Underwater archaeological sites Beginning in the 1980s submerged archaeological sites have been identified and examined on the seabed of Apalachee Bay. During the height of the
last glacial period, global sea levels were at least lower than in the 20th Century. All of the
Florida Platform would have been above sea level, with the west coast of the Florida peninsula being about west of the current coast. Sea levels were rising when the first people reached Florida late in the
Pleistocene epoch. Sea level at the end of the Pleistocene epoch was about lower than at present. By about 8,000 years
Before Present (BP) sea level had risen to about lower than at present. Because of the very gentle slope of the Florida platform, the ancient coastline was far to the west of the 20th Century coastline. The lower sea levels of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene epochs resulted in a drier climate, a lower water table, and little surface water in Florida. Often in landscapes dominated by
karst systems, such as the land adjacent to Apalachee Bay, including the formerly dry land currently submerged under the bay, the only available fresh water was in sinkholes along dried-up riverbeds. Many sites where people were present in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene epochs have been found in the Big Bend region adjacent to Apalachee Bay, and particularly in sinkholes in the bed of the Aucilla River. Some of these sites show evidence of the presence of people in the late Pleistocene, even before the appearance of the
Clovis culture (see
Page-Ladson). The broad, shallow continental shelf under Apalachee Bay adjacent to a region with abundant archaeological sites led to the prediction that archaeological sites could be found on the formerly dry land that has since been submerged beneath the bay. Fifteen archaeological sites had been found on the seabed of Apalachee Bay by 1993. The sea floor under Apalachee Bay was surveyed to identify now submerged river courses. Parts of the course of the Paleoaucilla, as well as fragments of possible ancient courses of other rivers were found, and sites with evidence of human activity have been found along them. Sites identified along the Paleoaucilla include the
J&J Hunt Submerged Archaeological Site (8JE740), the Ontolo site (8JE1577) and Area 91-B (8JE781). Based on tools found and
Radiocarbon dating, the J&J Hunt, Ontolo and Area 91-B sites were occupied from late in the Paleoindian period until the middle of the
Archaic period. West of the sites along the Paleoaucilla is the Fitch site (8JE739), on a channel that may be the Paleopinhook. (The Pinhook River is a short stream just to the west of the mouth of the Aucilla River.) The Fitch site is from the mouth of the Aucilla River and under water. The Fitch site may have been used as a
chert quarry early in the Archaic period, before 7500 years BP. The
Econfina Channel site (8TA139) is an archaeological site on what may be the ancient channel of the
Econfina River. It is offshore and under of water. The site includes an area where stone tools were found and a shell
midden, with a spring nearby.
Radiocarbon dating of shells from the midden yielded dates of 4510 years
BP +/- 461 years, and 2621 years BP +/- 423 years. The larger shell midden is on the south side of the paleochannel. It is about long parallel to the paleochannel and about across from the edge of the paleochannel into adjacent
eelgrass beds, and is thick. Additional shell middens up to long have been found on the north side of the paleochannel. Putnam and Newnan points, which were used from 7000 to 5000
calibrated BP, have been recovered from the site. Radiocarbon dates for oyster shells in the middens range from 5500 to 3000 calibrated BP. The rising sea level submerged the site sometime after 4500 calibrated BP.
Ray Hole Spring (8TA171) is a site south of the Aucilla River in of water. The site was described as a sinkhole with a flowing spring in 1976. The hole appears to have been partially filled with debris since then, possibly as a result of turbulence from hurricanes that passed over Apalachee Bay. The site is associated with the “Ray Hole Trough”, part of the Paleoaucilla channel. A piece of
southern live oak wood was found on the margin of the sinkhole at the bottom of a crevice under a lens of oyster shells. The wood was free of
teredo worm damage, which indicates it was deposited in fresh water, likely in a
hammock, and later covered by an
oyster bed as the sea level rose. That sequence is supported by a radiocarbon date of 8220 BP for the wood, and 7440 BP for the oyster shells. Chert flakes that may be deteriorated
debitage from tool manufacture were recovered from the margins of the sinkhole. Two debitage flakes that are clearly the result of human work have also been found at the site.
