This is an extraordinary archaeological site located in south Sarasota County. Warm Mineral Springs is a rare gem that contains a wealth of information about the past life ways of the Florida Paleoindians. Between Venice and North Port, Warm Mineral Springs is about one mile north of U.S. Hwy. 41, and two miles east of the Myakka River. The surface area of the spring is a round pond (about 230 feet wide) and the main body is an hourglass-shaped sinkhole over 200 feet in depth. At about 45 feet below surface are small ledges that encircle the basin, some of which contain shallow caves. Beneath these ledges the spring's body expands to form a large cavity where, at about 148 feet below surface, debris accumulates and forms a "Debris Cone." These ledges and the "Debris Cone" have been the focus of underwater archaeological investigations.

During the Paleoindian Period (approximately 12,000 to 9,500 years ago) the Florida peninsula was very different from today; the sea level was much lower and the coastline much farther out, especially along the Gulf coast. The climate in Florida during the Paleoindian period was cool and arid; many of the lakes, springs, wetlands, and rivers in Sarasota County did not exist; and water was in short supply. This different geography and climate meant a different array of animals and plants, such as mammoths and giant sloths as well as grass prairies and savannahs. Waterholes, such as Warm Mineral Springs, were crucial to animals for drinking water in this arid environment. Humans also relied heavily on these few water resources, not only for drinking water, but also for campsites where animals could be ambushed, butchered, and eaten. Today evidence of these campsites is found at the bottom of rivers, such as the Aucilla River in north Florida, and sinkholes, such as Warm Mineral Springs.

Florida archaeologists have combined SCUBA diving and archaeology to investigate Paleoindian sites such as Warm Mineral Springs. This underwater site has yielded unprecedented information about Paleoindians in Florida and their environment. Underwater explorations began in the late 1950s by retired Lt. Col. William Royal. Royal reported discovering portions of seven human skulls and other human bone fragments representing 30 individuals from the ledge area. In 1972 Carl Clausen, an underwater archaeologist with the State of Florida, investigated the shallow ledges and caves 45 feet below surface. Clausen recovered human bone, charred wood, and leaf deposits which date from about 9,000 to 10,000 years ago.

W. A. "Sonny" Cockrell, an underwater archaeologist with Florida State University, recovered several fragments of human bone as well as small animal bones and preserved oak and hickory nuts in 1973. Cockrell attributed the remarkable preservation of such fragile artifacts to the lack of dissolved oxygen in the water. Other artifacts recovered from the ledges and Debris Cone at the spring include bone tools, shell tools, and bone fragments from such animals as the sabre-tooth cat, panther, and turtle. In 1977 Warm Mineral Springs was listed as a significant archaeological site in the National Register of Historic Places. Both the State of Florida and Florida State University sponsored underwater archaeological research at Warm Mineral Springs in the 1980s. The archaeological resources at Warm Mineral Springs can be considered a rare jewel of Florida, it offers a unique opportunity for future archaeologists to learn more about and better understand the first inhabitants of Florida.

© 2000, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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