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Archaeologists excavating Newnan's Lake canoes.
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In the Spring and early Summer of 2000, drought conditions across north-central
Florida lowered water levels in many lakes, ponds, and streams, including
Newnan's Lake, just east of Gainesville in Alachua County. Local residents
exploring the dried up lake bed discovered the remains of nineteenth and early twentieth
century skiffs, and further investigation by archaeologists revealed that these relatively
modern boats were alongside much older, prehistoric canoes. While low water levels
have often led to the discovery of prehistoric and historic period canoes, and in
some cases groups of canoes, the Newnan's Lake find appeared unique in having such
a large number of canoes. Up until this time, about 250 to 300
canoes in total have been reported from Florida.
By early June, 2000 at least 20 canoes had been reported
along the northern rim of Newnan's Lake. The Bureau of Archaeological Research sent a team led by archaeologist Melissa Memory
to identify the location of as many canoes as possible, and to document in detail
at least 50 of the ancient boats. With help from volunteers and students,
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Archaeologists Christine Newman and Ray McGee excavate a cluster of three canoes.
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86 canoes were recorded
along two-mile stretch of the exposed lake bed—the largest group of
prehistoric canoes found to date in North America. Walking along the dried lake
bottom, the crew could identify the canoes by recognizing traces of the wood from the sides and ends of
the boat protruding from the bottom mud. Careful excavation of 53 of the canoes
revealed some interesting similarities and differences.
Studies are currently under way to determine the
Age of the Canoes
Prehistoric Canoes in Florida (new window), as well as the type of
wood used in making them. Wood samples were taken from the 53 canoes in the study group,
and have been submitted for radiocarbon dating and wood species analysis. The oldest
canoes in Florida are from DeLeon Springs in Volusia County, and date to 6,000 years ago,
while some others are only a few hundred years old. The age range of the Newnan's Lake Canoes date from 5000 to 500 years old, with nearly 70% of them dating between 3000 and 5000 years old. As is the pattern for other canoes reported in Florida, almost all the Newnan's Lake canoes were made from pine. » More... »
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