Aboriginal occupation Paleo-Indians entered the vicinity of Apalachee Bay at least 12,000 years ago. Evidence of Paleo-Indian occupation near the present-day coast of Apalachee Bay has been found at
Wakulla Springs and the
Page-Ladson site. As the sea level were still much lower than at present, other sites are presumed to now be underwater. The sea level rose rapidly during the early part of the
Archaic period, but by about 5,000 years ago the sea level was approaching present-day levels. Late in the Archaic period the
Norwood culture developed in the Apalachee Region. It was one of the earlier cultures in North America to produce ceramics. The people of the Norwood culture created many shell mounds, including some that are now underwater. About 2,500 years ago the
Deptford culture replace the Norwood culture along the coast of Apalachee Bay. The Deptford culture was oriented primarily towards the sea, living in
coastal hammocks. The later
Swift Creek and
Weedon Island cultures were more oriented to inland resources, but the
Bird Hammock site, close to the coast, was occupied during both of the Swift Creek and Weedon Island cultures.
Spanish period In July 1528, the
Narváez expedition reached
Apalachee Province. While there, the Spanish were attacked several times by Apalachees. Their own scouting and reports from natives convinced the Spanish that the land to the east and north of Apalachee was sparsely occupied and the few people who lived there were poor. The Spanish were told that a village to the south called Aute had a lot of corn, beans, squash, and, because it was near the sea, fish, and would be friendly. The Spanish moved to Aute, a trip of nine days. On reaching Aute the Spanish found it deserted and all the buildings burned, but crops in the fields were ready to be harvested. Scouts found a river nearby, but reported that the sea was still far away. The expedition then moved from Aute to the river. The expedition had lost men to attacks, many of the men were sick, and there were not enough horses to carry the sick. Despairing of being able to continue by land, the men of the expedition decided to build ships and sail to
New Spain. Lacking both the needed materials and the knowledge of how to build ships, the expedition improvised, forging woodworking tools from such iron objects as they had. They used palmetto fronds for caulking and made ropes from palmetto fronds and horsehair, sails from shirts, and water bags from horsehide. After six weeks they had built five rafts, but had lost another 50 men to illness or killed in attacks. They named the place where they had built the rafts the "Bay of Horses", after all the horses they had killed there. The five rafts carrying 242 men sailed downriver for seven days before reaching the open water of Apalachee Bay. The rafts then sailed west seeking New Spain. Only four men from the expedition eventually reached New Spain. After the
Hernando de Soto expedition reached Apalachee in 1539, a scouting party sent to the south identified the Narváez camp on a large bay off of Apalachee Bay. The Narvaez camp may have been at the Marsh Island Mound (
archaeological site 8WA1) on the Wakulla River, or the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge Cemetery site (8WA15) on the St. Marks River. By 1637, Spanish ships were calling in Apalachee Bay to supply the missions in Apalachee Province.
Amacano people were living near the mouth of the
Apalachicola River in 1637 when they guided Spanish ships to Apalachee Bay. The port of San Marcos was established near the mouth of the St. Marks River sometime in the 17th century. Ships sailed between there and St. Augustine, Havana, and a port called San Martin that was established in the early 1670s on the Suwannee River. Produce from Apalachee Province going to St. Augustine and provisions and funds from St. Augustine going to Apalachee were sent on a route that used canoes to cross Apalachee Bay and traverse the
Suwannee River and its tributary the
Santa Fe River. A mission was established in the town of Chaccabi near Apalachee Bay in 1674. The town was identified as
Chine, with Amacano and Pacara people living there as well. Chaccabi was on a small stream identified as "Rio Chachave" on Spanish maps, flowing into western Apalachee Bay, and probably was what is today known as Spring Creek. The town was not mentioned after 1675. After an enemy ship appeared off San Marcos in 1677, villages near Apalachee Bay were ordered to move inland. In 1718, the Spanish established the Presidio
San Marcos de Apalachee at the existing port of San Marcos near the mouth of the St. Marks River. ==Storm surges==