The Historic Preservation Support Document
The Historic Preservation Support Document The inventory and analysis in the Support Document provide the foundation for the Plan portion of this Chapter. The Support Document is not adopted. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SARASOTA PALEOINDIAN CULTURE PERIOD (12,000 to 9,500 years ago) Paleoindians, the earliest known inhabitants of Florida, lived as nomadic hunters from 12,000 to 9,500 years ago. They roamed over a landscape very different from today. With a lower sea level, Florida’s coastline was much farther out, especially along the Gulf Coast. The total landmass of Florida was about twice the size as it is today and present day Sarasota was located inland. The climate was also different – arid and cool. Water was in short supply and the best sources for water were rivers and watering holes, such as the deep springs of Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Springs south of Sarasota. The cool and arid climate, as well as expanded landmass, meant a different array of plants and animals. Mammoths, camelids, and giant land tortoises existed during this period and fossils of these animals have been discovered in and around Sarasota. Typical plants of this period included scrub oak, pine forests, grass prairies, and savannahs. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human campsites at Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Springs. Paleoindians camped around what were then sinkholes and artifacts discovered at these springs demonstrate how animals were killed, butchered, and eaten. Underwater archaeological excavations at Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Springs have expanded our knowledge of the Paleoindian period in Sarasota and Florida as well as the North American continent.
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