Little Salt Springs was first discovered as an archaeological site by William R. Royal, a retired Air Force Colonel and sports diver, in the late 1950's. Underwater archaeological sites, like Little Salt Springs, provide unparalleled evidence of the activities of the people of Florida living thousands of years ago. We might think of them as small time capsules of information. These underwater sites yield artifacts that are rarely found on land sites. Artifacts such as wood, bone, and plants, which quickly rot away over time on land, are well preserved underwater because there is no air to damage them.

When Paleoindians camped around Little Salt Springs, about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, the climate in Florida was much different; cool and arid water was in short supply. Water collected at the bottom of the sinkhole. And, although it was probably too deep for animals to reach the water, archaeologists have found evidence that the Paleoindians lowered themselves down into the sinkhole off a ledge to reach the water. Archaeologist Carl J. Clausen recovered two wooden stakes, possibly anchors pounded into the side of the sinkhole to aid people in lowering themselves to the water, near the bottom of the basin. These stakes have been radiocarbon dated to approximately 9,500 years ago.

One of the earliest documented evidence of human habitation was found on this ledge of the basin 8 feet (26 meters) below the surface. An overturned, collapsed shell of an extinct species of giant land tortoise was found with a sharply pointed wooden stake stuck in the tortoise's shell. Several of the bones of the giant tortoise as well as parts of its shell were burned extensively. From the evidence gathered, archaeologist Carl J. Clausen surmised that the tortoise was killed and cooked in an upside down position and eaten there at the ledge more than 12,000 years ago. Another extraordinary wooden artifact found, which also dates to the Paleoindian period, was the head or top of a nonreturnable boomerang made of oak. Archaeologists have compared it to those used by Australian aborigines.

Bones found underwater at Little Salt Springs provide evidence of animal species that were available to the Paleoindians for food. Animal species that have been found in the sinkhole in association with the Paleoindian period include extinct mammals such as mammoths, mastodons, the giant sloth, tapir, and ancestors of the camel and horse. However, archaeologists have also found bones of animals still alive today, such as the deer, raccoon, and opossum. Paleoindians used these animals not only for food, but also used their fur for cover and warmth, and their bones and antlers for tools.

Archaeologists have also found evidence of the Middle Archaic culture period (about 7,000 to 5,000 years ago) at Little Salt Springs. During this time people found the spring a convenient source of water. The ground water would have been nearer to the surface and hence the water level higher, providing easier access for those wanting water, both animals and humans. The Paleoindians, as well as the people of the Archaic culture, were adept hunters and survivors. Evidence from the underwater excavations at Little Salt Springs demonstrate the advancements in technology the Indians acquired. As today's technology advances in both archaeology and scuba diving so will our knowledge of the people living in Sarasota County ten of thousands of years ago. Little Salt Springs is now owned by the University of Miami and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science under the directorship of Dr. John A. Gifford, Marine Archaeologist.

© 2000, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Reprinted by express permission of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune