Close-up of two conservators working on a large wooden canoe fragment elevated on white foam supports in a lab; one wears a teal shirt, ponytail, pink respirator, and black gloves while brushing a yellow-handled tool on the dark wood surface near beakers and vials on a black table, with lab equipment and safety signs in the background.
FORT MYERS, Florida – In 2022, storm surge from Hurricane Ian washed a roughly nine-foot dugout canoe ashore from a riverbed in Fort Myers. The resident who found it on the shore contacted the Florida Division of Historical Resources, and archaeologists collected the artifact for preservation in Tallahassee.
The Florida Division of Historical Resources has finished conserving the canoe, which entered the custody of the division in September 2024 and was treated by preservationists at the Bureau of Archaeological Research’s Conservation Lab.
The canoe, made from a single tree trunk and extremely fragile after spending centuries underwater, underwent cataloging, photography, 3D scanning, cleaning, and consolidation to stabilize its surface and prevent further deterioration.
Small wood samples were sent out for radiocarbon dating and verification of the wood type. Before treatment, the wood appeared lighter in color; the consolidation process caused it to darken, a standard outcome that helps preserve the artifact for long-term study.
The canoe’s form is highly unusual compared to typical Florida examples, and research continues to pinpoint its origin and age. Comparisons to Caribbean vessels suggest possible regional ties, potentially classifying it as a cayuco—a small dugout used in Hispanic countries for river and coastal navigation.
“The canoe’s form is highly unusual in Florida and research is still ongoing to determine its origin,” the division stated in a recent update on Facebook. Though undated, nearby canoes from the Calusa and their ancestors date to 6,000–7,000 years ago. More recent Native-built canoes belonged to Seminole and Miccosukee people.
Florida has yielded over 450 canoes from more than 200 sites, spanning prehistoric American Indian, European, and settler eras.
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