ABSTRACT
A maritime heritage exists in Florida that deserves to be investigated and preserved. The largest number of prehistoric and early historic canoes in the world have survived in the state's numerous waterways. This chapter summarizes what is known and what needs to be done in order to make the records more complete. The majority of the finds have come from the northcentral highlands where the many lakes and streams in the region may have been interconnected prior to the advent of ambitious drainage projects in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Even under natural conditions these lakes, located on relic dune ridges in an area of karst topography, are frequently affected by drought. Most of the canoes have not been dated by radiocarbon analysis. There is as yet no evidence of canoes from the Paleoindian Period.
