4/25/20 Report - 16th Century Fort San Anton de Carlos. Calusa. Koreshan Community. IRC Beach Openings.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Site of Fort San Anton de Carlos

Source: See links below.

In 1566, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés arrived at the capital of the Calusa kingdom. During that same year Menéndez issued the order to construct Fort San Antón de Carlos, which was occupied until 1569. This fort was also the location of one of the first Jesuit missions (1567) in what is now the United States. We now can confirm what archaeologists and historians have long suspected: the location of the fort and the capital of the Calusa was Mound Key (8LL2), located in Estero Bay in southwestern Florida. In this article, we present the first archaeological evidence of structures and fortifications associated with the 16th-century Spanish fort and mission of San Antón de Carlos. We conducted this work, which includes both remote sensing and excavation, in an effort to better document the history of the Calusa capital up to and including the colonial period.

That is an abstract of an article published in Historical Archaeology.  Here is the link to the site where you can purchase the entire article.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41636-020-00236-6


FloridaMuseum.ufl.edu provides the following information on the same topic.

Florida and Georgia archaeologists have discovered the location of Fort San Antón de Carlos, home of one of the first Jesuit missions in North America. The Spanish fort was built in 1566 in the capital of the Calusa, the most powerful Native American tribe in the region, on present-day Mound Key in the center of Estero Bay on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Archaeologists and historians have long suspected that the fort, named for the Catholic patron saint of lost things, was located on Mound Key. Researchers have been searching for concrete evidence in the area since 2013....

Artifacts From the Site

Photo credit: Amanda Thompson.

Researchers continue to question how the Spanish survived on Mound Key and met their daily needs despite unreliable shipments of minimal supplies from the Caribbean and strained relations with the Calusa – whose surplus supplies they needed for survival. The only Spanish fort known to be built on a shell mound, Fort San Antón de Carlos was abandoned by 1569 after the Spaniards’ brief alliance with the Calusa deteriorated, causing the Calusa to leave the island and the Spanish to follow shortly after...

Here is that link.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/spanish-fort-on-mound-key/

Additional information can be found in the newsletter by using this link.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2017/03/RRCVol16_No3.pdf

Mound Key is a state archaeological park located in Estero Bay accessible only by watercraft. You can launch from nearby Koreshan State Park, which has its on unique history.

Here is what FloridaStateParks.org says about that.

Koreshan State Park offers a window into the lives of a unique and eccentric pioneer group that made its home under towering oaks on the banks of the Estero River.

In 1893, the Koreshans, a religious sect founded by Dr. Cyrus R. Teed, moved here and built a settlement based on a commitment to communal living and a belief that the universe existed on the inside of the Earth. Living celibate lives, the enterprising Koreshans established a farm, nursery and botanical gardens.

The park is home to 11 immaculately restored and nationally registered historic buildings erected by the Koreshans between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A quiet and peaceful refuge amid busy Fort Myers, the park's interpretative and natural resources provide great opportunities to learn and and to enjoy nature. 

Here is a little more history on that.

Following the 1908 death of Dr. Teed, who had renamed himself “Koresh,” Hebrew for “Cyrus,” the Unity went into decline. Several groups split to form other groups. One, The Order of Theocracy, left in 1910, moved to nearby Fort Myers and lasted until 1931. The fact the Unity was celibate did not help, although celibacy was not the real problem; there was a married status within the Unity. However, celibates were the highest order and held the most important positions. With members leaving and no new members joining, the Unity slowly dwindled.

In 1961, Hedwig Michel, one of the few surviving members, and president of the Koreshans’ religious community, deeded the property to the State of Florida, which then became Koreshan State Park. In 1967, after restoration of eleven buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places, the park was renamed Koreshan State Historic Site. In 2017, shortly after Hurricane Irma, the site again became Koreshan State Park.

That reminds me of the 1993 Waco siege of the Branch Davidians by federal agents that lasted 51 days and ended in a fire that killed 80 men, women and children.  David Koresh, the leader of the cult, was born Vernon Wayne Howell.  Maybe he got the idea for his name from the Koreshans or maybe it was a Bible thing.

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I saw a fellow from the Bureau of Land Management on TV.  He seemed to be encouraging people to visit and enjoy BLM lands. He suggested a visit to the blm.org web site.  They don't seem to have any land in Florida, unless I missed it.

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I just received more news on the Indian River County beach openings from DJ.  Here it is.

S: Some IRC Beaches to open 4-28-20 at 7am

The public beach access points at Golden Sands, Wabasso Beach, Tracking Station Beach, Round Island Beach, the east end of Beachcomber Lane, South Beach, Humiston Beach, Sexton Plaza Beach, Conn Beach and Jaycee Beach will open to the public on 4-28 with conditions. Click on this link to read IRC Executive Order #2020-005:   https://www.ircgov.com/Public_Notices/COVID-19/Beach_Re-opening.pdf

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If you've been wondering about your stimulus check, JamminJack Just got his.  Here is what he said.

I just checked my mail this evening, and there was the check for $1200. I went online immediately to compare to a legitimate one and looks real. I had just earlier that day checked "Get My Payment", and said should receive by 24th. Hmm, today!

If anyone needs info to check online here is what to expect;

Social Security 

Birth Date

Address used for filing

Zip Code.

Take Care, JamminJack

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On the Treasure Coast we'll be having nothing but one and two foot surf for another week.

Getting real close to 2.5 million page views.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/4/16 Report - 300-Year-Old Intact Pot Uncovered. Evolving As A Treasure Hunter. Mound Key Archaeology.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

300-Year-Old Intact Bowl Uncovered In St. Augustine.

This rare 300-year-old intact bowl was recently uncovered by archaeologists in St. Augustine.

Here is the link to the video.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/300-year-old-bowl-found-in-st-augustine/164703194

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If you don't evolve as a treasure hunter, you probably won't be a treasure hunter very long.  If you don't evolve, you'll probably quit.

I see some people who believe all they have to do is get a detector and swing it around, and the detector will find treasure.  That won't get you very far.  You won't find much, and you'll probably quit before long.

Learning is necessary if you want to find much, but it is also a lot of the fun of metal detecting.  If you are not learning, you're missing out in both ways.

To be most effective, you have to learn to use your detector.  You have to learn about different areas and how to read the environment so yo will see the clues that will lead you to good finds.  You have to learn techniques and strategies.  

You'll also change what you want to find.  Your goals will change.  You'll expect to find more, and you'll target higher quality finds.  

That is why I say, "If you don't evolve, you are not a treasure hunter."  It might be slightly more accurate to say, "If you don't evolve, you won't be a treasure hunter very long."

I think it is good to ask yourself every once in a while if you've been evolving.  If so, how, and if not, why not.  

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Here is an academic publication in which the formation of Mound Key, the capital of the Calusa kingdom at the time of European contact in the sixteenth century was studied.


Here are some of the key observations from the study.

First, it appears that the island was occupied early in its existence, abandoned, and then reoccupied. During Mound Key’s second occupation, its inhabitants substantially altered the landscape by redepositing old midden to form at least the upper portions of the two largest midden-mounds. We argue that this reoccupation and the associated large-scale labor projects are part of a deep history of human-environmental interactions tied to the production of aquatic surpluses.

Here is the link if you want to read the entire article.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0154611#sec014

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It seems the crew of the Dare has identified a new target that has them excited on the site of the Atocha.  It is a new EM target that the magnetometer did not show. 

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We got some much-needed rain. I'd rather have that than the hot sun.

The surf is smooth today, but there is a bigger tide.   I've been waiting for a negative tide, but won't get a chance to get out today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net