Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is located near Homosassa Springs, Florida, in the United States.
   The park is one of the notable locations in the state to view manatees. Visitors can get close to the animals on a floating observatory.
   Black bears, bobcats, white-tailed deer, American alligators, and river otters can also been seen in the park. The park is also home to the hippopotamus Lu, famously known for his performances in many movies for the past 40 years.
   The park is officially named Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in honor of Elmyra Felburn Schiller, a benefactor of the Florida state park system. Native Americans lived in the area of Homosassa Springs, Florida, long before the first non indigenous people entered the area.
   Within 200 years of encounter, the original inhabitants of the area were decimated by disease and colonial warfare. Soon after that, the area was resettled by several groups of Native Americans displaced from other areas, including the Seminoles and Miccosukee. The springs are a historical attraction with documented accounts of tourism since the early 1900s. At that time, a railroad running along what is now Fishbowl Drive would let passengers off to walk a short trail to the spring. In the 1920s, the attraction was expanded to several structures that no longer exist, and a public swimming area was located at the spring. The 1
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