The Timucuan Indians lived in the area around Silver Springs in the early 1500s. It was the Timucuans that named the area, Ocali. In 1539 Hernando DeSoto invaded the area for Spain. A faction of the Timucuan, the Ocali, fought many battles with the Spaniards and managed to retain control of the area. After the Timucuan tribe moved on, the area was occupied by many tribes of various nations. The Seminoles occupied the territory in the 1830s when the U.S. wanted, through a treacherous treaty, to move the Seminole to lands in the western states. It was at this time that war chief Osceola used his knife to slash the treaty. The Seminoles relocated to the swamps to the south.

In the 1850s, the population along the Silver River had grown to the point that it became necessary to transport construction, farming and household items by barge. In time, the Hart Line was established by Hubbard H. Hart. The Hart Line was a stagecoach connection between Palatka, Silver Springs, Ocala and Tampa. In 1860, James Burt was hired by Hart. It was Burt who introduced steamboats to Silver Springs, allowing more and more people to spend time at the crystal clear springs.

In 1878, Hullam Jones invented the glass bottom boat at Silver Springs. This brought a clear view of the underwater world of Silver Springs. Passengers could look down on fish, turtles and even fossils that were more than 10,000 years old.

In 1871, T. Brigham Bishop of New York City, built a two-hundred room resort at the site. Unfortunately, in 1894, the huge structure burned down. It was rebuilt.

In the 1890s, commercial glass-bottom boats were being constructed. The following years saw many improvements to them.

Ross Allen arrived at Silver Springs and founded Ross Allen's Reptile Institute at Silver Springs. Though he had little formal education in herpetology, he soon became a leader in the field through his observations and experiments with the reptiles of the Silver Springs area. He did shows for visitors, which included acts from the Seminoles and he also milked rattlesnakes for their venom. It is said that he was snake bitten ten times while milking rattlers.

Between 1932 and 1942, six Tarzan movies, starring Johnny Weissmuller, were filmed at Silver Springs.

In 1958, Hollywood arrived again and filmed over 100 episodes of the television series, Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges, until 1961.

While the nation was in the grips of gasoline shortages in the early 1970s, Walt Disney’s World opened. The tourist trade for Silver Springs dropped drastically as those tourists able to travel, chose to go to the new Disney facility.

Ross Allen continued giving reptile demonstrations at the Alligator Farm in Saint Augustine, but he also developed a new plan. It was Ross Allen’s Alligator Town, located at the corner of I-75 and U.S. 90. Ross and his partner, a former president of the Florida Herpetological Society, Dennis Magee, planned to open the attraction in June, 1981.

In May of 1981, an ailing Ross Allen was checked into Shands Hospital in Gainsville. Unfortunately, he passed away on May 17, 1981 from pneumonia. He was 73 years of age. The Ross Allen Alligator Town did eventually open, but was not the commercial success expected.