Archaeologist to share discoveries from the bottom of Lake Okeechobee

With the discovery of human bone fragments on the lake bottom in March 2007, Davenport was drawn to the Belle Glade region and expanses of mucky land at the bottom of Lake Okeechobee.

Three prehistoric sites — Ritta Island, Kreamer Island and Pelican Bay — were already known from the south side of Lake Okeechobee, yet approximately 30 additional sites were recorded in this vicinity ranging from isolated shipwrecks to large ceramic scatters. Additional testing at certain sites revealed unique and disparate artifact assemblages. At the Kreamer Island site, particularly noteworthy was an abundance of shell ornaments, hammers/adzes, and celts while the Ritta Island site contained limited shell tools but considerable chert and human bone fragments. Davenport's presentation will address these finds and their implications for trade routes in southern Florida.