The Perdido River is a 60-65 mile long blackwater river that forms the border between Alabama and Florida for most of its length. Beginning at the confluence of Fletcher Creek and Perdido Creek in Escambia County, Alabama, it flows southeastward to Perdido Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The name Perdido means lost in Spanish, a fitting name given by Spanish settlers who occupied the area until 1813. This river is considered the highest quality free-flowing blackwater river remaining in the southern Coastal Plain. It's characterized by a sandy bottom and a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. The transparent, dark-stained black water gets its distinctive tea-like appearance from tannins released by decaying vegetation from the forested areas. The river corridor encompasses 120,000 acres of Alabama's largest and most ecologically significant blackwater watershed, providing habitat for a diverse array of plants and animals, including many rare and endangered species.