Prehistoric Canoe Found at Weedon Island

1,100-Year-Old Prehistoric Canoe Found in
Pinellas County, Florida
Buried in the sand along the shoreline, a prehistoric pine canoe was found on Weedon Island Preserve, located on the southeast region of the peninsula that is Pinellas County on Tampa Bay.
An early mode of transportation, the canoe is attributed to the late Weeden Island Culture (alternative spelling) of Florida Gulf Coast dwellers. Measuring 39-feet, 11-inches in length, but believed to have been upwards of 45 feet in total, the pine canoe holds the distinction of the longest prehistoric canoe ever found in Florida. The canoe features a raised bow that indicates the canoe was used on open water. Under the canoe, a pine pole, used perhaps for paddling, poling, and/or docking the canoe, was also unearthed and dated to the same prehistoric period, approximately 1,100 years ago.
Local Pinellas County resident, Harold Koran, discovered the canoe while fishing among the Weedon Island Preserve’s mangroves. Many other investigators and archeologists from across the state have been called in.Only a pre-excavation dig was
performed, along with thorough radiocarbon dating and wood sampling, which confirmed the wood as pine, a prevalent local timber after which the county of Pinellas is named.

“This discovery expands our understanding and the significance of the not-well-known people of the Weeden Island Culture,” said Dr. Bruce Rinker, Environmental Lands director for Pinellas County. “A tremendous thank-you is owed to
the team involved with the research and documentation of this discovery, including Dr. Robert Austin, Dr. Donna Ruhl,and the Friends of Weedon Island, who helped provide supplies and radiocarbon dating.”