How The Legend Of The Fountain Of Youth Spread

The legend of the fountain of youth didn't die in the 16th century. For the following few centuries, it would pop up here and there in travel reports and literature around the world. In the 1800s, American short-story writer Washington Irving (of Sleepy Hollow fame) wrote a fictionalized account of Ponce de León's travels. It didn't paint the explorer in a good light, portraying him as vain as well as failing to find the fountain (via History).

By the early 20th century, pretty much everybody had heard about the mystical waters. Florida started talking about the conquistador, and the city of St. Augustine, established where he's supposed to first have landed when reaching Florida, eventually opened a Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Archaeological digs in the area in the 1930s revealed remnants of what could be the first Christian mission in the country, though there's no confirmation there's a direct connection to Ponce de León (via Ponce de León's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park).

The springs at the park remain at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit all year long (per Florida Department of Environmental Protection). And while the waters might not make you younger as you take a dip in them, you might still leave the park rejuvenated after a swim, a picnic, or a walk through the area's slightly rolling hills.

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