On Thursday, the nonprofit Bagdad Waterfronts Florida Partnership Inc. will be part of a boating expedition that will highlight heritage tourism while covering much of the river that’s known for its tannic water and sandy bottom.

TONY JUDNICH @Tonyjnwfdn

BAGDAD — By early next year, outdoor and history enthusiasts who have an internet connection could be able to explore much of the Blackwater River without leaving home.

On Thursday, the nonprofit Bagdad Waterfronts Florida Partnership Inc. will be part of a boating expedition that will highlight heritage tourism while covering much of the river that’s known for its tannic water and sandy bottom.

The organization will partner with the Richmond, Virginia-based Terrain 360 to obtain high-resolution, 360-degree images of the river for a digital-image map. About 25 miles of the 58-mile-long Blackwater River will be photographed to create the virtual Blackwater Maritime Heritage Trail.

The river’s headwaters start in south Alabama, and 49 miles of the waterway meander through Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.

Overall, the creators of the virtual trail aim to protect and help educate people about the cultural resources of Santa Rosa County.

“The concept for the trail is basically built on the large number of shipwrecks on the river,” said Doug Lasater, president of the Bagdad Waterfronts Florida Partnership. “This is not only a trail, but a historical documentation of what’s in the river.”

The state-supported partnership works to protect and enhance the Bagdad Waterfront, which encompasses the Blackwater River, Pond Creek and Oakland Basin.

Lasater said many ships that continue to rest on the river’s bottom sank during and well before the 1930s. They include vessels that were destroyed during the Civil War.

“We won’t tell everyone where they’re at,” Lasater said of the wrecks, “but we’ll give general directions. “The beauty of the river is, it’s very dark in color from natural tannins, but the water quality is very good. It’s preserved a lot of these wrecks and (the dark water) has stopped them from being looted.”

Graduate students from the University of West Florida will be an important part of Thursday’s endeavor, Lasater said. They’ll share with other trip participants various details about the historic uses of the river while also helping to document the waterway.

“Students will be able to come back years later to document the sunken ships and see how things deteriorate in freshwater,” Lasater said.

During Thursday’s trip, members of Terrain 360 will photograph the river with six cameras mounted 10 feet above the water’s surface while cruising on a pontoon raft. Images will be taken every 40 feet and later joined together to create the digital-image map.

Lasater said the virtual trail will enable a wider audience to enjoy the Blackwater River in the form of an immersive, 360-degree, web-based “choose your own adventure tour.” During the tour, users will be able to learn about historic sites, including old industrial mills that now are public parks, such the Bagdad Mill Site Park.

The virtual trail could later be expanded to include the Yellow River and other waterways in the local region.

Funding assistance for the roughly $32,000 first phase of the trail project comes from the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council, the state Office of Greenways and Trails and the Bagdad Waterfronts Florida Partnership. Members of the Blackwater Pyrates, a community service-based organization serving the Bagdad and Milton areas, have donated labor and boats to help map the trail.

“Barring any weather issues, we should have something to the public by January,” Lasater said of the virtual trail.