ref> Barbara Purdy had bipoint evidence from the CCA site, which also predated Clovis points, which she reported in a 2008 paper.<ref name="hranicky">Wm Jack Hranicky, [https://books.google.com/books?id=rvWG3MhhhkUC&dq=Finds+at+Container+Corp+of+America+site+in+Marion+County%2C+FLorida&pg=PA225 ''Bipoints Before Clovis: Trans-Oceanic Migrations and Settlement of Prehistoric Americas''], Universal-Publishers, 2012, p. 225</ref>

The county seat of [[Ocala, Florida]], is named for a [[Timucua]]n village visited and recorded by the Spanish [[Hernando de Soto]] expedition in the sixteenth century. During the colonial period, Spain and Great Britain traded control of this area.

===Settlement===
After acquisition of the Florida territory by the United States in the 1820s, Marion County was created in 1844 from portions of [[Alachua County, Florida|Alachua]], Mosquito ([[Orange County, Florida|Orange]]), and [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough]] counties. Until 1853, Marion County included most of what are now [[Lake County, Florida|Lake]] and [[Sumter County, Florida|Sumter]] counties. In 1849, [[Putnam County, Florida|Putnam County]] was created and took the northeast portion of Marion. Levy County's creation took some of the western portion of Marion in 1877, near the end of the Reconstruction era.

Marion County is named after General [[Francis Marion]] of [[South Carolina]], a [[guerrilla]] fighter and hero of the [[American Revolutionary War]] who was known as the "Swamp Fox".<ref>{{cite book|title=Publications of the Florida Historical Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WZQ-AAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA33|year=1908|publisher=Florida Historical Society|page=33}}</ref> Numerous early settlers of this area were natives of South Carolina and likely picked their local hero as the county's namesake.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tK5PAAAAIBAJ&pg=6903%2C7420165 | title=County's history reflected in its names | work=Ocala Star-Banner | date=May 14, 1987 | access-date=May 30, 2015 | author=Pyle, Nancy | pages=8A}}</ref> The Act creating the county of Marion of the Territory of Florida was signed on March 14, 1844, by the territorial governor, [[R. K. Call]]. The county motto is "Kingdom of the Sun."

===Civil War era===
Marion County was a hotbed of secessionist activity. Organizers petitioned the state to host the [[Florida Secession Convention]] and break away from the United States with other Southern states.<ref name=ocala>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocala.com/news/20080425/the-civil-war-years|title = The Civil War Years}}</ref> The area had many plantations and more than half of the population was [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved African Americans]].

Several Confederate Army units were organized by plantation owners, including the [[Marion Rifle Guards]], organized May 2, 1861, by Captain W.L. Fletcher, county treasurer. It served as part of the Fourth Florida Infantry under Col. Edward Hopkins. Other company's included the [[Hammock Guards]], commanded by Captain J.S. Hopkins; [[Marion Dragoons]], a cavalry unit organized and financed by William A. Owens, [[Marion Hornets]], commanded by Captain [[Wade Eichelberger]], and the [[Marion Light Artillery]], commanded at one time by [[John Marshall Martin]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.civilwarmicrofilm.com/site/viewer/unitSoldierIndex.php?regimentREF=10&unitREF=50|title=Civil War Microfilm Roster — Captain Perry's Light Artillery Company, Marion Light Artillery (Florida — Confederate)|website=www.civilwarmicrofilm.com}}</ref><ref name=ocala/> The Civil War and its aftermath disrupted local society and strained the economy. The population declined in its wake as many African Americans moved to towns or cities for better opportunities.

===Post-Reconstruction era to mid-20th century===
During the post-Reconstruction period, there was considerable racial violence in Marion County. Locals [[Lynchings in the United States|lynched]] between 19 and 26 African Americans in the county from the 1880s to 1935.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocala.com/news/20190125/marion-county-like-other-communities-addresses-its-history-of-lynchings|title=Marion County, like other communities, addresses its history of lynchings|last=Medina|first=Carlos E.|website=Ocala.com|language=en|date=January 25, 2019|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref>

===Mid-20th century to present===
Since the mid-20th century, thoroughbred horse farms have been established in the county. Such thoroughbred farms have become known for such race champions as [[Needles (horse)|Needles]], bred at Bonnie Heath Farm, and in 1956, becoming the first Florida-bred horse to win the [[Kentucky Derby]]. In 1978 [[Affirmed]] from [[Harbor View Farm]] won the [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown]].

[[Carl G. Rose]], who had come to Florida in 1916 from Indiana to oversee construction of the first asphalt road in the state, is credited with developing the first thoroughbred horse farm in 1943. As an engineer, he had become familiar with the area's limestone, which he realized supported good pasture for raising strong horses. (Limestone also nurtures central Kentucky's noted [[Bluegrass Region]].) In 1943, Rose bought land along State Highway 200, at $10 per acre, establishing Rosemere Farm. The next year one of his horses, Gornil, won at Miami's [[Tropical Park]], becoming the first Florida-raised thoroughbred to win a Florida race. This raised the profile of Marion County in the racing world.

Close on Rose's heels, entrepreneur Bonnie Heath set up his own thoroughbred farm, producing [[Needles (horse)|Needles]]. In 1956 the horse was the state's first native-bred winner of the [[Kentucky Derby]]. (see further below). Bonnie Heath Farm is owned and operated by Bonnie Heath III and his wife Kim.

In 1978, Marion County-bred-and-raised [[Affirmed]] won the [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|Triple Crown]]. Today, Marion County is a major world thoroughbred center with more than 1200 horse farms. There are about 900 thoroughbred farms, totaling some {{convert|77000|acre|km2}}. Ocala is well known as a "horse capital of the world."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ocalacc.com/ocala_florida/templates/tourism.aspx?articleid=18 |title=The Horse Capital of the World |publisher=Ocalacc.com |access-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925032651/http://www.ocalacc.com/ocala_florida/templates/tourism.aspx?articleid=18 |archive-date=September 25, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Tourism===
The nearby community of [[Silver Springs, Florida|Silver Springs]] developed around the [[Silver Springs (attraction)|Silver Springs]], a group of [[artesian springs]] on the [[Silver River (Florida)|Silver River]]. In the 19th century, this site became Florida's first tourist destination.

Today, well known for [[glass-bottom boat]] tours of the area, Silver Springs is owned by the State of Florida; it was incorporated into [[Silver Springs State Park]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson |first=Bill |url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20130123/ARTICLES/130129891?p=1&tc=pg%20 |title=State lets Palace Entertainment out of Silver Springs lease |website=Ocala.com |access-date=December 17, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://wlrn.org/post/silver-springs-oldest-florida-tourist-attraction-will-become-state-park |title= Silver Springs, Oldest Florida Tourist Attraction, Will Become A State Park |last1= Stone |first1= Rick |date= January 24, 2013 |website= wlrn.com |publisher= WLRN |access-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref> Other nearby natural attractions include the [[Ocala National Forest]] and the [[Florida Trail]]. Several prominent man-made attractions in the Ocala area existed in the past, such as the [[Western (genre)|Western-themed]] [[Six Gun Territory]] [[theme park]] (operated from 1963 to 1984) and the [[Wild Waters]] [[water park]] (operated from 1978 to 2016).