A mysterious dugout canoe that washed up in Florida following Hurricane Ian is puzzling experts who are struggling to determine its origin and age, officials announced.
The unique indigenous watercraft was found in Fort Myers in 2022 after the storm and is believed to have made an incredibly long journey to the Sunshine State hundreds of years ago, according to the Florida Division of Historical Resources, whose preservationists recently restored the canoe.
“The canoe’s form is highly unusual in Florida and research is still ongoing to determine its origin,” a Facebook post from the organization announced Friday.
Preservationists have completed the conservation work on the 9-foot dugout canoe, but have yet to determine an estimated age or likely provenance of the object, though they theorized it may have originated in the Caribbean, according to the post.
“Comparisons to similar vessels in the Caribbean suggest that it may have connections to that region,” the post continued. “If this is proven, then this canoe may be considered a cayuco (a term used in Hispanic countries to distinguish a small dugout canoe typically for riverine or coastal navigation).”
The canoe was first found after Hurricane Ian brought storm surges as high as 15 feet above ground level to the southwest Gulf city. It was taken into custody by Florida preservationists in September 2024, they shared on Facebook at the time.
“Though this canoe is not yet dated using radiocarbon verification, the oldest canoes found near Fort Myers would have been used by the Calusa and their ancestors,” the organization wrote in a post just over one year ago.
Over 450 canoes have been found at 200 different sites in Florida, including “prehistoric canoes,” which are usually found across the eastern part of the state, according to the post.
“The oldest canoes date to the Middle Archaic Period, ca. 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, but canoes from many time periods are known, including examples made by American Indians, Europeans, and American settlers,” the Division of Historical Resources told the Miami Herald.
All of the canoes unearthed by preservationists are extremely fragile due to centuries underwater, and rapidly deteriorate when not properly handled, according to experts.
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