Mound House Underground Exhibit

View the process of creating the unique Underground Exhibit - Stories Beneath our Feet in this custom video produced by former intern Lindsay Mancuso.



Due to copyright laws, soundtrack has been changed.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding now at Mound House

FLORIDA AND THE GULFSTREAM

As visitors to the Mound House will learn, in 1513 ,Ponce de Leon was the first European to explore “La Florida” and it was in that same year that he and his men landed very near to this location and first encountered the Calusa. But before even making landfall, Ponce made another important discovery that would affect trade and exploration of the New World for centuries. Although its existence was known to a few others, it was also during this same voyage that Ponce discovered the vitally important the Gulf Stream and according to Ponce: “ A current such that, although they had great wind, they could not proceed forward, but backward and it seems that they were proceeding well; at the end it was known that the current was more powerful than the wind”.

A river of seawater averaging 6 miles wide and over 3,000 feet deep, the Gulf Stream originates in the straits of Florida and is driven largely by wind stress as it travels across the southern tip of Florida, turning northward and into the Atlantic, extending along the eastern coast of North America and then turning again eastward into the North Atlantic and Europe. The Gulf Stream is a rapidly traveling current moving at as much as 5.6mph. This conveyor belt current gave sailors a tremendous advantage in sailing back to Europe from the New World. Fighting its current could add as much as two weeks to a transatlantic crossing from Europe.

As Deputy Postmaster of the British American Colonies, Ben Franklin assembled the knowledge of Nantucket whalers and was the first to publish a map and be the first to name the Gulf Stream in 1770.

Moreover, the proximity of warm Gulf Stream waters to the peninsula of Florida not only warms the air of our State during the cold winter months but also the British Isles and coastlines of Northern Europe.                        



Plants in Profile #21 - Gallardia

#21 - GALLARDIA (Gallardia pulchella)

This week’s subject plant is one of the sturdiest and most reliable native wildflowers found in coastal strand habitats. Also known as “ Blanket Flower” because of its resemblance to traditional brightly colored woven Indian blankets, gallardia can be found throughout the United States. It is tolerant of acidic, or alkaline sand such the soil found here at Mound House, and has a high salt tolerance making it a hardy resident of the dune plantings at nearby Newton Park. Also very drought tolerant, the gallardia can withstand tough conditions that make other flowers wilt.  The blossoms of the gallardia are attractive to butterflies and our resident white sulphur and mangrove buckeyes can often be found gathering nectar in the flowering clusters of gallardia growing on the Mound.     



Creature Feature #21 - Calico Scallop

#21 - CALICO SCALLOP (Argopecten gibbus)

Either walking the beach at Newton Park or touring the shell wall forming the underground archaeological exhibit at Mound House, you will invariably find the colorful shells of this enigmatic little scallop. Rarely found in the shallows, calico scallops prefer deeper waters and inhabit anywhere from 30 to 1,300 feet of water all along the coast of Florida and into the Carolinas. Scallops are swimmers and mass migrations occur up and down the coast to take advantage of seasonal changes in both the Gulf and Atlantic. Genetic identification of calico scallop populations show that larval scallops from Florida take advantage of coastal currents such as the gulfstream to find their way as far north as North Carolina. Occasionally after storms, live calico scallops can be found washed ashore in great numbers. Given that calicos are a deep water species, this is perhaps how they were harvested by the Calusa and eventually became part of the Mound. Today ,calico scallops are harvested commercially by trawlers ,but this is a true “boom or bust” species with catches ranging from a few thousand to millions of pounds depending on the environmental conditions which cause population cycles to change. Scientists believe that many of the massive calico scallop beds on the seafloor are never found because of how calicos readily migrate to better conditions. Scallops are filter feeders living primarily on a diet of microbial suspensions including bacteria as well as detritus and other organic matter. Calico scallops rarely live beyond two years of age and grow to about 2 inches in size making them somewhat smaller than bay or sea scallops. In addition to frequently finding themselves as the entrée at many of our Islands’ seafood restaurants, calicos are preyed upon by starfish, octopus, squid, numerous species of fish, crabs, rays, and even sharks.



THE CALUSA CANOE

After being closed since the late 1570s, in 1699 Spain reopens “legal” trade between Cuba and Florida and contemporary historical records rather casually observe that “Glades Indians” in dugout canoes were commuting between Key West and Havana, travelling in a 24 hour crossing to conduct trade. They brought furs, plants and fish, and quite interestingly, willow cages containing live song birds such as cardinals and mockingbirds which were sold to the cigar factories and wealthy homeowners to provide musical entertainment.

Paddling at least 90 miles across the Gulf of Mexico in a dugout canoe is an amazing feat by any modern measure, that this was something done on a regular basis to conduct trade is an indicator of remarkable physical endurance and navigational skills. Of course, as a means of transportation, the canoes of the Calusa were a vital component of their culture, providing transportation and a means to conduct trade throughout south Florida and the Caribbean.              

The dugout canoes utilized by the indigenous people of South Florida were long and narrow shallow draft boats, crafted from the trunks of pine or cypress in which fire was used to burn into the trunk, sculpting out the hollow interior of the canoe which would then be finished to a smooth surface with hand tools.

As a sophisticated maritime culture with a network of over fifty villages up and down the coast of southwest Florida, the ability to travel and fish the rivers, creeks and estuaries meant life itself.

Known by their neighbors as the “fierce people”, the Calusa maintained a large and powerful warrior class that employed war canoes, enabling them to reign over a vast area and collect tribute from numerous other tribes while effectively defending their realm for over 2,000 years.  

When Ponce de Leon encountered the Calusa for the first time in 1513, he and his men were attacked in force by hundreds of warriors in large canoes which were lashed together and protected by interlocking shields. As one can easily imagine, the ability to assemble and deploy large numbers of warriors in canoes gave the Calusa a significant  tactical advantage.

Here in 2012, we can’t offer you a hand carved canoe ride through the back country creeks and bays of Matanzas Pass and we don’t deploy large numbers of warriors at a moment’s notice, but we do offer specially scheduled kayak tours and educational events as part of our program curriculum here at Mound House. Our next scheduled kayaking event will be held December 8th from 9:00-12:00. This trip will include a tour of the creeks connecting Hell Peckney Bay to Matanzas Pass and the Dog Key Calusa Mound site. This event is free of charge, but is limited to volunteers and those interested in becoming a Mound House volunteer. Call 239-765-0865 for details.     

-Parke Lewis

Environmental Educator

Town of Fort Myers Beach  

      

Mound House History - Video

Former intern Lindsay Mancuso had many versatile talents - from archaeology to multimedia. While she was working at the Mound House she produced this video on the historical history of the Mound House structure. Please take a moment to view this fantastic video and take a Walk Through Time.

Due to copyright laws, the original soundtrack has changed.