Prehistoric canoe found on Weedon Island
Article published on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 |
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| Photo courtesy of Weedon Island Preserve |
| Dr. Robert Austin, left, and Kimalee Dudley, right, lend a hand during a pre-excavation dig that revealed a prehistoric pine canoe at Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg. |
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PINELLAS COUNTY – A recent find at Weedon Island Preserve has archaeologists wishing for the resources they need to unlock the mystery of how a 1,100 year-old pine canoe could have survived in the salt and sand environment.
Harold Koran, a Pinellas County resident, found the prehistoric pine canoe buried in the sand along the shoreline on Weedon Island.
An early mode of transportation, the canoe is a unique artifact attributed to the late Weeden Island Culture of the Florida Gulf Coast dwellers of the Manasota Period.
Measuring 39-feet, 11-inches in length, but believed to have been upwards of 45 feet in total, the pine canoe holds the distinction of the longest prehistoric canoe ever found in Florida. The canoe features a raised bow that indicates the canoe was used on open water.
Under the canoe, a pine pole, used perhaps for paddling, poling or docking the canoe, was also unearthed and dated to the same prehistoric period, approximately 1,100 years ago.
Since the discovery, Phyllis E. Kolianos, M.A., R.P.A, Pinellas County’s education center manager and principal archaeological investigator on the team, has arduously taken every step to document, conserve and protect the canoe, the pole and the non-peat environment that is the archeological site.
Only a pre-excavation dig was performed, along with thorough radiocarbon dating and wood sampling, which confirmed the wood as pine, a prevalent local timber after which the county of Pinellas is named.
A comprehensive excavation of the canoe and museum preservation has not yet been determined as numerous resources, both financial and equipment, are needed.
“This discovery expands our understanding and the significance of the not-well-known people of the Weeden Island Culture,” said Dr. Bruce Rinker, Environmental Lands director for Pinellas County. “A tremendous thank you is owed to the team involved in researching and documenting this discovery, including Dr. Robert Austin, Dr. Donna Ruhl and the Friends of Weedon Island, who helped provide supplies and radiocarbon dating.”
Weedon Island Preserve is located on the southeast region of the peninsula that is Pinellas County on Tampa Bay.
History
Lasting some 800 years, the Weeden Island Culture evolved out of a segment of the Manasota Culture, an ancient population that settled along Florida’s rich estuaries and central Gulf Coast 2,500 years ago.
The society increased in population and eventually changed in social structure to become the Safety Harbor Culture that met the first Europeans to the area. By the mid-1700s, the Creek Indians entered Florida from Alabama and Georgia and became known as the Seminoles.
After the Civil War, Weedon Island became the homestead of early settlers and entered a colorful modern history until recognized and established as an important, historical Pinellas County preserve.
Today, Weedon Island Preserve is an expansive 3,700 acres, comprised of marine habitats with some uplands - a site rich in Native American history. The preserve is open to the public from dawn to dusk seven days a week and offers many outdoor activities. The 17,000-square-foot Cultural and Natural History Center is open Wednesdays to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but closed Mondays, Tuesdays and holidays. Admission is free.
The preserve is located at 1800 Weedon Drive N.E. in St. Petersburg. For more information on the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center and the Pinellas County Environmental Lands Division, call 727-453-6500 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/environment.
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Article published on Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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