Recent from talks
Ortona Prehistoric Village
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Ortona Prehistoric Village
The Ortona Prehistoric Village is an archaeological site adjacent to the community of Ortona in northeastern Glades County, Florida, north of the Caloosahatchee River and west of Lake Okeechobee, consisting of mounds, canals and other features. Part of the site is currently in the Glades County-owned Ortona Indian Mound Park, but much remains in private hands. The site has been extensively modified by 20th-century activities, including the construction of a county road and a cemetery, sand mining operations, and improvements to pasture land.
The Ortona mounds are located about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the present-day Caloosahatchee River. Until late in the 19th century, the Caloosahatchee River was fed by a series of lakes starting from Lake Hicpochee, and including Lettuce Lake, Bonnet Lake and Flirt Lake. A waterfall and set of rapids at the lower end of Flirt Lake marked the beginning of the river. The rapids were close to 1 mile (1.6 km) long, with a drop in elevation of about 10 feet (3.0 m). Lake Hicpochee, about 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) in area, was only 3 miles (4.8 km) from Lake Okeechobee, but there was no connection between the two lakes before the late 19th century. Water flowed from Lake Hicpochee westward into Lettuce Lake and then Bonnet Lake. When the water was high the two lakes merged. From Bonnet Lake water flowed into Lake Flirt, which was about 1,000 acres (400 ha) in area and 5 miles (8.0 km) long. All of the lakes were surrounded by extensive wetlands.
In 1881 Hamilton Disston, as part of a scheme to drain large areas of wetlands in the interior of Florida, had a canal dredged from Lake Okeechobee to Lake Hicpochee and through the lakes and wetlands to the west. His company removed the rock ledge that formed the falls and rapids below Lake Flirt, and straightened the upper reaches of the Caloosahatchee River. Various state and federal projects have widened and deepened the river since then. The conversion of the Caloosahatchee River into a canal drained Lake Flirt and the wetlands descending from Lake Hicpochee.
The site was extensively altered during the 20th century, and many of the features were destroyed or heavily damaged. Archaeologists have used early descriptions and maps of the site, as well as aerial photographs taken in the middle of the 20th century, to construct a partial picture of the site before it was altered.
The remains of two linear canals connect the Ortona site with the Caloosahatchee River. One canal runs about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) southeast from the site to a natural waterway connecting to the river. The other canal runs southwest from the site about 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to what was Lake Flirt on the old river bed (the Caloosahatchee River was canalized in the 20th century). While the routes of the canals can be traced on old maps and aerial photos, they have been significantly altered and obscured by human actions in the 20th century.
Early maps show an “Indian Trail” running from Fisheating Creek that crossed the wetlands east of Lake Flirt (and south of the Ortona site) at a ford. The Seminole Wars Fort Thompson was located at the rapids below (west of) Lake Flirt.
The two canals were fed by a slough called Turkey Creek, which flowed towards the mounds from the north. The western canal (8GL4A) connected a small, round pond near the mounds to an arm of Lake Flirt called Cypress Branch. The eastern canal (8GL4B) started near the mounds but does not appear to have been connected to the pond. Wheeler speculates that the two canals may have been connected by Turkey Slough. A 1950 map based on aerial photos shows a short branch of the eastern canal connecting to a mound or group of mounds. Much of the eastern canal may have been re-dredged as a drainage canal during the 20th century.
Measurements made in the 20th century indicate that the canals were about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) deep and 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide. The canals had flat bottoms and sloped sides, with spoil along their sides. A surviving portion of the eastern canal that was about to be destroyed in a sand mining operation was examined in 1997 by archaeologists. Trenches were cut through the canal to determine its history. Examination of the soil profiles in the trenches revealed that the canal was originally 6.7 to 9.1 metres (22 to 30 ft) wide at the top and 4.6 to 6.1 metres (15 to 20 ft) wide at the bottom of the canal, and 1 to 1.2 metres (3.3 to 3.9 ft) deep. Radiocarbon dates from samples of organic material recovered from the trenches indicate that the canal may have been dug as much as 1,900 years ago. A sample from the lowest layer was 1,600 to 1,900 years old. Two other samples above the original bottom of the canal, presumably deposited on sediment that had accumulated in the canal, were 1,100 to 1,750 years old.
