The desire to learn more about the ancient people who inhabited Florida came not from direct observations in the field. Instead, my curiosity was fed by the fascinating tales woven by University of Florida archaeologist Ken Sassaman. In a series of presentations to the Cedar Key community describing his investigations, he peeled back more and more of the mysteries surrounding the pre-Columbian mound builders of the southeastern coast, focusing on close to home features.
The ongoing discovery of the pre-history of Shell Mound and the significance of the mound as an ecological feature is a late chapter in the continuing education of a naturalist. Shell Mound, on the Gulf of Mexico about four miles north of Cedar Key, is an ancient Native American structure that pre-dates the European settlement of the western hemisphere. In addition to its undoubted interest to students of archaeology, the mound has unique features that qualify it as a subject worthy of the attention of natural historians.
Cat Island, Florida, December 6, 2011
The paddle over to Cat Island from the Town of Suwannee wasn’t too bad. We had a following wind and moderate, perhaps two-foot, waves. I wasn’t an experienced kayaker and was uneasy with waves. We were paddling in the Gulf of Mexico where very large waves are possible. Although the waves weren’t particularly frightening, I knew a bit more wind could whip up bigger ones and take me well out of my narrow comfort zone.
I had recently begun kayaking to help a partner develop a series of paddling guides to highlight kayaking opportunities in the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. We hoped paddlers would better appreciate the natural history of the refuges and see their paddling trails as more than watery exercise routes.
Approaching Cat Island from the south.
Our only near-disaster happened just as we reached Cat Island. I was the first ashore, and my kayak glided in to the beach, stopping abruptly with a thud on the hard-packed sand. I’ll wait until the others arrive, I thought, but my landing was instantly followed by the feeling of water gushing over the back of the boat and flooding the cockpit. The boat stopped, but the following waves did not, the boat was overtopped, and I was sitting in water, mostly soaked from the waist down. The others had a good laugh when I told them what happened.
Now that we had arrived, I wondered what kind of place this was. The narrow beach on which we landed abuts an eroded bank a bit taller than me. A short but steep scramble took me to where I could look around. I struggled to take in the panorama before me. I looked right and left, then right and left again. The island was thin and crescent shaped. I was standing near the top middle of the crescent, and the high ground gradually diminished, and then disappeared as it reached out toward the far arms of the crescent. This narrow upland surrounded an expanse of marsh.
Cat Island beach near the spot where we landed. Note the edge of what was a narrow band of shells and sand to the right and the eroded area toward the left. This point is near the center of the crescent-shaped island and its highest point.
This is a manmade structure, I thought, even before I had a chance to mobilize and sift through all the evidence that led me to this conclusion. I knew from lectures that prehistoric people in this region made shell mounds in certain patterns, and common patterns were semicircles or crescents. Scrambling down I noted the thick layers of shells and sand that made up the ridge of land on which I just stood. It was clear that Cat Island is largely made up of shells, and they are almost certainly shells left by ancient peoples. I also noted that the island was eroding severely. Over-washed, undermined, and uprooted palm trees and other vegetation littered the beach.
Google Earth image of Cat Island. We landed near the highest point of the crescent-shaped island not far from the southwest facing beach, toward the lower left of the image.
This was one of those islands that are washing away as the result of sea level rise and the series of major storms that visit periodically. Not too many more storms would be needed to make Cat Island disappear completely and become a patch of marsh slowly giving way to open water as sea level rises.
Walking along the beach to the south and east as the ridge of land narrows, I found another surprise. A large sign faced outward and was obviously intended to be read by passing boaters. It said the island was for sale and included a phone number to contact. Until seeing that sign, I believed that Cat Island was part of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge like other islands in the vicinity. Discovering that this manmade island of likely archaeological significance was private land added to the mystery about the place.
Surely the refuge must want to obtain such a unique and noteworthy place, particularly because it was for sale and it was difficult to imagine what plans a buyer might have for it. I thought again and wondered what the chances were of finding a buyer when it was so obvious that the island was washing away. But maybe it didn’t matter; everything here would soon be inundated by waters of the Gulf.
After a quick lunch it was time to leave. The wind had died down, and the paddle back to Suwannee Town was easy and uneventful. It was warm for a December afternoon, and I was only troubled by the fact that my clothing and the padded seat of the kayak were still soaked.
After we returned, I did some research about Cat Island and discovered that I had heard about the island previously in a presentation by University of Florida archeologists. Conscious that many ancient Native American sites in the region are threatened with inundation by rising seas, the archaeologists were in a race against time, surveying as many sites as possible to learn their secrets before the evidence is lost. Cat Island was surveyed early because of its vulnerability seems so great. Excavations revealed the history of occupation of the site. The role of the crescent configuration of the structure, however, remained a matter of speculation and could be an artifact of shifting sands in the millennium or more since the area was inhabited.
Years later I learned that sometime after our visit human remains were discovered at the site, doubtless exposed by the erosive forces relentlessly destroying the island and redistributing its parts.
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