Hub AI
Ortona Prehistoric Village AI simulator
(@Ortona Prehistoric Village_simulator)
Ortona Prehistoric Village
The Ortona Prehistoric Village is an archaeological site adjacent to the community of Ortona in northeastern Glades County, Florida, north of the Caloosahatchee River and west of Lake Okeechobee, consisting of mounds, canals and other features. Part of the site is currently in the Glades County-owned Ortona Indian Mound Park, but much remains in private hands. The site has been extensively modified by 20th-century activities, including the construction of a county road and a cemetery, sand mining operations, and improvements to pasture land.
The Ortona mounds are located about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the present-day Caloosahatchee River. Until late in the 19th century, the Caloosahatchee River was fed by a series of lakes starting from Lake Hicpochee, and including Lettuce Lake, Bonnet Lake and Flirt Lake. A waterfall and set of rapids at the lower end of Flirt Lake marked the beginning of the river. The rapids were close to 1 mile (1.6 km) long, with a drop in elevation of about 10 feet (3.0 m). Lake Hicpochee, about 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) in area, was only 3 miles (4.8 km) from Lake Okeechobee, but there was no connection between the two lakes before the late 19th century. Water flowed from Lake Hicpochee westward into Lettuce Lake and then Bonnet Lake. When the water was high the two lakes merged. From Bonnet Lake water flowed into Lake Flirt, which was about 1,000 acres (400 ha) in area and 5 miles (8.0 km) long. All of the lakes were surrounded by extensive wetlands.
In 1881 Hamilton Disston, as part of a scheme to drain large areas of wetlands in the interior of Florida, had a canal dredged from Lake Okeechobee to Lake Hicpochee and through the lakes and wetlands to the west. His company removed the rock ledge that formed the falls and rapids below Lake Flirt, and straightened the upper reaches of the Caloosahatchee River. Various state and federal projects have widened and deepened the river since then. The conversion of the Caloosahatchee River into a canal drained Lake Flirt and the wetlands descending from Lake Hicpochee.
The site was extensively altered during the 20th century, and many of the features were destroyed or heavily damaged. Archaeologists have used early descriptions and maps of the site, as well as aerial photographs taken in the middle of the 20th century, to construct a partial picture of the site before it was altered.
The remains of two linear canals connect the Ortona site with the Caloosahatchee River. One canal runs about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) southeast from the site to a natural waterway connecting to the river. The other canal runs southwest from the site about 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to what was Lake Flirt on the old river bed (the Caloosahatchee River was canalized in the 20th century). While the routes of the canals can be traced on old maps and aerial photos, they have been significantly altered and obscured by human actions in the 20th century.
Early maps show an “Indian Trail” running from Fisheating Creek that crossed the wetlands east of Lake Flirt (and south of the Ortona site) at a ford. The Seminole Wars Fort Thompson was located at the rapids below (west of) Lake Flirt.
The two canals were fed by a slough called Turkey Creek, which flowed towards the mounds from the north. The western canal (8GL4A) connected a small, round pond near the mounds to an arm of Lake Flirt called Cypress Branch. The eastern canal (8GL4B) started near the mounds but does not appear to have been connected to the pond. Wheeler speculates that the two canals may have been connected by Turkey Slough. A 1950 map based on aerial photos shows a short branch of the eastern canal connecting to a mound or group of mounds. Much of the eastern canal may have been re-dredged as a drainage canal during the 20th century.
Measurements made in the 20th century indicate that the canals were about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) deep and 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide. The canals had flat bottoms and sloped sides, with spoil along their sides. A surviving portion of the eastern canal that was about to be destroyed in a sand mining operation was examined in 1997 by archaeologists. Trenches were cut through the canal to determine its history. Examination of the soil profiles in the trenches revealed that the canal was originally 6.7 to 9.1 metres (22 to 30 ft) wide at the top and 4.6 to 6.1 metres (15 to 20 ft) wide at the bottom of the canal, and 1 to 1.2 metres (3.3 to 3.9 ft) deep. Radiocarbon dates from samples of organic material recovered from the trenches indicate that the canal may have been dug as much as 1,900 years ago. A sample from the lowest layer was 1,600 to 1,900 years old. Two other samples above the original bottom of the canal, presumably deposited on sediment that had accumulated in the canal, were 1,100 to 1,750 years old.